10 years ago...
Nataly Casillas stared out the window of the bus as she listened to her favorite football news roundup. This was a special episode, her best friend Rafael Lopez would be getting mentioned for the segment they did on promising high school students to keep an eye on. Even though it was only sophomore year, Raf was garnering tons of hype as the premiere running back from their high school who had already gone on to break several of the school's records. Nat always knew her friend was destined for greatness, this was just his first recognition.
"I'm telling you, this Lopez kid has got it. In the past game he rushed over 300 yards and had two running touchdowns. If you're not paying attention to him, you are not paying attention to the future!" One of the anchors enthusiastically let out.
Nat had been to every game of the season so far and she was well aware of what her friend was capable of. As she counted down the minutes until she got home, she thought it would be a good idea to pay him a visit given how close he lived to her.
"Well now that's enough about Rafael Lopez, let's move on to our last high school highlight: Nick Bosa out of Florida. Now that's a monster defensive end in the making. His brother has just committed to Ohio and we've heard that the university has already reached out to Nick offering him a spot on the team when his time comes. Isn't that incredible?"
As the bus came to Nat's stop, she tucked away her headphones and turned off her phone. For as much as she liked football, she didn't think much of high school players on the other side of the country. Nat was a Cali girl through and through, as if the Lightning jersey she was wearing wasn't enough of an indication. Nat stepped off the bus and made her way to her house.
Inside, Nat knew by the suspicious quiet that her family was not home yet. She checked her phone and saw a text she missed:
Mami: Nat I had to go to the bank about one of my checks. Margie is picking up Sonia. If you want something to eat Ms. Lopez said she was making food.
And so Nat had another reason to go pay the Lopez household a visit. She set down her bag in her room and took off on foot to her friend's house. Thankfully, it was a cloudy day in Los Angeles, so Nat wouldn't have much of a problem. As she strolled down the sidewalk, her mouth began to water as she imagined the delicious meal Ms. Lopez was cooking up.
Maria Alicia Lopez was a humble and soft spoken woman. Originally from Sonora, Mexico, Maria came to the United States seeking a life of opportunity for her future family. Back in Mexico, she had gotten accepted to an outstanding university to go play basketball. Unfortunately, as the oldest child in her family, her parents forbade her from going off to school. So Maria stayed to watch after her younger siblings. It took a few years for the youngest children to become self-sufficient, but once they did, Maria took off for Los Angeles and never looked back.
Here in the States, she met a lovely man who she married and had 2 kids with. Rafael was the youngest of the two, and when Maria saw the spark in his eye after their first football match together, she was determined to give her son the future that was stolen from her. Maria worked multiple jobs: food service, housekeeping, odd jobs she would do for other recent arrivals. Whatever free time she did have, she dedicated to taking Rafael to practices across the area. Any sort of football camp or opportunity for individual practice, Maria jumped on, knowing her son would need all the help he could get to play the most popular sport in the country.
But the biggest effort Maria Alicia Lopez made for her son was in her cooking. She knew a growing boy needed a lot of food to get big and strong. So she mastered multiple recipes from her culture, each putting a heavy emphasis on meat, to ensure her son would gain all the muscle he would need. And her efforts had paid off. Rafael was one of the tallest 10th graders in his school and showed no sign of stopping. In fact, people began to think Maria was putting some sort of magic in her dishes because even his own best friend Nat was starting to get taller than the other girls. Whatever Maria was doing was working.
Once Nat approached the gate, she stared at the soft red brick house. The house was small, only 1 story with 2 bedrooms, which Maria had given to her children as she took the living room. There was a time Maria had her own bedroom back when her husband was alive, but after his death she decided it would be wiser to give her two kids their own spaces so they would always have somewhere to go when they just needed to be alone.
Nat walked up to the white door adorned with a wreath Maria had no doubt gotten from a chain craft store she visited as a luxury due to her busy schedule. Nat knocked as loud as she could as she screamed "It's me!" to her second family.
"Come in!" She heard the deep voice of her best friend respond.
Nat opened the unlocked door and made sure to lock it behind her. Perhaps Maria Alicia Lopez was already expecting her pseudo daughter, or perhaps she had a lapse in memory. Either way, Nat didn't want to leave the house unprotected. Once inside, she made her way to the kitchen where she saw Raf seated and Maria over the counter putting some finishing touches on a dish.
"Is that what I think it is?" Nat asked, already salivating.
