kicked at tufts of grass growing haphazardly in the yard, trying to gather her thoughts and make sense of her feelings.
They entered the kitchen and her grandmother immediately started pulling out a bowl, skillets, and spices from the cupboard. Natalia retrieved the chorizo and the home-grown veggies from the refrigerator, taking up her usual stance at the cutting board, knife in hand.
Pura reached over and grabbed an egg, cracking it on the rim of her blue and white pottery. " Dime ." Pura prompted.
"I'm twenty-seven years old."
Her statement was the same inane thing she'd told Esteban yesterday, and it didn't really explain anything, but maybe that was how she wanted it. To admit she felt as if she were destined to be an old maid, having wasted her youth, sounded too melodramatic. But that was the way she felt.
"Got tired of waiting for the García boy, eh?" Her grandmother broke another egg and dropped it into the bowl.
" Sí , he wasn't ready to marry. He won't marry until he's made his fortune." She lifted her shoulders and let them drop. "And he spends it as fast as he makes it, so ..."
"But if you loved him, you would wait."
"I guess so, Abuelita."
"Then you don't love him."
"I thought I did. I waited for Hector for six years. That was long enough."
"Love doesn't keep count of the years, only the joy."
"Oh, Abuelita, I wish it were that simple. We've grown apart too. He doesn't like the same things I do. He wants to go to parties and on exotic vacations with hordes of people. I want quiet dinners and symphony concerts."
"You should introduce him to Sonia. They sound well suited."
She laughed in spite of herself. "But I want a family, and I thought Hector wanted one, too, but he doesn't seem to be in any rush."
"Men never are. Biology is on their side. For women, it's different."
Again, her grandmother had cut to the heart of the matter. A woman couldn't wait too long to start a family. Though now with the medical advances available, she still had plenty of time, but she wanted to be young enough to enjoy her children. And the society whirl Hector craved left her cold. If he did make his fortune, it would only worsen.
The Garcías, though they'd lost their fortune a couple of decades ago, was still one of the most prominent Latino families in Dallas. They spent their time going to one empty social event after another. If she married Hector, his family would expect them to follow their lead. It wasn't the simple life she'd envisioned for herself.
"So, it's over. I see you're not wearing that ring," Pura said.
Natalia winced at the way her grandmother said that ring. She knew Pura, like Esteban, hadn't approved of it. Her grandmother had even called it flashy, which loosely translated, meant her abuela had thought it was in poor taste.
A part of Natalia agreed. Ironically, the ring had symbolized all that had been wrong between her and Hector. How different their values had been. There was that word again, values. The same word Pura had used when talking about Sonia. Were values really the most important thing? More important than love?
She wished she could ask Pura if she'd shared the same values as Miguel, but she refrained, not wanting to bring fresh grief. Her abuela loved to talk about her husband, but after she did so, she would become quiet for several days.
"I told Hector our engagement was over before I left. He didn't believe me. He told me to think it over this summer. I forgot to return his ring, but when I left home, I took it off, knowing I couldn't wear it any longer. It wouldn't be honest." Her lips quirked in a mirthless smile. "I'll return it when I go back home."
"You should hock it and keep the money."
"Pura!"
Her grandmother poured the beaten eggs into the cast-iron skillet and lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "He took your time with his half-baked schemes. The money would be little enough."
"I couldn't."
Pura watched the eggs settle in the skillet before adding diced,