"Not this again..." Your dad groaned. It was both funny and slightly bizarre to see him acting as a more stereotypical teenager than yourself. You did know a little bit about the story behind that though, not thanks to him, as he never seemed to be too fond of discussing the topic.
Your mom told you that when he was your age, your dad had to be much more self-sufficient than the average guys of his day and that ironically, while this helped him become independent quickly, it was something that grandma Regina came to regret, but every attempt at trying to mother him to make up for that lost time was always met with reluctance on his part, and it didn't help that Regina could still be quite strict despite them being adults.
"Come here, it's not too much to ask, is it?" Regina patted a cushion from the smaller sofa, which was next to the main one where you sat, with your mom still on your lap and with grandma Xóchitl next to you.
"Uh, Regina..." Miriam tried to intervene on her husband's behalf, knowing it was a touchy subject.
"Hush! I'm asking Rapha for something simple" Regina replied and you could feel your mom shake slightly, startled by her.
"Come on Gina, it doesn't always have to be like this..." Grandma Xóchitl said.
"Why don't you take a seat first? You must be tired" Your dad said, giving Regina a deadpan look very similar to your own when Lillian in particular annoyed you. Your grandma narrowed her eyes at him and stared silently, as if yo say 'Are you kidding me?', they both knew what she wanted, but he was resisting.
Your dad looked at your mom, as if seeking support, but she silently shrugged and he facepalmed in frustration. He then took a very deep breath and slowly walked over to the smaller couch. You saw Grandma Regina smile approvingly as he sat down and promptly took a seat right on his lap. Despite her shorter stature, her wide hips and the sizable behind that came with them was enough to nearly engulf it under her.
"See? It wasn't so hard" Regina smiled while your dad gave an annoyed huff and rolled his eyes.
"Now, where were we?" She added.
"Umm, I thought you were gonna tell us why you came to visit" Ariadne said, taking the last remaining seat, which was next to you, essentially sandwiching you between herself and Grandma Xóchitl while still having your mom on your lap.
"Oh! That! Well, we just wanted to come and see you and we planned on staying the summer! There's a bunch of things we've got planned for everyone" Grandma Xóchitl said.
"By the way, how's dad?" Your mom asked.
"That silly old man!" Xóchitl chuckled "He still thinks he's a young boy, I swear!" She said while waving a bit exaggeratedly, getting your mom to laugh.
"What did he do this time?" Your mom asked amusedly.
"He said he missed boar meat..." Xóchitl replied "Which is kinda fair, we haven't had it in years, ever since we left our home village"
"I can see where this is going..." Your mom giggled.
"Yeah, his best friend told him that the boars were pretty big this year in a forest that's quite far to the North, so the two went on a hunting trip and promised to bring lots of juicy boar meat back!" Xóchitl said.
"He's lucky that man is in the butchering business because without that refrigerator truck of his I don't know how he'd plan on bringing all that meat back from so far away... So, yeah... he's gonna be gone for a while. I bet he wants to feel like he's in his 20's again"
"I mean, Don* Clemente looks good for his age" Regina interjected with a smile. [*Note: Don is an honorific title in Spanish, it's like an old fashioned variant of Mister, usually employed for older men, or those in a position of authority but it can also be used in an affectionate way]
"Well, I've already told you, the children of Quetzalcóatl age gracefully" Grandma Xóchitl replied in a joking tone.
"But I wish he acted a bit more like his age, he still keeps looking for adventure... I swear, you can take a man out of the jungle but you cannot take the jungle out of the man..."
"Mom, you brought with yourself like half of Mexico's flora to grow at home" Miriam said, barely holding her laughter.
"That is completely different, Missy!" Grandma Xóchitl tried to sound like she was scolding her daughter but she couldn't hold back her own giggling.
"Well, I suppose hunting boars is safer... Last year it was pejelagarto [Alligator gar] that he wanted, and of course he went all the way down to Florida to get some"
"Well, we know he misses the stuff he ate back home" Grandma Regina shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah, fair enough. The meat he brings is way better than what you get at the supermarkets" Grandma Xóchitl said.
"So, you're staying the summer, huh?" Your mom asked.
"Yeah. Sheila told us you two finally got vacations too!" Grandma Regina replied, her eyes lit up a little when she mentioned Sheila.
