If someone asked Amos where he imagined himself at twenty-eight years old, the answer would not have been living at his mom's house, in his childhood bedroom, across from his grown-ass brother. Nor would he have pictured himself as a single man. Instead, he imagined marriage and kids or at least being on the path to it, but Lorena wanted to complete career milestones which kept pushing things off. Now, all of that waiting felt like such a waste of time.
"Gripping that guitar a little too hard," Carlos said from the doorway. "Either you're sexually frustrated, or you're imaging it's Lorena's neck."
Amos glared at him over his shoulder. "Not funny."
"I thought it was." He shrugged. "How about taking a break from cutesifying your room and coming to the gym with Cass and me?"
"This room is a mess. Look at everything I need to unpack."
"Oh, come on! You can take an hour break. It'll be good to let out all that pent-up aggression."
"You know if I don't do this, mom will start messing with my stuff, and then I won't know where anything is. Plus, I need to make some calls to find an apartment."
"Why? And miss out on mom's cooking? You've lost your mind."
"I can't mooch off her forever. This is only temporary."
"Yes, you can! Having her boys under the same roof again is a damn dream for her. She lives for this shit."
"Carlos..." Amos narrowed his stare. "This is only temporary, so the sooner I get all of this done, the sooner I can be on my own again."
"Cool, but that doesn't mean you can't come to the gym. And you really should. Your stomach is getting flabby."
"It's not!"
"Come on, man! Don't you wanna see hot chicks in spandex?"
"Dude..."
"Let's go, let's go!" Carlos drummed the door. "You can work off that beer gut."
"I do not have a beer gut!"
"Whatever. Just stop being a pussy, and let's go."
"Alright, alright. I'll go."
An hour later, sweat dripped down Amos's face while doing a bench press with Carlos spotting him. It had been weeks since his last workout. With everything going on with Lorena, he had been too distracted to hit the weights. Catching onto her lies, breaking up, and moving out, took up all of his energy. But, grunting in front of a mirror always reset the balance when things were chaotic.
"Come on, papá!" Carlos cheered. "You got this. Push."
Remembering the look on Lorena's face as she smiled at Marco, Amos released one last roar, and he hoisted the weights into the air, completing the set.
"Eso! There you go." Carlos nodded, helping him rest the bar on the rack. "Did you imagine karate-chopping Lorena in the tit?"
"What? No!"
"Maybe you should?"
"I'd rather not waste my time thinking about her."
"Good call." Carlos nodded, his attention drifting to Cassandra. "Man, look at her over there."
"Dude, you've got it bad."
"Do you blame me? Look at her. She's a goddess."
Glancing over, Amos spotted her sparring with a trainer in a one-on-one session. Her maroon leggings and sports bra fit her like a glove, but the girl was chiseled. "Yeah, I could probably bounce quarters off her booty."
"Hey!" Carlos smacked his abdomen, and Amos chuckled, shrugging.
"You're the one who told me to check out the hot babes in spandex. Your girlfriend is one of them."
"Oh, don't I know it! And the brain on her..." Carlos bit his fist. "I could listen to her talk about medical stuff all day."
"She's a Nurse Practitioner, right?"
"Yes! So fucking smart. I have no idea what she sees in me."
"She sees a good man. One who is loyal and protects the people he loves." Amos patted his back.
"Ah, shucks, are you getting mushy on me?"
"It's true. Any woman would be lucky to have you in their corner, and as a bonus, you're a fantastic chef."
"As much as I hate getting sappy, you should be kinder to yourself because Lorena is a damn moron for throwing you away."
"I threw her away."
"Damn right! Speaking of trash..." Carlos patted his belly. "I'm ready for some junk food. I need nachos."
Thirty minutes later, they found themselves sitting in the taqueria down the street, stuffing their faces, surrounded by murals of outdoor scenes, as if guests were in the middle of a pueblo during a fiesta. Colorful paper cutouts and lanterns swayed on strings running across the painted ceiling, which reflected the midnight sky.
