Snapping back to the present...

 

The situation was bleak and the most bizarre predicament you'd ever gotten into, yet, it seemed like something that Zuemy could've made happen if given the chance. One can only guess that fate can be funny like that or that someone up there might hold a karmic grudge against you for something you may have done in some remote past life.

 

There were you, holding on for dear life to this vast, seemingly endless expanse of cloth in a questionable state of cleanliness just as it was raised for what appeared to be miles upon miles up into the air, bringing you closer and closer to an overwhelming sight whose sheer unbelievable size defied all reason, yet it was all the same. It was you who was infinitesimally smaller in comparison. There was no getting out of this one, there was no one to blame, this simply was going to happen regardless of whether you wanted or not. Soon, you could see nothing but a jiggling caramel-colored mass; actually two, looking like entire planets made of nothing but wobbling gelatin. Somehow, they appeared to hunger, you could almost sense some sort of eagerness to gobble up anything coming their way, which, in this case and very unfortunately was you.

 

'I guess this is real after all' You thought, unable to wake up from what you would've doubtlessly called the most insane fever dream ever. No amount of pinching or trying to do reality checks bailed you out of this one 'So, this is me... but I wonder...' You scratched your head in confusion, recalling the series of events that somehow led to this 'I wonder how I got myself in this situation' You thought, as if expecting some answer, any sort of answer from somewhere, anywhere, some kind of explanation as to what the hell could you possibly have done wrong to end up in this very predicament.

 

A few hours earlier...

 

Like in certain funny cartoon, you abruptly woke up and instantly opened your eyes, then the first thing that you did without missing a single beat was to grab your phone and look at the date. Your heart then proceeded to skip said beat and then some when it showed you reality: You had just woken up and it was the 10th of May...

 

Practically a sacred date to any Mexican, even to one that was born and raised outside the homeland although that was something your parents and the rest of your family took pride in, to have raised you almost as if you'd been born and raised there. In any case, as that day is Mother's Day, it's one of the most important dates in the calendar. It's true, the festivity existed in the US too but no one in your entire family, including yourself, could be bothered to figure out on what day it'd be each year since it seemed to vary. Was it on the first, second, third or fourth Saturday or Sunday of May? Who knows? It being fixed on the 10th surely made it easier to keep track of... And yet, somehow, the date almost caught you completely by surprise.

 

It wasn't that you'd forgotten about your mom or anything, you had plans along with money and time set aside to execute them but you had been under the impression that you still had a week or two before you had to get it all done. Funnily enough, every time your sister and your mom herself joked that you tried a bit too hard, with Ariadne telling you explicitly more times than you could count that all you ever had to do to make mom happy was to spend the day with her because she considered you the greatest gift Life ever gave her. But to think yourself that highly never sat right with you and so, you always tried your best to give your mom a good gift in one way or another, a small fraction of the gratitude for what no one in existence can ever pay back.

 

However, as your mom has never been that big on material stuff, you eventually learnt over the years that she enjoyed more things along the lines of homemade food, things crafted by yourself or Ariadne or, as she'd suggested plenty of times to simply spend time with her. Miriam was the sort of woman that would take a mere massage or a dish made by her children over the most expensive clothes and bags that many other moms dreamed of.

 

You'd coordinated with Ariadne and the plan was that she'd take her on a shopping trip and get her some nice things while you made her favorite dishes at home, and that was only part of the whole thing as the two of you would be spending the rest of the entire day with her. And while she valued other things more, both of you had bought her an actual gift on top of all this effort you were putting in.

 

With Cindy's help you were able to secure a Godzilla figure from the times when your mom was in elementary school age and you knew for sure that she'd love it. Cindy also helped Ariadne to procure her gift for Miriam: An authentic vintage Green Lantern ring, knowing that it was her favorite superhero and both things were among the relatively few she actually liked collecting stuff of. The problem was that these things hadn't been delivered yet and thus, neither had been gift wrapped. Come to think of it, you had already planned to make her a Mexican feast with all her favorite foods but stocking the pantry slipped your mind. Then again, as the end of the school year neared things usually got more hectic, teachers gave more homework and assignments that kept you busy. But, as valid as any of these reasons could be they simply would not do, you had to get this done without fail.

 

Your heart pounded hard and decided to text Ariadne to ask her what to do. Since your mom had the day off, it was best to let her sleep in because you both knew she hardly got the chance to otherwise. In a couple of minutes she was there in your room, slightly less nervous than you were because she too had misjudged the time frame. But as the two of you talked, more issues arose that neither of you had even thought of by yourselves: In your particular situation it wasn't just Miriam who got celebrated. Yes, she was your mom, the woman who carried you in her womb for 9 months and adopted Ariadne but when it came to raising the two of you there was another who had also stepped up to help: Dolores. For that matter, both of your grandmas also had merit in contributing quite a bit to your upbringing, making things much more manageable for a first-timer mother.

 

"I can't believe we forgot about Dolores" You groaned "I put up together everything for mom and I thought that'd be it"

 

"Hey, I also made that mistake" Ariadne said, putting a hand on your shoulder "Look, we're all living our lives and these times are busy when we're at school, it's understandable that things slip one's mind"

 

"Yeah but what the hell are we gonna do? I don't have much more spare money and I'm not that sure what to get Dolores anyway" You sighed.

 

"And then there's grandma Regina and grandma Xóchitl" Ariadne added.

 

"Not helping" You rolled your eyes "But true, we can't leave them out"

 

"We won't" She smiled "Look, we got this, all you have to do is make more food, they'll all love it" She said but you raised your eyebrow at her.

 

"That can't possibly be it" You replied "It's going to look like we're cheaping out"

 

"Pfft, please! There are few things that they all love more than good food. Specially when said food's made by their favorite guy" Ariadne chuckled, playfully poking you in the nose while giving you an utterly mischievous look "I'll try to think of something else for the grandmas but if you really want to do more, why don't you go spend time with Dolores after you're done cooking?"

 

"You know what? Fair, I'll do that" You said, crossing your arms. Even if it consisted of nothing more than doing some yard work or helping her with house stuff, Dolores would surely appreciate the gesture. You'd still have to make a mental note later not to forget so this situation wouldn't repeat.

 

Ariadne then did a quick supply run to get you all you needed to make a feast worthy of your mom, Dolores and the grandmas, all of which had quite the appetite but it wasn't anything that your cooking skills couldn't handle. After all, you'd learned from the best even though you couldn't tell if she really believed your food was on par with her own or was just being nice. Once Ariadne got you the food, she decided to head to the local post office to see if she could pick up your gifts to wrap while you were busy and before your mom woke up. After showering, getting dressed and having a modest breakfast of your own you cracked your knuckles and got started...

 

What happens next?

 

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July 7
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