CARL

When I woke up that morning, Gavin was gone. Solitude took over my being when I saw his empty side of the bed. His familiar cologne lingered in the sheets and pillows. I trailed my hand on the side of the bed which had been occupied by him the previous night. Flashes of memories from last night fogged my mind.

My phone suddenly buzzed, decapitating my thoughts.

Sitting up in bed, I reached out for it on the nightstand. A folded piece of paper was lying next to my phone. Curiosity choking my senses, I grabbed the paper and unfolded it.

Good morning gorgeous. Sorry I left without saying good bye. You were so cute in your sleep so I didn't want to wake you. Thank you so much for last night. I'm glad we sorted things out. I love you.

Gavin.

"I love you too." A smile spread to my lips as butterflies did a dance in my tummy after reading the note. I reached out for my phone and started scrolling through it. I stumbled upon a message from Lorenzo.

Hey, I am on my way to your place. I'll be there in less than 20 minutes. I hope you are all set for the trip.

Fuck. I totally forgot to tell him that the trip is cancelled. He is so excited about it, he will feel bad if I call it off. But I hope that he understands my reasons.

Hey Enzo, the thing is I am not going anymore. Something came up. I'm sorry that I cancelled out on you last minute. Here goes nothing. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. He was calling.

"Hey you..." I saluted in a chirpy tone. My intention was to break the invisible ice that I assumed had settled between us.

"Hi. You seem to be in a good mood. Unlike yesterday evening. What changed?" His voice dripped with inquisitiveness.

"A lot changed. Lorenzo, ending things with Gavin wasn't the right thing to do. I realized that." I opened up.

"Okay, but If I recall your mom gave you an ultimatum."

"Yes she did but I found a way to be with Gavin without my mom knowing." I confided in him.

"Really? And what if she ever finds out? Are you willing to risk losing your family for him?" There was something about the way he referred to Gavin.

"Enzo that will never happen. Gavin and I are going to be very discreet." I assured.

"Is that why you cancelled our trip so that you can be with him?" He fired the question at me. He almost sounded...jealous. You know what, I'm probably imagining things. Surely he can't be jealous, right?

"I cancelled it because I didn't feel the need to go anymore now that I have resolved things with Gavin. I'm sorry." I sent an explanation his way.

"It's fine. I'm glad that you and Gavin have patched things up. I just hope that you don't regret getting back with him. I have to go. Talk later." He hung up soon after.

That went well...I think.

Stepping out of bed, I scurried to the bathroom to empty my bladder and freshen up. I shrugged on a baggy pair of shorts and a tee shirt, made my bed then went downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen when I walked in. She was humming some religious tune while preparing her mouth-watering huevos rancheros. She was still in her night gown and her brown locks sat in a messy bun on top of her head.

"Good morning, ma." I took seat on the three legged stool, next to the marble counter.

"Morning querido. How was your night?" She rejoined, garnishing the stir fried eggs with some chopped cilantro and cotija cheese. I couldn't control the rumble that emanated from my tummy.

"My night was great. Peaceful." I retorted, my focus entirely on the food she was making.

"Hmm...thought I heard some noises in your room last night." She pried, slicing an avocado.

"That was me chasing a big rat which I found in my closet. I don't know how it got there." I came up with a lie and hoped she fell for it.

"First a mosquito and now a rat? How many pests do you live with in that room of yours?"

"Honestly, no idea." I was reaching out to grab a slice of avocado.

She warningly swatted my hand with her cooking stick, "Don't touch my food with your dirty hands." She always has a rule of no eating without washing hands.

"Fine ma." I got up from my seat and strolled to the sink where I washed my hands. I grabbed a slice of avocado and started munching it.

"Praise God my lovely familia." My dad excitedly greeted while ambling into the room.

"Praise God papa." I replied. Seeing him in a good mood after a long time, put a smile to my face.

"Praise him." Mom answered. She was serving breakfast in the plates when dad hugged her from behind. He planted a peck on her neck, causing her to giggle. "What has gotten into you, Juan?" She was blushing. It was nice, seeing this side of hers.

"Is it wrong to love my wife?" He inquired, pressing a kiss on her neck. Her cheeks were cherry red.

"Not in front of our son." She mumbled, fighting to maintain her composure. Watching my parents act like two lovelorn teenagers was the highlight of my morning. I couldn't control a smile that sneaked to my lips when dad pleaded with mom to give him a kiss on the cheek. Mom shyly complied with his request. "Time for breakfast, now." Mom announced, breaking free from dad's arms.

The huevos rancheros was crispy and absolutely savory. I love mom's cooking. It is pure magic. Her late mother taught her to prepare most of the dishes, is what she had told me when I had asked her about her cooking skills. I recall asking her more information on my grandmother but she didn't reveal much. She had ended up switching topics. Felt like she preferred that part of her life hidden away.

"I will be going shopping with Monica. Do you want me to get you anything, Carl?" She directed the question at me.

"Umm...not really." I replied then took a sip of the steaming beverage.

"And you my love? Should I get you anything?" She asked dad who was reading a newspaper while finishing up on his breakfast. He hummed in response. Whatever he was reading seemed to have captured his attention.

After breakfast, I cleaned the dishes. Being a Saturday, mom delegated me with the task of moping the house and dusting up the place.

