Page 54 of The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean

“I’m holding you to that.” Isa leaned into Mandy. “And you’re sure it’s cool I stay at this place with you while you’re doing your classes, right? It’s not going to be weird?”

“For the hundredth time. It’s fine. You can hang there while I’m doing my thing, or come and go as you please. Beatrice doesn’t care.” Mandy had corresponded endlessly with the woman whose room she would be renting while she was there, and she assured Mandy it wouldn’t be an issue. The room had a queen-sized bed and was really meant for two anyway. Mom had insisted on the larger space thinking Mandy would feel more at home that way.

“I can’t believe we’re really doing this.” Isa would say that a lot when they talked about going to Europe—because it would be the farthest she’d ever been from home, the farthest without her mom or Abuela. It was the first time Mandy would be away from her parents too, but she knew Isa was more nervous about it. Isa would go to Mexico to visit family, so it wasn’t like she never traveled, but this time neither of them would have any family nearby if anything went wrong. Mandy didn’t like to play thewhat-bad-things-could-happengame—there was no reason to worry about things out of their control—while Isa rationalized that planning for the worst would ensure they’d have the best experience.

Regardless, it was going to be an amazing trip.

A floorboard in the hallway squeaked, and Isa and Mandy quickly separated—well, separated enough. Isa hadn’t gottenaround to telling her mom or Abuela about Mandy and Isa’s new arrangement, and it was probably better that way. The sleepovers would stop, for one thing. Mandy and Isa also hadn’t gotten around to telling their other friends. Everyone was so busy getting ready for college that they decided to live in their bubble for a while—just the two of them. There would be plenty of time later to tell everyone. For now, they enjoyed this secret little life they were sharing together. Without questions, or prying eyes.

Abuela shuffled past Isa’s room and grunted. Mandy and Isa exchanged a glance. Abuela had made it known that she wasn’t happy with Isa’s choice to defer a semester. But Isa had it all planned out. And being one semester behind wouldn’t throw her entire future off track. Plus, the life experiences she was going to gain from a trip like this would be irreplaceable. Mandy even asked Isa a dozen times if she was sure she wanted to do this. That they would only be apart for a short time, and while it would suck, it would be okay. But Isa was adamant. Said if Mandy was going, so was she, and there was nothing Mandy could do to stop her. And it wasn’t as if Mandy didn’t like the idea of having Isa there. She wasn’t as likely to get homesick with Isa next to her. She would always have someone to go sightseeing with her when she didn’t have classwork to complete. She’d have a piece of home with her the whole time—the best part of home. It really was the ideal plan.

“Oh crap. Is that really what time it is?” Isa jumped up, scrambling to find her shoes.

The clock on her dresser read 3:52 p.m., and Isa was supposed to babysit for a family down the street at 4:00 p.m.

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” Mandy meant those words, butshe probably shouldn’t have said them. Isa had taken on a number of babysitting jobs to make money for their trip. Isa didn’t like that Mandy had spent so much on her ticket and didn’t want to rely on her the whole time they were there. Mandy had never mentioned the cost, because it didn’t matter. To cover her tracks though, she added, “Those kids are kind of a disaster.”

Isa laughed. “Teddy isn’t always like that.” Meaning he didn’t always scream so loud or throw his toys all over the house, but Mandy wasn’t convinced.

“If you say so,” Mandy said. “Need me to get anything for you while I’m at the mall?”

“No, I’m going to get those Nikes before we go myself. Now get out of here so I’m not late.” Isa kissed Mandy’s nose and handed over her shoes.

Mandy rolled off the bed, slid the shoes on, and kissed Isa’s nose back. “Call me when you tuck those monsters into bed.”

“I will.”

They both headed out the door at the same time, Isa walking down the street even though Mandy offered to drive her over, and Mandy to her car—she still had a little last-minute shopping to do for the trip. Mandy honked as she passed Isa and headed to the mall.

Her quick trip to pickup a few things ended with Mandy spending too much time and way too much money. It was as if, once she got started, she didn’t know how to stop. Plus, she wanted to look good for Isa. Mandy also couldn’t help herself when she saw the Nikes Isa wanted and bought those too.Isa needed them, and Mandy already had her credit card out. Isa would likely be mad at first, but she would get over it.

Mandy pulled up to the front of her house to dump her bags before circling around to the garage. Lucky for her, Mom and Dad weren’t home, so she didn’t have to explain her overzealous shopping excursion. What she didn’t expect to find was the person sitting on her front porch.

“Abuela?” Mandy’s thoughts began to ricochet inside her brain. Was Isa okay? What happened? “Is there something wrong?”

“Sit, mija.” Abuela patted the bench next to her—the one that hung from the porch where a scarecrow sat every year the few weeks before Halloween, and then the night of was replaced by Dad jumping to scare unsuspecting teens. “Everyone is fine. There’s no need to worry.”

Mandy set her bags on the ground, her trunk still open in the driveway, and did what Abuela asked. In the years Mandy and Isa had been friends, Abuela had been to Mandy’s often, sometimes showing up to drop off caldo de pollo when one of them was sick, or with “extra” flan knowing Dad loved it more than anything. But there was something about the way Abuela sat there now, hands folded in her lap, that set Mandy’s nerves on edge. If there wasn’t anything wrong, then why was she here?

“Sandra and I have always wanted what is best for Marisa.” It was strange hearing Abuela use Isa’s and her mom’s formal names. To Mandy they were Sandy and Isa—as they were most of the time for Abuela too. “When Roberto passed, it was hard for Sandra. She had to work two jobs, and she sacrificed so much to make sure Marisa got the best education.”

This story wasn’t new to Mandy; she knew everything there was to know about Isa and her family. They were practicallyMandy’s family, after all. When Mandy and Isa were growing up, there were many nights Mandy slept over at Isa’s that her mom wasn’t there—just Abuela to look after them—because Sandy worked all night to come home, eat a meal with them, and head off to work again. And although Mandy never met Isa’s dad, she saw pictures of him on the table in the dining room, and in Sandy’s bedroom, and he was always prominently displayed each year on their ofrenda. “Isa’s the smartest girl I know.”

“She is. And I know you want what’s best for her too, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I know you do. I know you love her. But sometimes loving isn’t enough. Sandra and Roberto loved each other and, well…” Abuela made the sign of the cross before she turned and held Mandy’s gaze. “I know your love for each other is the same.”

Did Abuela know about Isa and Mandy? Was she upset that they were together or that no one told her about it? Isa had planned to tell Sandy and Abuela when they got back from Europe, she just didn’t want to do it before. Didn’t want to ruin their summer of love—plus, the sneaking-around thing was pretty hot. Mandy opened her mouth, but Abuela held up a hand. “I’m not here to discuss that. I am here because I want to ask you, why are you going to Europe?”

Mandy chewed on the inside of her cheek; she didn’t know where Abuela was going with this. “It’s been a dream of mine, I suppose.”

“And what is Isa’s dream?”

To be a doctor, both of them knew that. “What are you saying?”

“Why not wait to go to Europe? Isa has scholarships andplans, but now”—Abuela raised an empty hand—“she wants to go to Europe too. But it will still be there—the scholarships and plans, maybe not.”

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