Page 96 of Tarek

The warm, savory aroma of well-seasoned meats cooking, with hints of roasted corn and the occasional whiff of gasoline, greets me.

“This is amazing,” Penny says as she bends to read the chalk board. Some of the words have been erased most likely from people pointing and touching the board.

Penny taps her lips. “What should I get?”

“You trust me?” I ask, the question sounds more loaded than I meant it to be.

She stops, and holds my gaze. “I am beginning to.”

Before I can answer I hear a sweet old voice. “Ese es mi bebe, Tarek?”

With Penny’s hand still in mine, I bend to hug Pablo’s abuela. “Abuelita, Como estas?”

She holds my face in her hands, her silver hair is wrapped in a traditional bun, she has hints of laugh lines around her eyes and cheeks. I close my eyes enjoying the warmth of her hands. I fix the rebozo on her shoulders.

“Estoy bien,”Abuelita replies, she drops her hands from my face and peeps around at Penny.

Shyly Penny gives her a small wave.

Abuelita places her hand over her mouth and squeals. “Mi nino finalmente se ha convertido en un hombre. Me trajo a una chica para concer.”

I smile at Abuelita. “Si.”

Abuelita cups Penny’s face. “Y es tan bonita. Ay, los bebes que tendras Tarek.”(And she is so pretty. Oh, the babies you will have, Tarek.)

Penny hugs Abuelita. “Nice to meet you. I am Penny.”

Abuelita holds her hand and rubs it. “Penny. Es tas bonita, Tarek. Has visto a Pablo? Ve a ponerte en la fila.”

Abuelita moves on to her next person giving me a soft squeeze before she leaves.

“You speak Spanish so well. What did she say?” Penny asks.

“She is happy to see us.” I didn’t bother to tell her the truth, she was already more spooked than she needed to be.

“All those words and she is just happy to see us?” Penny asked.

“And she finds you pretty,” I add.

“I think I might just love Abuelita,” Penny replies.

We stand in the line until we finally reach the front.

Pablo catches my eye and as is the norm he reaches out the opening. “Chef? Que le puedo ofrecer?”(Chef, what can I offer you.)

Pablo wiggles his eyebrows at me, like his grandmother he knows I have never brought a girl here. At first, I thought nothing of it, but after Abuelita gave us her blessings, part of me feels a level of comfort.

“Dos agua frescas de melon, dos tamales de Puerco, y cuatro birrias con el consome de birria, (Two melons agua frecas, two pork tamales and four birrias with a birria consomme’)”I reply.

Pablo nods and gives me the thumbs up.

“Tienes a una buena aqui,” Pablo says. When he realized she didn’t understand Spanish he simply says, “You have a good one there.”

After I pay, Penny sits on the alone chair, and I sit on the pavement right below her.

Her shoulders shake as she moves to the beat of music pouring out of the truck. Penny has the gift of fitting right in. I think if I was truthful, I brought her here hoping that Abuelita would find a small fault. Instead, she loved Penny. She was perfect and a small panic bubbled up inside of me. What the fuck do I do with the perfect girl?

“You good?” I ask, trying to calm my mind.

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