Cassandra bobbed her shoulders to the soft mariachi music playing over the speakers as they sat there feasting but paused mid-chew and said, "So what's the word on diary-girl?"
"Babe, real sexy," Carlos snorted, and she smirked at him but finished chewing before continuing.
"Have you looked her up?"
"Look her up?" Amos wiped his mouth. "It never even occurred to me."
"No? Well, what are you waiting for?"
"I wouldn't even know where to start." Amos shrugged. "Plus, isn't that a little stalkerish?"
"Poquito." Carlos pinched his fingers together.
"No, it's not," Cassandra insisted. "I think it's a mystery worth pursuing. I mean, come on! This whole thing is pretty cool. I was talking to a workmate about it—"
"Wait." Amos held up his hand. "You told a stranger that I was reading someone's diary?"
"Not a stranger, my coworker, and she's the one who thinks you should find her because before her grandparents met, they were high school pen-pals. It wasn't until years later that her grandpa decided he'd cross the ocean and meet the woman on the other side of those letters. Now here we are, present-day, and they recently celebrated sixty years of marriage. That could be you, Amos!"
"It's a nice thought but also quite rare. What if my brother is right, and the journal is just some fun project a teenager put together?"
"Or a friggin psycho," Carlos added.
Cassandra tossed her nacho-covered chip onto the plate and narrowed her eyes at them. "You guys are no fun! Where's your sense of romance? Adventure? Or are you boys too chicken-shit to see who's on the other side of those journal entries?"
"Chicken-shit?" Amos exclaimed.
"Scaredy-cat," Cassandra taunted.
"I am not!"
"Bawk, bawk, bawk..." Cassandra squawked, her arms flapping like a chicken's wings. Across from her, Carlos bit back a laugh.
"I wouldn't even know where to start!"
"Ah, but I do." Cassandra raised her finger. "I have a patient who's a retired detective and does some private investigating on the side. I'm sure I can talk him into doing a little research."
"Oh, really?" Carlos drew his head back. "And what would you do exactly to convince him?"
"Relax. He's an old man and into dudes."
"Oh."
"Yeah, so anyway, back to what we were discussing before my boyfriend decided to go all caveman and pound his chest." She grinned at Amos. "Let me make a call and see if he's game."
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm gonna pass."
"Bro, seriously?" Carlos objected. "You're not even a little curious? Because if I'm being honest, I definitely am."
"I just... I have to move on. You know? I can't fixate on a mystery person from some frayed old journal."
"Fine," Cassandra sighed. "But I'm leaving the option on the table if you change your mind."
For the rest of the afternoon, Amos tagged along with Carlos and Cassandra while they shopped for groceries. As he trailed them in the store, he observed how effortless it was between them. They moved in sync, adding things to their cart as if they'd been together for years and finishing each other's sentences while going down the list of items they needed.
Cassandra was great for his brother. He took pride in his cooking and physical health, but she pushed him to eat more veggies and cleaner foods. While Amos watched them play tug of war with a bundle of asparagus, he also realized she had an incredible amount of patience. After a solid thirty seconds of back and forth arguing, Carlos acquiesced, followed by Cassandra grinning while placing the asparagus in the cart.
The more time Amos spent with them, the more he noticed differences in their relationship compared to his. One could easily argue it was because Carlos and Cassandra were still in the honeymoon phase, but that answer didn't feel quite right. There was something about them. Mutual respect and understanding didn't exist in Amos's relationship with Lorena. Not even in the beginning.
"We good to go?" Carlos clapped Amos's shoulder, pulling him out of his daydreaming.
"Yeah." He spun and glanced at the full shopping cart. "Got everything you need?"
"Almost!" Cassandra huffed. "Carlos put his foot down when I tried adding eggplant to the cart."