"Oh you know it. My mom said today was special since I was mentioned on that show." Raf responded full of himself.
Nat just chuckled as she took a seat beside her friend.
"Did you hear what they said? They said you could probably have your pick of university! You better not go too far, I'm trying to follow you!" Nat exclaimed.
"Hehe, well that's a few years away. For now I gotta focus on killing it over here. People are gonna start having expectations now."
"Ay no, how many times do I have to tell you kids. En Español." Maria Alicia Lopez instructed, her focus still on the enchiladas she was preparing.
Nat knew Spanish and spoke it fairly well, but she still had occasional hiccups that had earned her quite the derision. Even though she knew she needed to practice it more, she was still too shy to whip it out in the presence of more experienced speakers.
"But Mama Lopez, didn't you say you wanted to practice your English? You're never gonna learn all the football terms you need to know if we just spoke Spanish."
Maria Alicia Lopez turned around and gave a faint smile to Nat. The corners of her mouth were well wrinkled and Nat was reminded of the fact she had just turned 50 not too long ago. Her shoulder length hair was styled in a bob, which might've made her look younger if it weren't so streaked with gray. Her tan skin still looked good for someone her age, but it was really her spirit that made her seem younger than her appearance. Something about how she looked at others with her light brown eyes made you feel like you were talking to the young basketball player from Sonora and not the middle aged woman getting ready for her shift at a local restaurant.
"You're right Nataly. For that, you get one extra enchiladas."
"Hah!" Nat teased Raf who was rolling his eyes. Anytime Maria made enchiladas he pulled every excuse out of the book to get as many as possible. Really the only competition he had was Nat, who definitely tried to mooch more than was her right as a family friend.
Maria Alicia Lopez took a wooden spatula and began partitioning the portion she would give to each teenager and to herself as well. Once the plates were ready, she put them each down with a fork and took her seat at the end of the small table. The table only sat three, which was perfect for their current setup.
"Mama Lopez, Raf is going to be a STAR! Those news guys were going crazy over him. I think he's a future NFA player."
Raf smiled wide as he plopped a spoonful of the rich and cheesy chicken enchiladas into his mouth. "UH-HUH" he said through chewing.
Maria smiled at her son and looked over to Nat. "Oh I know. Us Lopezes, we're strong. One day everyone in LA is going to be wearing Lopez jersey."
Nat smiled at the idea when Maria suddenly posed a question.
"But what about you mija? What are you going to do?" Maria Alicia Lopez inquired.
"Ooh!" Nat beamed. "I just found out about this new job. It's called an 'athletic trainer'. It's sort of like a nurse but for football players. That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna be on the same team as Raf, which we all know is going to be the Lightning." She added on extra enthusiastically.
Raf swallowed his 4th enchilada as he already worked on the 5th. "We don't make that decision, Nasty Nat. It could be the Pioneers for all I know."
"Gross, don't say that" Nat fake gagged. "That might be the one place I wouldn't go. You couldn't pay me to live in San Francisco."
Raf laughed as he resumed his plate of food and Nat followed suit. Maria, who already finished the two she served herself, was already putting the dish in the sink.
"Well God willing, both you kids will be doing big, big things. Just keep working hard and no distractions. Especially you" she turned to look at Nat. "No boys! Only boy you need is my handsome son, even if you don't love him." She teased.
Nat laughed at Maria's advice. She was always trying to put Nat on a good path and make sure she wouldn't fall off of it. Secretly, Maria hoped Nat and her son would get together, but what Maria didn't know didn't need to pose a problem. All she needed to know was that the last thing on Raf's mind was girls, and Nat herself knew she wouldn't let a boy get in the way of her dreams.
"Alright you two, I'm going to work. Rafa, I expect you to clean the dishes."
"Urghhhhh" the superstar running back groaned.
As Maria Alicia Lopez prepared to head out, Nat decided to throw in one last word of gratitude.
"Thanks again Mama Lopez, I really, really owe you. One day when I'm rich I'll make it up to you."
Maria looked at Nataly and with another faint smile said, "Mija you don't owe me anything. The only thing I want is for you to be happy. As long as I can see you smile, that's enough."
...
Nat wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked at Maria sleeping soundly on the hospital bed. Her flight from San Francisco was quick and easy so as soon as she landed she went straight to the hospital where Mama Lopez was staying. Nat stood next to Raf who was seated, his eyes red and puffy, as the two silently observed.
