Page 52 of Ignacio

A wave of sadness overcame her, and she picked up her iced tea and took a huge swallow, wishing she had something much stronger. As she placed the glass on the table, a young girl with goddess braids approached with stars in her eyes.

“Hi,” she said nervously.

“Hi.” Delta smiled at her.

Ignacio arrived at that moment and placed his plate on the table. “This is my niece, Kerilyn. The last time you saw her, she was around five or six years old. She probably wants to know if she can have an autograph.”

“Uncle Ignacio.” The teenager’s cheeks reddened.

“Am I wrong?”

She bit her lip and shook her head.

Ignacio slung his arm around his niece’s shoulders. “She won’t bite, I promise,” he said.

“He’s right, I don’t,” Delta said. “If you have something to write on, I’d be happy to give you my autograph.”

The girl’s face brightened. “Thank you. Oh my gosh, I’m sorry for being such a dork, but I can’t believe I’m eating Thanksgiving dinner with Delta J.”

She handed over a piece of paper and a pen with a trembling hand.

“How do you spell your name?” Delta asked.

“How do I spell my name?” For a second, she appeared confused. As Ignacio opened his mouth to help her, she shook her head. “Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I know how to spell my name.” She let out an embarrassed laugh. “K-E-R-I-L-Y-N.”

Delta wrote a message and signed her name below it.

Kerilyn gazed at the message and then clutched the paper to her chest. “Thank yousomuch. Can I give you a hug?”

“You sure can.” Delta stood and embraced her.

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone now.” Kerilyn rushed off to sit at the table with her mother.

Ignacio sat next to Delta. “Thanks for doing that.”

“Of course. That’s what we do.”

“Looks like she’s texting her friends now,” he added.

Sure enough, his niece’s thumbs were flying across her phone.

“What did Monica say to you a few minutes ago?”

Delta opened her mouth to answer honestly but thought better of it. No point in creating friction between the siblings. “She told me to get some ham—said it’s pretty good. I’ll get some when I go for seconds. I have plenty of room in my belly since I didn’t eat much at home.”

Her family had eaten their Thanksgiving meal earlier, but she had only had a small portion to save room for tonight’s meal.

Ignacio sat back and watched her with a thoughtful expression. “Ham, huh?”

“Mhmm.” She touched his thigh under the table. “Thank you for inviting me.”

The distraction seemed to work. He covered her hand and squeezed. “I’m glad you came.”

Delta picked up her fork. “You know I’m leaving with a bunch of those cookies, right?”

“I already know.” Ignacio dropped his voice. “I asked Mama Rosa to set aside a container for you. It’s in the kitchen.”

Delta stared at him in disbelief. How had she let him go before?

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