"Make sure the place is spotless. We will have a guest in the evening." Mom said on her way out. Her expensive perfume lingered in the room minutes after she had left. About twenty minutes later, dad left too. He explained that he was going to pray for his friend's kid who was incapacitated in the hospital. Said he would be back home much later.

Looks like I am home alone. Time to have some actual fun. The thought crossed my mind and without hesitating, I acted on it. I switched on the radio and put on loud music while cleaning up the place. I sang along to Katy Perry's Electric while dusting up the living room. I coughed up a bit when some of the dust slithered in my nose. I removed the cobwebs on the ceiling, bobbing my head to the catchy beats of the song. Swaying my hips to Dua Lipa's Physical, I drew the curtains and opened the windows. Beams of sunlight streamed into the room accompanied by a gust of the morning breeze. I inhaled as much air as my lungs could accommodate.

It was a bright and beautiful day. White feather-like clouds splotched the blue sky. I fished my phone from my pocket and took several selfies of the view outside. I resumed my cleaning activities while listening to music. Holding the broom in my arms and imagining that it was a person, I started dancing to Ava Max's Slow Dance. If someone were to walk in on me right now they would think I am a weirdo. Honestly, I don't care what anyone thinks at this point. I'm weird and I wouldn't have it any other way.

***

My parents' room was the final place to clean. I dusted the place and drew the curtains to let in fresh supply of air. Exhaustion was running through me so I decided to take a rest. I sat on the wooden stool in front of the vanity mirror. A set of make-up, skin care essentials and body sprays lay on the vanity table. Unable to resist my urges, I took the red lipstick and applied it on my lips. Putting on make-up is one of my guilty pleasures. Have always loved doing it since I was little. Mom yelled at me the first time she walked in on me putting on her make up. I looked like a clown; with the hideously applied lipstick and eyeliner which prodded my eyes while I was trying to draw a cat eye.

Mom had me wash my face with warm water and soap. Took me hours to get it off. I recall my face being red and itchy afterwards. Despite that unfortunate incident, my love for make-up never faltered. In fact, I perfected my skills with time. And now here I am, applying eyeliner without poking my eye.

About fifteen minutes later, I was done applying the make up on my face. Staring at my reflection on the mirror, I saw a part of me that was hidden from the rest of the world. I looked breathtaking and confident. No longer scared of expressing this side of me.

"I am fucking gorgeous." I mouthed sassily, throwing imaginary hair out of my face and feeling like a super model with long wavy hair. I blew a kiss at my reflection, feeling extremely confident in myself. Then an idea came to me. A foolish one which sounded brilliant in my head in that moment.

Raiding my mom's walk in closet. That was my super brilliant idea. One which would get me killed if she caught me.

"Let's hope she doesn't catch me then." I mumbled while going through her dresses. My mom was slim so most of her dresses were my size. But they were sadly mostly official dresses. I couldn't find any that suited my tastes. So, I decided to look through her shoe collection. Trying to find heels. Christian Louboutin's', Jimmy Choo's and a bunch of other designer shoes sat on the shoe rack. Again, not my tastes.

I kept looking through her closet, hoping to find something that suited me. I was at the brink of throwing up the sponge when I saw a small wooden trunk. It was tucked away on a shelf at the corner of the room. Due to my shortness, I had to step on a stool in order to reach the trunk. It wasn't as heavy as I had expected.

"Wonder what's hidden in here." I thought aloud while placing the trunk on the floor. It was locked with a small padlock. Which added fuel to the flames of curiosity that was consuming me. Picking locks wasn't my specialty but I had watched enough crime movies to know exactly how it's done. Knew that the knowledge would come in handy someday.

Today is that day and I couldn't be thrilled.

Using one of my mom's hair pins, I picked the lock. A smile tugging at my lips when the padlock clicked open. Excitedly, I opened the lid of the trunk. A black leather jacket, silver chain, a bottle of rum, a packet of cigars and a rusty looking envelope welcomed my vision.

Interesting. I thought as I examined the contents of the trunk. I reached out for the envelope and fished out the contents. An old photo of a young woman and man came into view. I squinted my eyes to get a better look at the people in the photo.

Those big blue eyes. I know them all too well. They are my mom's. She was the woman in the photo. She looked so happy and quite young. The guy next to her was dressed in leather jacket. The same one that was now lying in the trunk. He also had piercings on his earlobes and a nose ring. Okay, Mr. bad boy , I noted examining his finger nails were painted black the same color as most of his outfit. He was taller than mom and had dyed his hair dark blue the same color as his eyes. He was holding mom so intimately in the photo. Was he mom's teenage boyfriend? I couldn't help but wonder as I studied the photo in detail.

Something about his smile seemed familiar. Like I had seen it so many times in my life. And his nose and eyes were familiar too. I flipped the photo and saw some writings on the back. The words read; Mi amado hermano, Emiliano Cortez. Te extraño mucho. Which translates to, my loving brother Emiliano Cortez. I miss you so much.

That explains the physical resemblances he has with mom. The guy is her brother. My uncle. Why has she never told me about him? The two of them seem really close. Where is he now? And why has she hidden away his belongings in a trunk?

****

AUTHOR'S NOTE

So, a lot happened in this chapter.  The phone call with Lorenzo and Carl finding the pandora's box. What do you think of the chapter? I loved working on it so much. Haven't edited it so you prolly found typos in it. I hope you enjoyed reading it anyway.