"How long is she going to be asleep for?" Nat asked
"Doctors said she should be up sometime tomorrow. I don't know though" Raf said, his eyes glued to the floor.
Nat walked to the other side of the bed as she glanced out the window into the dark night. She had done all her crying on the flight over which perhaps explained why she felt hollow standing in the hospital room.
"Did the doctors say what happened?"
"They said she was just experiencing side effects from the chemo. Said it's not unusual for people to feel faint or even pass out, but because of her age they wanted to observe her overnight just to make sure there wasn't a bigger issue." Raf responded.
Nat approached Maria and grabbed onto her hand, trying with all her might to transfer some of her energy into her second mother. Maria was unresponsive, sound asleep like any other night.
Nat looked at Raf, "How are you doing? Did you eat?"
Raf shook his head but kept silent with his eyes now on his mother again. Nat could see this experience was weighing heavily on his friend. The warm face that normally greeted her had gone cold with fear. The creases on his forehead were clearly defined and the light in his eyes had gone very dim.
"Raf you need to eat. If you want I can pick you up something or maybe we can get delivery."
Raf let the silence spread for a while. Nat wasn't sure if he was considering her offer or merely just thinking about the situation they were in. But after a few more moments of quiet, Raf stood up without warning.
"No, it's fine. I've been here all day. I should go outside. I can trust you with her right?" Raf looked at her with watery eyes.
"Of course," Nat nodded sternly. "Do you think you could bring me back something too?"
"Sure" Raf responded. "I'll text you once I know where I'm going. Thanks for being here Nat." Raf went and gave his friend a tight hug.
Once Raf walked out of the room, Nat turned back to Maria Alicia Lopez who was still asleep, still incapable of providing any sort of comfort. Nat remembered when Raf's father had passed away and the times they caught her crying alone in her room, or the bathroom, or the kitchen. Ironically, the person who was best suited to provide advice in this very situation was the one who couldn't speak.
"Mama Lopez... please wake up. Please stay here. We need you..."
Nat felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out expecting to see Raf, but this time was surprised to see "Nick" flashing across her screen. She remembered telling the defensive end what happened after the game, but the two hadn't talked since that night. Nat hesitated for a moment but decided she didn't want to stay in the silence with her thoughts.
"Hey Nick" She said weakly, "What's going on?"
"Nothing much" He responded in a hoarse voice. It was pretty late at night and Nat wouldn't be surprised if he stayed up past his bedtime again.
"How is everything there? Is your friend's mom doing okay?"
"Her name is Ms. Lopez and I guess everything's fine. She's still asleep but the doctors said she should wake up soon. We've just been waiting here for her." Nat had a lump in her throat as she said it but she didn't want to worry her friend.
"What hospital are you at?" He asked.
As Nat answered the question, a nurse walked in to check on Ms. Lopez but then walked out after confirming she was still stable. Nat returned her focus to Nick and continued with their conversation.
"Sorry about that. Everything good after the game? You did a great job by the way."
"Yeah everything's good here. We missed having you with us, you should have seen Deon. He was looking all over for you." Nick laughed as he said it.
Nat rolled her eyes but appreciated the momentary distraction Nick was offering. She still felt guilt over the last time they saw each other in person, but to Nick's credit he didn't seem to hold anything against her. Really, it had felt like they were back to talking as friends, before things had gotten complicated.
"Well given the circumstances I actually don't mind probation so much. It made it easy to come over here."
"Right," Nick responded. "Speaking of that, I still think that's unfair of them to do."
That makes two of us. "Well I'm not in any hurry to go back. They still need me here." Nat glanced back over at Mama Lopez.
"Nat you really are incredible. I'm really sorry you have to go through this. You know if you need anything at all you can call me right? Even if it's just to talk. I just want to make sure you're okay."
Nat took a deep breath before responding. "Thank you Nick. I appreciate it, and I'm sure the Lopezes do too. If you need to talk or need anything you can call me too. I'll just be here at the hospital for the time being."
The two hung up once the conversation reached its end and Nat took a seat in the chair Raf was in before he left to get food. She looked at Maria Alicia Lopez once more, like watching a pot set to boil, hoping that with her gaze alone she could get her to wake up. But the longer she stared, the more soundly it seemed Ms. Lopez slept.
...
The next morning, Nat walked into Maria's hospital room carrying two cups of coffee and some donuts. It took all her strength to not drop what she was carrying when she saw the woman seated up, awake, and talking with her son.