"Finally! You can't keep leaving your kids at home to fend for themselves" She said in a way that seemed to be lowkey admonishing.
"I mean... Ariadne's in college, and Blaise can take care of himself" Your mom shrugged.
"That thing about automatically leaving home when finishing highschool is an US thing, you know that, right?" Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Y-Yeah! But she managed to get a full scholarship and that is a very prestigious college" Your mom's voice sounded a little shaky.
"Eh, I would've preferred that she studied somewhere closer so she could keep living at home" Regina replied.
"And as for Blaise... take it from someone with experience, don't miss out on your chances to give him all your love and affection, because next thing you know he's gonna marry and move away and then it's gonna become super hard to see him again"
You and your mom froze while your dad rolled his eyes and quietly groaned at that remark while your mom shot him a glare. You were pretty embarrassed by the assumption you'd marry soon when your love life was pretty much non-existent.
"C-Come on, it's not 'super hard' to come see us, you live like half an hour away!" Your dad said.
"That is with no traffic, because otherwise it can be anywhere between 1 and 2 hours" Regina replied, narrowing her eyes a little. Defeated and unwilling to keep having that argument, your dad sighed in resignation.
"Speaking of which, have a girlfriend yet?" She asked you while directly looking into your eyes.
"Gina..." Grandma Xóchitl said.
"You want to know too, don't lie!" Grandma Regina chuckled "Besides, if my Rapha easily got a bunch of girls lined up for him when he was your age, surely you must have even more" She said softly, making you gulp. Your mom gave her an annoyed glare, but when Regina glared back she shuddered and looked away.
"Uh... No, not yet" You laughed nervously, scratching the back of your head.
"Well, don't give up yet! It might happen sooner than you think" Regina said with a seemingly cryptic wink.
"You can always rely on your mom too! There's nothing like a mother's wisdom to help find a good spouse, though sometimes a stubborn child won't listen..." She said as she briefly shot your dad a glare, just long enough for you and your mom to notice, but neither knew how to respond to that.
"I suppose you don't have a boyfriend either, huh?" She then teased your sister, who blushed as well, joinginy you.
"Gra-"
"Nuh-uh-uh! Mamá Regina**, remember?" She corrected her. [**Note: It's a bit of an old fashioned thing, and I'm not even sure if this was done in all of Mexico, but a long time ago, it used to be a custom to call grandmas or aunts as mamá + name, as a form of respect and affection signifying that they'd also had a role in raising someone]
"Sorry, mamá Regina" Ariadne laughed a bit nervously as well "The college I go to is girls-only"
"Oh my god, really? That place must be bursting with estrogen then!" Regina giggled "Please don't do anything crazy just because that school has you all starved"
"Don't worry mamá Regina, I'm a good girl!" Ariadne said, still blushing a little.
"Good. Maybe after you graduate I'll help you find someone if your parents are too busy" Grandma Regina then said.
"The same goes for you" She added, looking at you "It's about time..."
"Mom, Blaise's just 18..." Your dad said.
"Besides, I've got it all under control!" Your mom added, though you had no idea what she meant, you guessed she was just trying to appease her though.
"I really hope you do" Regina said to your mom, then she turned to look at your dad.
"And if I recall correctly, you were that exact same age when you got married... without approval"
"Gina, that again?" Xóchitl sighed.
"It's nothing against you, Miriam" Regina smiled "I've come to see that you're a good mother, they don't make more like you anymore" She laughed a little "And you've got the proof right there, a loving, well-raised and obedient son"
"Then what's the problem...?" Your dad asked.
"You know it just as well as you do, Xóchitl" Regina said "It's part of our cultural tradition that the mother gives her permission and blessing before a son gets a girlfriend, let alone marry"
"Times change" Xóchitl shrugged. It was a bit surprising to you that she'd say that given her age and background, having grown up in a rural village almost anyone would expect her to be far more conservative on things, but she had a surprisingly open mind, to pretty much everyone in the family's relief.
"Some things shouldn't" Regina said "I hope you take in consideration your mom's feelings and her opinion when the time comes" She said while looking at you "I know you're a good kid"
It was a bit embarrassing to be called a kid but with the sheer difference in age you understood you'd still be a kid to her even if you were older, but you'd come to find that kind of endearing, similar to how it was with your parents. It was fine as long as it didn't seriously hinder your freedom, which hadn't been the case yet, and hopefully never.
