When Mariana got home from work the next day, she changed into something comfier which was a white shirt and sweatpants. Her hair was in a swirly bun as she sat on the counter of her kitchen, waiting for Crystal.

Her feet began to dangle excitedly as she was so looking forward to making his pastry. She hoped he would like it.

Suddenly, she heard a knocking on her door. She quickly jumped down and rushed to open it.

When she did, she saw Crystal standing there with a smile and a bag in her hand. Her hair was in a high puff and she had a red scarf wrapped around it like a headband. Her dark pink lipstick matched perfectly with her shiny dark skin.

"Hi!" Mariana quickly wrapped her arms around her tightly, just like she used to do with her own mother.

"Hello Mariana," she managed to hug her back despite the heavy bag around her arm. Mariana let her in and they went into the kitchen and Crystal placed the bags on the counter.

"How was your day?" Mariana asked politely as she had a look through the bag. She saw something brown but she couldn't tell what it was but her anticipation grew on what they would be making.

"It was okay, busy as usual, how about yours?"

"It was good too!" She impatiently leaned on a chair. Her excitement went from the tapping of her toes, the jiggling in her knees, the bounce in her belly, and the burning flame in her heart for Micah.

"Okay, so, I'm going to show you how to this pastry called Empanada but made with yucca root so its called Catibias. Micah's grandma used to make it for him whenever he was upset."

"Okay!" She eagerly stood next to her. Even though she's never heard of the dish before, she was ready to make it regardless because it will make her Micah happy. And even better, it was something that was given to him when he was sad.

Crystal got out from the bag, the yucca root that she brought from the store. She gave it a good wash and then she and Mariana peeled the brown shell off. They cut into chunks and then put it into the food processor to make grating it easier.

Mariana watched it whirl around with wonder with a big smile on her face. All she could think of was how much Micah was going to love his food.

"I love how you want to do this for Micah, thank you." Her tone was soft and genuine.

"It's okay, I love him too."

"You really are the best thing that has happened to him."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, he really loves you Mariana and I could see why." She lifted her face so that Mariana was facing her. "You have such a kind heart and a beautiful soul, something that's rare to find these days. I can also tell how much you two love each other and Mariana," she made sure Mariana was still looking at her, "I will feel so happy to have you as my daughter-in-law."

"Thank you..." she was glad that Crystal thought so highly of her, so she opened up her arms out for another hug. Crystal gracefully accepted it and Mariana buried into her warm arms, close to tears. It has been long since she had a mother's touch. That sense of love, sense of security, warmth, and feeling that everything will be alright. It was like that missing piece in her heart was slowly being filled and she no longer had an aching hole in her soul.

When the yucca root was grated enough, they parted away and stopped the processor. Crystal got out a cheesecloth and squeezed any excess liquid out.

"So what are we going to do now?" Mariana asked.

"We are going to now boil it in a pot of water with salt to make the dough."

"Okay, I'll get the water ready," she got out her pot and then filled it with water before putting it on the stove. Crystal sprinkled some salt and got the heat up and began stirring.

They took turns and when it was Mariana's, she slowly swayed with a smile while softly whispering, "I love you, I love you, I love you..."

After 15 minutes, they left the dough to cool off and started working on the filling. Mariana brought out all the vegetables that she had available and they started chopping them together. She did the onions, bell peppers, and coriander, while Crystal did the tomatoes and garlic.

Mariana really enjoyed doing this with Micah's mom, sometimes it got quite lonely in the house by herself, so it was nice to have someone to cook with.

"So how did you get into fashion designing?"

"Well, when I was younger, I spent most of my free time drawing. I specially loved drawing clothes and different outfits, so my mom got me into a fashion design club which I attended every weekend. Then in my late teens, I started applying for internships but I got rejected many times. It got me quite disheartened but I didn't give up until I finally got accepted."

Mariana smiled when she said she got accepted. She was listening deeply to what Crystal was saying because it was very interesting.