Nat put the items down on a table and ran up to the duo.
"Mama Lopez! I'm so happy to see you!" Nat gave Maria the biggest hug she could muster after two days of stress. Maria returned the embrace with her familiar steady hug. Nat could smell the clean hospital gown she had on but more importantly she could feel the warmth emanating from Maria.
"How do you feel? Are you okay? I got some donuts if you want, I even got you your favorite pink frosting with sprinkles."
Maria looked at Nat with tired yet content eyes. "Thank you mija. I appreciate it but I'm not really hungry. I still feel tired."
Nat nodded in acceptance as she peeped Raf already attacking the box out of the corner of her eye. He may not be an athlete anymore but he definitely still had the appetite of one.
Nat focused back on Maria. "So what did the doctors say? Will you be able to go home?"
Raf turned around, mid chew and responded "Yeah, they said they just wanted to keep observing her for a few hours but if she stays the same she can come home by the evening. Mmmmm" He finished, lost in his chocolate covered donut.
Oh thank goodness. I've never been more relieved. Nat would have stayed as long as necessary to support the Lopez family, but with this news she was grateful that life would be able to return to normal, or whatever this new normal was.
"I'm so glad to hear the good news. You scared us!" Nat told her.
Maria shook her head slowly but still had a small smile on her face. "I'm sorry. I felt really weak but I didn't think this would happen. Ay, if it wasn't for the dog I don't know when Raf would've found me." According to Raf, Sugar had come running after him in his room when Maria collapsed and he could tell by the dog's erratic behavior that something was wrong.
After Nat grabbed her own lemon donut, she took a seat besides Maria and continued updating her on her life. She told her about the Pioneer's win streak, the scandalous fake relationship, and how she was adjusting to her new setting. Maria listened to everything intently, but it was her response whenever she was done that caught Nat off guard.
"So mija, when are you going to tell me about the new boyfriend?" She asked, trying to sound as playful as possible.
"What? I told you, I wasn't actually dating Giordano. We already had our breakup."
"No, no," Maria retorted, still with a cheeky grin. "I'm talking about the one who called you last night."
What is she talking about? Did she hear us?
"Mama... were you awake last night?? Were you eavesdropping?!"
Maria gave a soft laugh. "You know what they say. It wasn't on purpose. But that's okay, you can tell me about Nick whenever you're ready."
Nat was still feeling a little shaken but she had read countless stories online of unconscious people who were still aware of their surroundings. Perhaps her friend's mom was lying or perhaps she was honest. There was just one thing Nat hadn't pieced together yet.
"Wait... how do you know his name?" Nat asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer.
Maria laughed again, but this time simply pointed behind Nat. Nat turned around and was shocked to see at the back end of the room, hidden partially by the partition, was a big bouquet of flowers, a basket filled with pastries, and several balloons, each with their own iteration of "get well soon" written on them. Nat approached the back table and saw a card nestled neatly in the bouquet of flowers:
Ms. Lopez,
Nataly Casillas told me about your condition. I hope you feel better
soon. Everyone here at the San Francisco Pioneers are rooting
for you and we hope you'll be back on your feet in no time.
Nick Bosa
Sra. Lopez,
Nataly Casillas me habló de tu estado. Espero que se sienta mejor
pronto. Todos aquí en los San Francisco Pioneers están
alentando para usted y esperamos que se recupere pronto.
Nick Bosa
Nat's heart was overwhelmed with compassion over Nick's gift. Not only was the gesture by itself sweet, Nat was particularly touched by his inclusion of a Spanish translation. Nat immediately felt regret over her actions from the last time she saw him and she also felt all of her doubts and anxieties over him melt away.
Nick is different. He's always been different. I don't know why I've been such an idiot.
In the middle of rereading the note, Raf approached her holding a slender box. He said something but through the mouthful of donut, Nat had no chance of deciphering it. Instead, she opened the slender box and saw a single red rose inside, with a note attached as well. Before she even began reading the note, the smile on her face grew and she felt the familiar blush she has known ever since she started working for the Pioneers:
Nat,
I'm really sorry I can't be there with you. I want you to know that I'm
here for you no matter what. Take as much time as you need- I'll talk to Stoll
and Coach. Just be yourself and I'm sure Ms. Lopez will be feeling better in
no time. I miss you so much.
Nick
P.S. Could you pick up some new batteries for the bear?