Chapter Thirty-Nine

I wish I could say that after an afternoon with Jay, Malik, and Daniel, I had unearthed some secret talent for skateboarding. Alas, the only thing I managed to discover was how uncoordinated I am. I fell more times than I care to admit and the most humbling part was that I did it while wearing Daniel’s little brother’s Paw Patrol helmet.

But they reminded me that that was all part of learning and that all I needed was more confidence, which would come with more practice. If I can just figure out how to stay on the skateboard without falling flat on my face, I’ll be happy.

“Hi, nena,” I hear Abuela’s voice say to Lily, who’s watching TV in the living room. “Where’s your sister?”

I’m lying in bed working on my English homework (or at least trying to, but Patch keeps climbing onto my keyboard as I try to type because it’s so warm).

“I’m in here!” I call.

“Can you come here? I have a surprise for you!”

“Coming!” I give up my fight with Patch and let him settle on my keyboard, heading to the living room. Lily’s eyes follow me as I enter, her brows raised with expectation, and Abuela is practically beaming at me. An El Coquí garment bag is draped over Abuela’s arm. Okay. They’re up to something. “What’s up?”

“Well, you know how I’ve been working a lot lately,” Abuela begins.

I nod. “Yeah, it’s busy season.”

“It is, sí. Pero, I’ve also been working on something for you.”

My eyes widen. “For me?”

“You’re going to loooove it,” Lily sings.

I feel myself smiling at the palpable thrill in the air. “What is it?”

Abuela pushes the garment bag toward me. “Here!” I take it from her, confused.

“Open it!” Lily urges.

I hold the hanger in one hand and unzip the bag with the other to reveal orange satin fabric that looks familiar. My eyes dart to Abuela, then back to the bag, which I unzip faster.

“Is this . . . ?” I ask.

“That was mine,” Abuela says, and when I look at her, her eyes are wet with tears. “And now it’s yours.”

I swallow hard, gingerly lifting the dress in the air to get a better look. “But Abuela! How?”

Gone are the lace trim, the skirt that dusted the floor, and the gigantic bow. What’s left is a simple, stunning sleeveless knee-length A-line dress. Without the lace accents, the pleated skirt is elegant, the orange fabric is vibrant, and the bell sleeves are ripply and free.

“Try it on,” Lily says.

“Can I?” I ask Abuela.

“It’s yours!” she reminds me.

I rush to my room and rip off my clothes, slipping into this dress— Abuela’s dress, my dress— holding my breath the entire time. How did she let it out so that it fits me? How did she manage to get rid of all the worst parts of it and make it something entirely new and yet still perfectly Abuela’s? Is this what has kept her so busy these last few nights?

When I turn to see myself in the mirror, I let out a small gasp. It’s absolutely, positively perfect, cascading over my soft curves, the bodice nipping at my waist. The color is a sliver of sun against my skin and it fits like it was meant for me . . . because, I realize, it was.

I open the door to my room to find Abuela and Lily standing, waiting. Their faces light up with joy as they take in the sight.

“What do you think?” I ask, smoothing the fabric over my hips.

“Nena . . .” Abuela’s voice cracks, her eyes soft as she looks me over. “It’s perfect on you.”

“I think so, too. Oh, Abuela. I love it!” I throw my arms around her neck and squeeze her. “I love it so, so much. Thank you.” Her arms wrap around me and she rubs my back, and I find myself so overcome with emotion that I start to cry. “I love you. Thank you.”

“I love you, mija.” Abuela pulls back and cups my face in her hands. “You deserve this.”

“You do. And if you were worried about it going to you instead of me, don’t. I wouldn’t have been caught dead in that dress in any form,” Lily deadpans. “No offense.”

The honesty makes the three of us erupt into laughter.

Abuela clucks her tongue, still smiling, and wags a finger playfully at Lily. “Fresh.”

Lily grins back. “I mean, it looks great on both of you, but you gotta admit I look awesome in a suit.”

“The suit! Neva’s!” I slap my forehead and look to Abuela, panicked. “The other dress! You paid for it and now I’ve wasted your money! There was even a sign on the door of the shop that said all sales final, so we can’t even return it, and —”

Abuela puts a hand on my arm. “Mija, I already returned it for a refund for Neva.”

“You did?”

She nods. “We’re old friends and she knew I might need to return the dress. I told her what I’d been working on.”

“So this is what’s been keeping you late at the shop.” I frown. “You shouldn’t have.”

“I wanted to! I could tell that the other dress wasn’t what you really wanted. And I had the idea to make this one yours since I found it, but with how busy I’d been, I wasn’t sure I could finish it in time for your dance. That’s why I had you get something at Neva’s— just in case.”

“You’re amazing, Abuela,” I say. Abuela grins at me. “I know.”