"Listen, I am not eating something that reminds everyone of a giant dick!" Carlos folded his arms, but Amos threw his head back, barking a laugh.
"I had plans to make Eggplant Parmesan that would blow your mind, but fine, act like a child."
"Aw baby, don't be mad." Carlos latched onto her as she began walking towards the register with the shopping cart.
"No. It's fine."
"Babe, come on, I was just joking," he begged, but she shimmied away from his grasp and kept walking. "Baby. You're killing me. We can buy every single eggplant in this store if it means that much to you."
"Damn, Cass. You've got my brother by the balls!" Amos chuckled, and she glanced over her shoulder, tossing him a grin.
"I know."
"And it's totally worth it." Carlos threw his arms around her, peppering her neck with kisses until she squealed with laughter. "You loooove me."
"Yeah. I do." Cassandra huffed. "Now help me pay for this stuff."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"So, Amos." Cassandra swiped a bag of rice across the scanner. "Since you're too chicken to find Carmela, would you mind if I set you up on a date with a friend?"
"I'm not chicken."
"Yeah, ok," Carlos mocked.
"I'm not."
"So, would you mind?" Cassandra repeated.
"I don't know. I don't like being set up on dates."
"It doesn't have to be a big deal. We can even make it a group date. We had plans to go salsa dancing this weekend anyway, so it would be a great yet casual way for you to meet my friend Yvette."
"You want to set him up with Yvette?" Carlos arched a brow.
"Yeah. What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing." He shrugged. "It's just she's a blonde."
"So?"
"So I don't think Amos is into blondes."
"I like all sorts of women," Amos objected.
"But I've never even seen you date a blonde before."
"Carlos..." Cassandra clamped shut his lips with her fingers. "I need you to shush. Yvette is a total babe. Like Gisele Bündchen level. Trust me, Amos. She's Brazilian, a total sweetheart, and her accent will make you melt, I swear."
"She sounds great, but I don't know if I'm ready to—"
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Carlos shouted and then lowered his voice when eyes darted their way. "You are coming with us on Saturday, no excuses. Yvette is a fox, and you'd be dumb ass hell not to go."
"Excuse me." Cassandra's brows flew to her hairline as she shifted to Carlos, gripping the bundle of asparagus. "That's my friend you're drooling over."
"Am I wrong? You said so yourself, she's a babe, and Amos would be a moron not to go on a date with her."
"Hm, interesting." Cassandra tapped her chin. "Moments ago, you complained that blondes aren't his type."
"Oh, come on, babe. You know I only have eyes for you."
"Whatever." She play-punched him in the gut. "So, anyway, Amos, are you gonna join us on Saturday or what?"
"Come on, man. Don't leave me hanging on the dancefloor while I school all the dudes with my legendary salsa moves."
"The only thing legendary is how you manage to dance in skin-tight, nut-hugging jeans," Amos replied.
"Your 'going-out' pants are pretty tight, babe," Cassandra snorted.
"Yeah, maybe, but my junk looks amazing in them." Carlos bobbed his brows. "Am I right, or am I right?"
"Please tell me we're almost done here." Amos buried his face in his palms, and Cassandra poked him.
"You still haven't answered my question."
"Fine, I'll go, but only if my brother wears normal-fitting pants."
"Done. Deal!" Cassandra swiped a few tomatoes, and Carlos gasped dramatically with a hand going to his chest. "You can do this one favor for your brother. It won't kill you."
"I know. I know. Anything for my big bro."
After buying groceries, they brought them back to their mother's house and began cooking dinner. For the rest of the night, Amos observed his brother with Cassandra and, at moments, felt a zip of longing to experience his happiness. Even their mother was smitten and doted on Cassandra at every turn. It was night and day compared to Lorena's relationship with her. As much as their mother tried, she and Lorena clashed more than they got along.
Cassandra was a good woman, and his brother was lucky to have found a keeper like her.
Maybe one day, Amos would find a keeper too.