Page 42 of Scoreless Nights

My dad’s parents were from Puerto Rico. Both of them moved to Miami to go to college, and set my dad on the same path. He became an engineer who fell in love with his waitress. They got married and had me, but it was never going to work. Mom wasn’t just the waitress, she was the owner, and she was married to Tico–the name of her restaurant.

Thankfully, she and dad had remained friends, and I always had access to both parents. Even when Dad was offered a job in Brooksville, to take over a supervisor role at a mechanical engineering plant, he and my mom discussed the move before he left. They made sure I would still be able to see them both.

After he met Gloria, my dad always made sure my mother and I were included in his life. The best part about Gloria was that she understood and supported that relationship. In fact, the only thing I didn’t like about their marriage was Lily. I hated that I was forced to be someone to her that I wasn’t, and I never understood Dad’s insistence that I make it work with her.

“How’s Lillian?” my mom asked as I heard pots and pans being moved around the kitchen.

“She’s…good.”

“You hesitated,” she yelled. “What’s wrong?”

The one secret my mom and I had from my dad was how much I didn't like being around Lily. I think she understoodwhywithout me having to tell her, though. She would give me pep talks before I flew up to their house, and then tell me how good I did when I got home. They were loaded conversations with no real details.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I sighed. “In fact, it’s great. I kind of like having her around without Dad and Gloria pressuring us to be one big happy family.”

“Well, that’s not what I expected you to say.”

“Well, it’s not what I expected to feel.”

She laughed, but let the subject go. We ended up making plans for her to come to a game before the end of the season, and I warned her that Dad and Gloria were thinking of coming to town.

I got off the phone with her just as Lil came in from shopping. It surprised me that she only had one bag. For some reason, I expected her to come in with bags from several different places.

“So how’d it go?” I stood from the couch and started walking toward her, shoving my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.

“I got something.” She held up the bag. “I hope it works, and I hope you don’t mind that I got the shoes and a bag to match.”

“Of course I don’t mind, that's what I wanted you to do. Can I see it?”

“No way,” she waved her hand in the air, making sure I didn’t dare ask again. “If it isn’t gonna work, I’m not going back out there. You’ll have to see it right before we leave. That way it either works, or I don’t have to go.” She had a small smirk on her face and a gleam in her eye. She wasn’t gonna let me see what she picked out, and she knew it was a tease.

“Fair enough. I’m sure it’s going to be perfect. We can’t really mess this up, and it should be an easy night.”

“Here's your card.” She slid the black metal across the bar in the kitchen and I pushed it back her way.

“Hang onto it, remember?”

“Oh yeah…Sebastian. I’ll hang onto it but don’t expect me to use it unless you want me to pick up the tab for dinner tonight.”

“Dinner tonight would be a date before our date,” I laughed.

“I’m starving. I haven’t eaten all day, and it would be rude of me not to ask you to come since I’m going to use your fancy card to pay for it.”

I walked over near my room where I had haphazardly discarded my shoes, eyeing her while I pulled them on. “So where are we going?”

She tapped the card onto her chin, acting like she was thinking really hard, and then asked, “Where is somewhere expensive and that I can also go dressed like this?”

“I don’t know of anywhere in Miami that you can’t go dressed in leggings. It’s the best part of South Florida life.”

“Then give me an idea where to take you.”

I grabbed my keys and my wallet from the bar and then grabbed her hand. She dropped the bag that had her outfit in it, and left it on the kitchen floor as I dragged her back out the door. “I know just the place.”

“Is this going to involve La Primada Baracoa’s again? Because I wouldn’t be mad about that.”

“Noseñorita. This will be an actual dinner.”

We left South Beach and drove towards Tico’s after I sent my mom a quick text letting her know I was bringing Lil for dinner. She assured me we would have the best table in the place.

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