Lex

Maria looked at Adam, shook her head, and folded her arms across her chest. “You need to stay off the leg. There are the things you can live without, but your legs isn’t it.”

“Mother, I--”

“You must take care of the legs.” She turned and looked at me. “He needs to stay off his leg.”

“I can’t make him do anything,” I said. “He’s stubborn.”

She pointed her index finger toward my crotch. “You can make him do anything. You have what he wants, so you make the rules.”

Adam scowled at her. “Mother!”

She looked at me and shrugged. “It’s true. When we’re not happy, the knees?” She clapped her hands together. “They need to go closed.”

I liked Maria. A lot. I laughed at her remark. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And?” She raised her index finger. “You can hide the keys to his little motorcycle.”

“Nobody’s going to hide a damned thing, mother,” Adam hissed. “Why don’t you go cook--”

“Why don’t you sit down?” She cocked an eyebrow and pointed at the couch. “Now!”

Oh shit.

He limped toward the couch and flopped down onto it without arguing.

She tilted her head toward the kitchen. “Come with me. He can sit here and think about trying to ride his motorcycle without the legs.”

I took a few steps toward the kitchen with her, and then glanced at Adam. He was staring at the floor and messing with his hat. I wasn’t completely sure if his mother was kidding, serious, or a little of both.

I kind of liked not knowing, but I guessed it didn’t matter. She’d made him uncomfortable about being overly active, and that may have not been a bad thing.

When we entered the kitchen, the smell of whatever she was cooking hit me like a wall. I wondered what it was, but wasn’t curious very long.

“Te gusta tamales?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“Te gusta.” She opened the oven. “Do. You. Like?”

“Do I like tamales?” I asked.

She removed a dish from the oven. “Si. Tamales.”

My mouth was salivating. I smiled. “I do.”

She waved her hands toward the cabinets, sink, and then the oven. “La cocina. The. Kitchen.”

“La cocina,” I said.

“Very good,” she said, although it sounded like she said berry good.

“That is enough lessons for one day,” she said with a smile.

She removed another dish from the oven and placed it on the stove beside the first one. “We cook for the men, it keeps them happy. If they’re happy, we’re happy.”

I wondered about cooking for Adam, but quickly grew frustrated about living with my mother. With my new job, I could get my own place in a matter of a few months, and the thought of it excited me.

“If they do the stupid?” She clapped her hands together. “Close the knees.”

“I will,” I said, trying not to laugh.

She carefully removed the aluminum foil from the dishes, and then looked at me and grinned. “He has a head like a rock, but he’s a good boy.”

“He’s very nice. And, he’s polite. You raised him well.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

The differences between my mother and Adam’s mother were huge. I could see myself being close friends with Adam’s mother, but my mother would always be my mother, and nothing more.

It wasn’t that we weren’t friendly with each other, because we were. I was sure, however, that we’d never become friends.

Together, Maria and I set the table. Although Adam seemed interested, he sat quietly on the couch and watched as we got everything ready. After everything was in place, his mother let him get up from his time out chair.

“It’s ready for us to eat,” she said. “You can get up now”

I fully expected him to make a snide remark or say something funny, but he didn’t. He simply got up, walked to the table, and sat down.

He peered at what was in the dishes. After seeing what it was, he looked up with excitement in his eyes. “Tamales and chile con carne?”

His mother nodded. “Tu favorito.”

“English, mother.”

She glared at him and then looked at me. “Tu favorito,” she said “Your. Favorite.”

I looked at Adam. “Tu favorito.”

“Yes,” he said. “It is.”

She glared at him. “Lower your head.”

I lowered my head.

“Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

“Pork and Anaheim chiles?” he asked.

“Your favorite,” she said. “Fill your plate.”

“Ladies first,” he said.

She nodded toward the food. “Fill your plate, Adam.”

She looked up and noticed that he was wearing his hat. “Adam. Wesley. Downey. Do we wear little black hats at the table?”

He yanked it off and tossed it across the room. “No ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

I covered my mouth with my hand and smiled.

We filled our plates and ate for what seemed like hours. I enjoyed eating at Maria’s, but then again, tacos were my favorite food, and eating whatever she cooked resembled tacos enough that I was in food heaven.

When it was obvious we were finished, she looked at me. “You eat like a bird.”

“She had four tamales with chile, mother.”

She looked to her left, paused, and then looked to her right. “I don’t see anyone talking to you. I was talking to Alexandra.”

“The food was wonderful. I’m stuffed,” I said.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She looked at what was left, and smiled. “I’ll send some home with you.”

Upon hearing her words, I remembered. “Oh crap.” I realized I’d cursed at the table. I quickly covered my mouth. “I mean shoot. Oh shoot.”

She shot me a worried look. “What happened?”

“Your dish. I need to go get it.”

She waved her hand toward me. “You can bring it the next time you come.”

“No. I brought it, I just forgot to bring it in.”

Her brow wrinkled. “Did you drive?”

“No. We both rode on the motorcycle,” I said. “I put it in the little box on the side.”

“The little box.” She smiled. “I like you.”

I looked at Adam, winked, and then looked at her. “I like you, too.”

“I’ve got an announcement,” Adam said.

Here we go…

“What?” Maria asked. “That you’re going to be a legless fool?”

“No. It’s official.”

She wrinkled her nose. “What’s official?”

“Alexandra and me,” he said with a smile. “We’re in a relationship. It’s official.”

It felt good to hear him say it. No, it felt great to hear him say it. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye.

She stood up, glanced at me, and then fixed her eyes on him. Her face distorted into a playful scowl.

“You’ve been in a relationship. And now you’re finally a big enough man to admit it. That should be your announcement.” She reached for my hand. “Come with me, Alexandra. I’ll fix the two of you a plate.”

On the way to the kitchen, I realized what she had said.

I’ll fix the two of you a plate.

Yeah, I liked Maria.

A lot.