"Then after I got enough experience, I decided that it was time to start my own brand. I sold simple outfits and then gradually got bigger and soon, I was starting to get noticed and that led to my brand widening out and gaining popularity."

"That sounds so cool..." Mariana said in admiration.

"Yeah, it was a hard journey to get where I am right now but I enjoyed every minute of it. That's why I don't mind if Micah wants to start his own restaurant. I mean, that's how I started out, I did something that I was passionate about and went along with it."

"Yeah," Mariana nodded in agreement.

When the veggies were ready to be cooked, they put some olive oil into a frying pan and then gradually added everything into the mix.

When that was done, they let it cool and began working with the dough. They rolled it flat with a rolling pin and then began adding the veggies before folding over. They made a few batches and fried them in oil until they turned golden brown. 

Mariana packaged them in aluminum foil and placed them in the fridge. She was content with the result and couldn't wait to give it to Micah when she got the chance.

"Hey Mariana, would you like to see some photos of when Micah was younger?" Crystal asked as she stood behind her.

"Sure!" She turned around and they went into the living room. They sat together on the gray couch and Crystal got out her phone.

"Here's one when we were at the beach in Miami," she put the screen in front of Mariana and she saw Micah with an ice cream in his hand. He wore his blue shirt and his shorts. His face was much rounder and chubbier.

"He looks so cute," Mariana awed at the picture of her love. He was such a handsome little boy.

"I know," Crystal smiled with endearment. "I miss him being so small..." she let out a sad sigh. Looking back at old photos, made her realize how much time has passed and how quickly. Sometimes she wished it would slow down to enjoy the good moments more.

She then swiped to another one where he was riding around the sidewalk on his tricycle, with his hair braided in cornrows. 

"Aw, my Micah!" She exclaimed, overwhelmed at his adorableness. "He's so cute and I love his hair."

"Thank you, I did it myself actually."

"It's really good."

"Thanks, I used to love doing all my children's hair when they were younger. Even though they never looked forward to it, I certainly enjoyed it, making their hair look so nice for school." She smiled proudly.

"How did you manage your business and your family life?"

"Well, me and Micah's dad always tried to balance it out and some days if we were too busy, they would always have a nanny to take care of them."

"Oh okay, that makes sense."

"Do you want to see one more photo?"

"Alright."

"This one is when we went to Egypt for a vacation," Crystal then swiped to a photo where young Mason and Micah were both riding on a camel in the Sahara Desert with some pyramids in the background. They were both smiling but it was hard to see due to the shadows of their hair overcasting their face.

"Aw, they look so sweet!"

"Yeah, this is when Micah and his brother got along well without any problems..." she explained but a hint of sorrow passed her voice. "I wish they could be like this again." She missed those days when her two sons didn't fight when they looked out for each other like how brothers should do.

Mariana noticed the faded sadness in her voice and knew why. It's sad the way Mason treats Micah now and seeing them together in a photo from the past, is a realization of how much things have changed between them and not for the better.

Hopefully, things will change between them.

****

When it was time for Mariana to go to bed, she settled herself on her piano downstairs and lighted some candles around. She was still in a good mood from earlier and decided that she'll play a quick song.

Her hair softy laid against her side as her fingers fluttered over the keys like mere fingers. With a gentle murmur, she repeated her words from earlier:

I love you, I love you, I love you...

Baby I love you, you are my life.
My happiest moments weren't complete if you weren't by my side.
You're my relation and connection to the sun.
You next to me, there's no darkness I can't overcome.

Her voice got slightly higher as she sang and poured her heart out. Her fingers picked up the pace as she played slightly faster.

You are my raindrops, I am the sea.
You and God who's my sunlight, I'm blooming, grown so beautifully.
Baby I'm so proud, proud to be your girl.
You make the confusion go all away from this cold and misty world.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Man I found this SO CUTE while writing. Mariana is just too adorable :')