Page 38 of Mutual Discord

Papí uncurled a finger from around his tumbler to point it at me. “Didn’t Sofia tell you?”

“Why would I tell him?” I raised a palm. “We haven’t planned out the dates.”

“Well, then let’s do that.” Mamí stood and set her dirty plate on the countertop, then grabbed the calendar from the wall next to the cordless phone my parents still insisted on using. Spreading the calendar open on the table, she flipped to the month of June. “Are you teaching summer school, Santi?”

My father shook his head. “I just have to be back in the office by early August to meet new graduate students.”

“Hmm.” Mamí traced a finger over the days, her brows knitted together. “How about the second week in June, then?”

When my father nodded, Mamí turned to look at Caitlin, raising her brows.

“I wish I could go, but I’ll be abroad all summer. First to Europe, and then to Asia.” Caitlin knotted her hands together and pressed them to her chest. “Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Beijing, and then Tokyo. I’m incredibly excited.”

“Dang, C, that’s impressive.” I whistled. “But it also sounds exhausting.”

Caitlin snorted. “I’m going to be dead on my feet when I finally get home, but it will be worth it for all the connections I’ll be making.”

I grinned my biggest smile at her. “I’m happy for you. You deserve the first-class treatment.”

“Good for you, querida. But we’ll miss you,” Mamí said, before turning to look at me. “And you? Can you request the second week in June off?”

Pushing my tongue against the back of my teeth, I weighed what to say…until Caitlin cut through my thoughts. “Sofia won’t have any issues if she’s still without a job by then.”

The whole table went silent, but I couldn’t figure out if that was because of the roaring in my ears. Had Caitlin really just spilled my secret? I had told her my parents didn’t know I’d been laid off, and I didn’t want them to know. Why in the hell would she tell them, and like this? My stomach roiled, and I struggled to maintain my composure, not daring to look at either my mother or father.

Mamí slowly put down her wineglass. “¿Qué quiere decir, ella?”

“¿Perdiste tu trabajo?” Papí added, but I didn’t look his way.

With a calmness I absolutely did not feel I murmured, “I was laid off.”

“¿Cuando?” Mamí bit out.

“Five months ago,” I whispered.

“Cinco meses,” my father murmured in disbelief.

I fixed my gaze on my plate. I couldn’t look at Caitlin, unsure if I would rage at her or cry. And I sure as hell couldn’t look at Alex.

Holy fuck, could the earth split open and swallow me whole?

“¿Por que no nos lo dijiste?” Mamí demanded, her tone clipped.

Desperate to escape, I clenched my eyes closed. “No quería que te preocuparas.”

Mamí hissed through her teeth. “Por supuesto que nos preocuparemos.”

“Ay, mi amor.” Papí’s warm hand engulfed mine, and I opened my eyes to meet his. Fire burned up my throat, and I blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.

“I’m sorry, Sofia,” Caitlin exclaimed suddenly, and when I finally looked to her, her chin was quivering. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you hadn’t told them. You usually tell them everything.”

Caitlin wasn’t wrong. My parents and I were very close…so I was acutely aware of how my omission devastated them.

Yet Caitlin knew I hadn’t told my parents about being laid off from Desert Media 360. I told her the night we had dinner. The night I met Alex. Did she truly not remember that?

Nothing made sense in the moment, and it was hard to parse through my memories when anger, embarrassment, and guilt bubbled in my chest, and I was one ill-placed comment away from erupting in a torrent of tears. Before I said something I regretted, I needed to change the subject.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but now’s not the time to discuss it.” I met my mother’s hurt gaze first, before turning to my father. “Podemos hablar después de que nuestros invitados se vayan.”