Page 30 of Mutual Discord

“Maybe you’re not being flown to attend fashion shows or collection previews, but you’re shining a light on women who’ve been erased from history. You’re giving them their name, their accomplishments back. And that sort of erasure is happening again.” Alex held up his cell phone. “I was reading in the news that NASA, and even the military, have deleted the profiles of trailblazing women scientists and soldiers. It’s happening now, and it’s a big deal.”

“I saw that.” Just that morning I had read several articles about the current presidential administration instructing, and in some cases pressuring, government agencies to suppress the records and history of women—especially Black women—and marginalized communities. It was infuriating. It was a travesty.

But I had a platform that could help.

“Sofia,” Alex said, an imploring note in his voice, “you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. This moment in time needs you. And from the small amount you’ve shared of your parents, I bet they would think so, too.”

The gentle but resolute way he spoke finally drew my gaze to his. With the sun low on the horizon in the window behind him, Alex’s face was mostly in shadows, but somehow, for a moment, his dark gaze held mine. And although I implored myself to ignore it, I saw the admiration and respect that simmered there, and they made me want to cry for all the things I couldn’t have.

“Family dynamics are weird,” I blurted out, desperate to move the conversation back to steady ground.

Alex snorted. “Especially in a Latino family.”

“Especially as the only son,” I pointed out.

“A fact neither of my sisters lets me forget,” he said with a laugh.

For the rest of the drive to Tucson we swapped sibling stories and then shared more tales from college. After a while, I could convince myself that I hadn’t shared my insecurities with Alex, and he hadn’t responded with an understanding I was sure I didn’t deserve.

Chapter Nine

“It’s changed so much, and then not at all.”

I nodded as Caitlin and I stared down the mall cutting through the center of the University of Arizona campus. Towering palm trees lined the north and south sides of the grassy expanse that stretched from the east end of the university to the west. White tents were staked side by side across the area, with effusive cardinal red and navy blue balloon arches and banners waving cheerily in the gentle fall breeze. Although it was only eleven in the morning, the temperature was already a balmy seventy-two degrees and the forecast promised clear skies and a high of eighty. It was a perfect day to be a Wildcat.

Pretending to adjust the fit of my baseball cap, I chanced a glance at Alex, who stood on the other side of Caitlin. Clad in khaki shorts, a blue U of A T-shirt, and a red U of A hat, he looked casual and comfortable…and still ridiculously hot. But with his dark Ray-Bans hiding his eyes, I couldn’t see his gaze and wondered what he was thinking as he surveyed the campus festivities.

And if I felt a tad awkward around him after our discussion on the car ride yesterday, well, that felt appropriate. After dropping him off at the hotel where he and Caitlin were staying, I drove directly to my parents’ house, where I had indulged in one too many glasses of wine with my mom before I fell asleep during the ten o’clock news. Just thinking about how Alex and Caitlin may have spent their Friday night left me nauseated. I yanked on the bill of my cap as if I could jostle free those uncomfortable thoughts.

“I have to check in at the humanities office and then meet the dean and a few faculty members.” Caitlin snatched her wide-brim hat from her head and took a moment to fluff her blond beach waves. “Want to meet in front of Old Main in an hour?”

“Sure.” I cleared my throat and leaned forward to see Alex. “We can wander through the tents and grab something to drink. Does that work for you?”

He slipped his hands into his pockets and raised his shoulders. “I’m fine with that. I’ve never visited this campus before, so I’d be happy to get a tour, if you’re up for it?”

“Sofia is a great tour guide,” Caitlin exclaimed, squeezing my arm. “She was involved in all kinds of clubs and knows all the cool campus trivia.”

“I don’t know if I remember it all,” I hedged, holding up my hands, “but I’ll try.”

After Alex and I left Caitlin at the humanities building, we paused in the shade of a mesquite tree and studied the milling crowd. College students mixed with families with children in strollers, while alumni members of all ages laughed and talked among the various tents. An eclectic mix of music filled the air, from rap, to country, to even the faint strains of violins and trumpets from the mariachi band on the opposite end of the mall. The food vendors and beer garden were in a separate area farther east, but before I could point us in that direction, Alex spoke.

“There’s a tent for everything. Fraternities, sororities, honor societies, and every student club imaginable.” He whistled through his teeth. “And are those class reunions?”

“They are.” I followed Alex’s gaze to a group of older people, their white and gray hair standing out among their red and blue attire. A banner draped across the tent they were under read Class of ’66. A Class of ’76 tent was located nearby.

“Are you going to come back for your fifty-year reunion?” Alex asked, his teeth bright white against his tanned face as he smiled down at me.

I shrugged. “If I can. Even before I was a student, I enjoyed spending time on campus.”

“I can see why,” Alex murmured, turning his head to look down the mall. “It’s beautiful here.”

“It really is.” I rocked back on my heels as I glanced up at him. “Do you go to Villanova’s homecoming?”

“Nah. But I did go to homecoming with Camila. She went to USC, and they have a big celebration. It was fun.”

“I bet.” I chuckled. “USC strikes me as a school that doesn’t do anything by half measures.”

“You’re not wrong.” Alex pivoted to face me. “So where do you want to start our tour?”