With the grandmas staying over for the foreseeable future, what happens next?
Your mom told you that when he was your age, your dad had to be much more self-sufficient than the average guys of his day and that ironically, while this helped him become independent quickly, it was something that grandma Regina came to regret, but every attempt at trying to mother him to make up for that lost time was always met with reluctance on his part, and it didn't help that Regina could still be quite strict despite them being adults.
"Come here, it's not too much to ask, is it?" Regina patted a cushion from the smaller sofa, which was next to the main one where you sat, with your mom still on your lap and with grandma Xóchitl next to you.
"Uh, Regina..." Miriam tried to intervene on her husband's behalf, knowing it was a touchy subject.
"Hush! I'm asking Rapha for something simple" Regina replied and you could feel your mom shake slightly, startled by her.
"Come on Gina, it doesn't always have to be like this..." Grandma Xóchitl said.
"Why don't you take a seat first? You must be tired" Your dad said, giving Regina a deadpan look very similar to your own when Lillian in particular annoyed you. Your grandma narrowed her eyes at him and stared silently, as if yo say 'Are you kidding me?', they both knew what she wanted, but he was resisting.
Your dad looked at your mom, as if seeking support, but she silently shrugged and he facepalmed in frustration. He then took a very deep breath and slowly walked over to the smaller couch. You saw Grandma Regina smile approvingly as he sat down and promptly took a seat right on his lap. Despite her shorter stature, her wide hips and the sizable behind that came with them was enough to nearly engulf it under her.
"See? It wasn't so hard" Regina smiled while your dad gave an annoyed huff and rolled his eyes.
"Now, where were we?" She added.
"Umm, I thought you were gonna tell us why you came to visit" Ariadne said, taking the last remaining seat, which was next to you, essentially sandwiching you between herself and Grandma Xóchitl while still having your mom on your lap.
"Oh! That! Well, we just wanted to come and see you and we planned on staying the summer! There's a bunch of things we've got planned for everyone" Grandma Xóchitl said.
"By the way, how's dad?" Your mom asked.
"That silly old man!" Xóchitl chuckled "He still thinks he's a young boy, I swear!" She said while waving a bit exaggeratedly, getting your mom to laugh.
"What did he do this time?" Your mom asked amusedly.
"He said he missed boar meat..." Xóchitl replied "Which is kinda fair, we haven't had it in years, ever since we left our home village"
"I can see where this is going..." Your mom giggled.
"Yeah, his best friend told him that the boars were pretty big this year in a forest that's quite far to the North, so the two went on a hunting trip and promised to bring lots of juicy boar meat back!" Xóchitl said.
"He's lucky that man is in the butchering business because without that refrigerator truck of his I don't know how he'd plan on bringing all that meat back from so far away... So, yeah... he's gonna be gone for a while. I bet he wants to feel like he's in his 20's again"
"I mean, Don* Clemente looks good for his age" Regina interjected with a smile. [*Note: Don is an honorific title in Spanish, it's like an old fashioned variant of Mister, usually employed for older men, or those in a position of authority but it can also be used in an affectionate way]
"Well, I've already told you, the children of Quetzalcóatl age gracefully" Grandma Xóchitl replied in a joking tone.
"But I wish he acted a bit more like his age, he still keeps looking for adventure... I swear, you can take a man out of the jungle but you cannot take the jungle out of the man..."
"Mom, you brought with yourself like half of Mexico's flora to grow at home" Miriam said, barely holding her laughter.
"That is completely different, Missy!" Grandma Xóchitl tried to sound like she was scolding her daughter but she couldn't hold back her own giggling.
"Well, I suppose hunting boars is safer... Last year it was pejelagarto [Alligator gar] that he wanted, and of course he went all the way down to Florida to get some"
"Well, we know he misses the stuff he ate back home" Grandma Regina shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah, fair enough. The meat he brings is way better than what you get at the supermarkets" Grandma Xóchitl said.
"So, you're staying the summer, huh?" Your mom asked.
"Yeah. Sheila told us you two finally got vacations too!" Grandma Regina replied, her eyes lit up a little when she mentioned Sheila.
"Finally! You can't keep leaving your kids at home to fend for themselves" She said in a way that seemed to be lowkey admonishing.
