Juju POV
"Happy new year!!!! y'all know there's a white pregnant girl out on your porch?" I said to them.
The Martinez looked at their son like they wanted to kill him.
...
We all sat at the table except for the kids. The girl was slurping her drink and everyone was staring at her.
"I'm so sorry about your recent lost, my heart goes out to all of you and as a beneficiary of white privilege these kinds of tragedies are like foreign to me. So on behalf of my people, I am sorry for keeping your people down." She says.
We all couldn't believe what she said.
"Okay, thank you amber. We.. we appreciate that." Mrs. Martinez says.
"Mama this all looks amazing." Amber says.
We all gasped.
"Jamal can you pass the bread?" Mario asked.
"What bread? I don't have any bread." Jamal says.
"Jamal, calma." I whispered yelled so he can hear.
"I know you don't. But can you pass it?" Mario says.
I passed Mario the bread.
"I feel like I should clear my conscience since we're about to come into a new year and uh I'm about to be a mother to a 'whitina"
"A What? Abuela says.
"A white Latina." I clarified.
"So there were not a lot of POC in my high school which is really such a shame because there's a lot to learn when you just break down those cultural barriers. Anyway, I can't believe this is part of my personal history but -"
"Babe right now is probably not the best time-"
"Continue." Ruby says cutting off Mario.
"Grassyes. So I had this friend and he was Latino. Or Hispanic? Which one is it? Whatever doesn't matter it's all the same right babe? Anyway, we call him Ockie and I thought it was just short for octopus, because he had an extra finger, but it wasn't about the finger. It was because every time a teacher took roll, he'd go "Aqui" she said.
I can not believe Mario brought this home.
....
I was helping putting away food and washing dishes while everyone else was waiting for 12.
"Heating up our New Years luck?" Jamal asked.
"Hmm this is bull shit, every year we eat these collard greens and black eyed peas and nothing. These don't bring dollars and sense, just heart break and heart burn." Abuelita says.
"Oh don't say that Abuelita... Jamal." I whispered the last part so he can tell her the news.
"Look at me. Do I look like someone's great grandmother?" Abuelita asked us.
"Yes?" Jamal says and I hit him.
"Exactly! That's because I can't afford a good skin cream, this tradition is crap!" Abuelita says.
"Abuelita." I say.
"That's all going to change, you just need to trust and believe." Jamal says.
"I'm don't believe. Believing is bull shit! We are who we are and it's never gonna change. We're not special." Abuela says.
"Abuelita, ven aqui." I whisper.
