Salvation by Osterlund Anne

Author:Osterlund, Anne [Osterlund, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781101595435
Publisher: Speak
Published: 2013-01-09T23:00:00+00:00

14

MELTED ICE CREAM

“Mira, Salva.” His father aimed the metal spatula away from the backyard grill toward a plate on the red plastic-covered picnic table. “Tome este plato a Charla.”

Salva eyed the plate heaped with barbecued chicken in poblano salsa, fried greens, jalapeño cornbread, gazpacho salad, and pineapple flan. Char would never eat that much in her life. “Papá.” He tried to tell his father she would probably rather select her own food.

“¡Llévelo a ella!” the older man insisted, giving Salva a push across the Resendez patio toward the folding lounge chair, where Char had stretched her long bare legs out in the sun.

Señora Mendoza vacated her own seat, beside her daughter, and took another place on the opposite side of Lucia.

Salva groaned. When were los adultos going to accept that he and Char were not getting together?

The impromptu barbecue between the two families had been Papá’s idea, a sudden inspiration as Señor Resendez and Char’s mother had been yakking on the steps after church. It was an extraordinarily warm day for the first weekend of spring break. Talia, Casandra, and Char’s younger brother, Renaldo, were dripping Popsicles all over the cement.

Señora Mendoza glanced at her sticky son, then shook her head, smiling. “¡Vaya al agua!” She waved at the younger kids to go cool off in the front-yard sprinkler.

Salva envied their escape as he tried to deliver the plate.

Char arched her shaped eyebrows and shook her head at the food. “I’m not eating,” she said.

He turned around.

“What?” Señor Resendez had abandoned his post at the grill. He put a hand on Salva’s shoulder and rotated his son back toward Char. “How can you come to a barbecue and not eat? You have to eat.”

“I’m going over to Linette’s house for dinner at four,” she replied.

“Is only one o’clock now,” said Papá. “Lots of time to be hungry again.” He waved his spatula as if that was the end of the topic, then turned to make a comment in Spanish to her mother.

Salva set the plate down at Char’s feet. She’d be better off if she just picked at the food. It would save her the exhausting experience of arguing with his father. “Would you like a drink?” Salva asked.

“A gentleman, your son,” Señora Mendoza said in careful English. “I wish more boys in this town were like him. Sí, Charla?”

Which would have been a great time for Char to mention Pepe, though he didn’t exactly come off as the gentleman type. Still, if things were moving as fast as he claimed, it was about time Char had the guts to acknowledge her relationship with Salva’s best friend.

“I’ll have a Diet Coke,” she said.

The cooler had only Diet Pepsi, but Salva didn’t stick around to clarify details.

Unfortunately, the drinks weren’t far enough away to avoid the conversation. “Where you go to college, Charla?” Señor Resendez glanced at Señora Mendoza, who nodded back.

Char didn’t answer.

“You have to make a decision soon, no?” he kept after her. “I ask my son, and he say he waits to hear back from more colleges.

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