"I mean... Ariadne's in college, and Blaise can take care of himself" Your mom shrugged.
"That thing about automatically leaving home when finishing highschool is an US thing, you know that, right?" Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Y-Yeah! But she managed to get a full scholarship and that is a very prestigious college" Your mom's voice sounded a little shaky.
"Eh, I would've preferred that she studied somewhere closer so she could keep living at home" Regina replied.
"And as for Blaise... take it from someone with experience, don't miss out on your chances to give him all your love and affection, because next thing you know he's gonna marry and move away and then it's gonna become super hard to see him again"
You and your mom froze while your dad rolled his eyes and quietly groaned at that remark while your mom shot him a glare. You were pretty embarrassed by the assumption you'd marry soon when your love life was pretty much non-existent.
"C-Come on, it's not 'super hard' to come see us, you live like half an hour away!" Your dad said.
"That is with no traffic, because otherwise it can be anywhere between 1 and 2 hours" Regina replied, narrowing her eyes a little. Defeated and unwilling to keep having that argument, your dad sighed in resignation.
"Speaking of which, have a girlfriend yet?" She asked you while directly looking into your eyes.
"Gina..." Grandma Xóchitl said.
"You want to know too, don't lie!" Grandma Regina chuckled "Besides, if my Rapha easily got a bunch of girls lined up for him when he was your age, surely you must have even more" She said softly, making you gulp. Your mom gave her an annoyed glare, but when Regina glared back she shuddered and looked away.
"Uh... No, not yet" You laughed nervously, scratching the back of your head.
"Well, don't give up yet! It might happen sooner than you think" Regina said with a seemingly cryptic wink.
"You can always rely on your mom too! There's nothing like a mother's wisdom to help find a good spouse, though sometimes a stubborn child won't listen..." She said as she briefly shot your dad a glare, just long enough for you and your mom to notice, but neither knew how to respond to that.
"I suppose you don't have a boyfriend either, huh?" She then teased your sister, who blushed as well, joinginy you.
"Gra-"
"Nuh-uh-uh! Mamá Regina**, remember?" She corrected her. [**Note: It's a bit of an old fashioned thing, and I'm not even sure if this was done in all of Mexico, but a long time ago, it used to be a custom to call grandmas or aunts as mamá + name, as a form of respect and affection signifying that they'd also had a role in raising someone]
"Sorry, mamá Regina" Ariadne laughed a bit nervously as well "The college I go to is girls-only"
"Oh my god, really? That place must be bursting with estrogen then!" Regina giggled "Please don't do anything crazy just because that school has you all starved"
"Don't worry mamá Regina, I'm a good girl!" Ariadne said, still blushing a little.
"Good. Maybe after you graduate I'll help you find someone if your parents are too busy" Grandma Regina then said.
"The same goes for you" She added, looking at you "It's about time..."
"Mom, Blaise's just 18..." Your dad said.
"Besides, I've got it all under control!" Your mom added, though you had no idea what she meant, you guessed she was just trying to appease her though.
"I really hope you do" Regina said to your mom, then she turned to look at your dad.
"And if I recall correctly, you were that exact same age when you got married... without approval"
"Gina, that again?" Xóchitl sighed.
"It's nothing against you, Miriam" Regina smiled "I've come to see that you're a good mother, they don't make more like you anymore" She laughed a little "And you've got the proof right there, a loving, well-raised and obedient son"
"Then what's the problem...?" Your dad asked.
"You know it just as well as you do, Xóchitl" Regina said "It's part of our cultural tradition that the mother gives her permission and blessing before a son gets a girlfriend, let alone marry"
"Times change" Xóchitl shrugged. It was a bit surprising to you that she'd say that given her age and background, having grown up in a rural village almost anyone would expect her to be far more conservative on things, but she had a surprisingly open mind, to pretty much everyone in the family's relief.
"Some things shouldn't" Regina said "I hope you take in consideration your mom's feelings and her opinion when the time comes" She said while looking at you "I know you're a good kid"
It was a bit embarrassing to be called a kid but with the sheer difference in age you understood you'd still be a kid to her even if you were older, but you'd come to find that kind of endearing, similar to how it was with your parents. It was fine as long as it didn't seriously hinder your freedom, which hadn't been the case yet, and hopefully never.
With the grandmas staying over for the foreseeable future, what happens next?
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May 12, 2023
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