The Romance Novel Cure (33 page)

Alma thought of the extra bedroom in her apartment. She had intended to find a roommate, but had decided against it. Then she had planned to make the room into an office, but she found that she enjoyed working outside on her patio, or on her sofa. The bedroom was basically empty, except for a few storage boxes and a small trampoline that she had purchased on impulse and then just used a few times. She opened her mouth and then shut it, nestling closer. Was it too soon? Should she presume?

From that point on, the summer passed past by so fast for Alma. It seemed as though she blinked, and it was fall. The long summer days had stretched out into evenings, making her feel as though there was time for everything: for her work, her family, friends, and her new loves, Daniel and Elijah.

One September weekend, on a Saturday evening, she sat in her patio, sketching. She could smell the roasting chiles in the cooling but still warm air. She was waiting for Daniel. He was dropping off Elijah at Elena’s home. Tia was there too, having returned from Mexico for another brief visit, looking even more content and energized. Alma had been so glad to see her the other day after work.

“I can’t wait to meet Daniel and Elijah.” Tia had said. “Elena told me all about them. We’re going to take care of the baby on Saturday night so you and Daniel can go out. The three of you must come to Mexico and stay with me. You can go to the beach every day.”

Alma had hugged her, imagining it.

“Hey there.”

Alma looked up into Daniel’s smiling eyes. She had been lost in drawing waves and seashells. He sat down next to her and they kissed.

“Wow, that’s beautiful,” he said, looking down at her pad of paper.

She handed him her blue marker. “Tia has invited us to visit with her in Mexico. She lives right by the ocean. I would love to go with you and Elijah.”

“I just met her. She reminds me of you. Daniel hung on to your mom, though, and looked at Tia kind of shyly. I think that made your mom really happy. I would love to go to Mexico. I’ve never been.” He turned the marker around in his hand, glancing at her.

She turned the pad of paper toward him. “Draw something, something you imagine.”

He bit his lip and smiled, reaching for her hand. On her left hand, on her ring finger, he awkwardly drew a line, turning her hand so he could continue it, drawing a ring around her finger. “Will you marry me, Hummingbird?”

Alma’s mouth opened but she just gasped, unable to speak. “What?” She finally was able to speak. “What?”

“I know I don’t have much to offer, but I’ll save up. I’ll get a cheaper place and someday, get a house… for us, if you want. And a real ring. Whatever kind you want. It’s too soon? I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m sure. I’m so sure. I don’t mean to presume, though.” He swallowed, glancing at her.

She looked down at her finger, at the wobbly blue line around it. Her heart pounded and she blinked. She looked up at him, feeling so much happiness and desire, her breath coming fast. “Presume, Daniel! Presume. Be presumptuous!”

“Yeah?” He began to smile, gathering her closer in his arms.

“Yes, I’ll marry you. And I want to adopt Elijah, and really be his mother.” She blinked back tears.

He kissed her mouth, pulling her tightly against him. He pulled back so he could look into her face. He touched her mouth, his eyes bright. He put his hand gently on her belly. “Save up, get a house, and Alma, if you want a baby? Another baby? One day?” She put her hand over his, pressing it against her belly, nodding. She felt shy and breathless and excited. “I do. I want to have children with you. I want you to be my husband. Everything. I want everything, with you.”

“I want to give you anything you want, everything you dream about,” he said softly against her hair. “I love you so damn much it hurts.”

Instead of going out, they stayed in. They finally made it into Alma’s bedroom and were lost in each other’s arms until they realized the time, and hurried into the shower together, knowing they’d need to pick up Elijah.

Alma held her hand out of the shower, awkwardly trying to reach the soap with her other hand.

“What are you doing?” Daniel laughed, lathering the soap rubbing the suds onto her.

“I don’t want my ring to wash away,” she said simply, smiling.

* * *

Daniel sank to his knees, looking up at her. It felt as though every second he loved her more and more. When Alma had said they could travel to Mexico, he had thought,
honeymoon
. In his mind, there was nothing to wait for. He knew. She was the one. He knew it. “I’ll draw it everyday until I get a real one, okay? I’ll ask you to marry me every day.” He pulled her hands to his mouth, kissing her knuckles as the stream of warm water blurred the blue ring round her finger.

“Maybe I’ll get a tattoo ring,” she said, grinning. “Permanent ink.”

“Then I will, too,” he said, laughing out loud, standing up and pulling her against his chest. “What would your tattoo wedding ring look like?”

“Maybe a bird and stars… maybe a hummingbird and a flower,” she said, softly.

“And I would get your name, your name, in red, around my finger. You own me, body and soul, Alma. I never thought I’d find you.” He kissed her, tasting her sweetness. “Your name, in red. Forever.”

Recipes

Buen provecho
!

Pozole

Recipe adapted courtesy of Martha Aguilar. Used with permission from Food Empowerment Project, www.foodispower.org

Ingredients:

Oil for sautéing

Medium onion, diced (reserve 3/4 cup diced onion for later)

3-4 medium dried California peppers

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp dried oregano

4 cups veggie broth

2 cups water

29 oz can hominy, drained

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup sliced radishes

1 lemon

1 can of beans (such as pinto)

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse dried peppers, remove stems and seeds, and soak in hot water for about 20 minutes.

2. When soft, blend peppers in 2-3 Tbs of soaking water with garlic and 1 tsp oregano until very smooth. Add more soaking water as needed, this step may take a while.

3. In a medium pot, sauté onions for about 2 minutes.

4. Add broth and small portions of chile mixture a little at a time to your liking.

5. Add hominy.

6. Add salt to taste.

7. If you’re using beans, add them now.

8. Heat through for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

9. Serve in a bowl and add small amounts of cabbage, diced onion, and radish.

10. Add lemon (to taste) and dried oregano (to taste).

Alma’s Salad

Ingredients:

About four fresh baby cactus paddles,
nopalitos
, with prickles already removed

½ large onion, sliced

2 fresh Roma tomatoes, cubed

1 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, de-veined and chopped (optional for hotness)

1 avocado, cubed

juice of one lime

salt

Directions
:

Cut the
nopalitos
in bite size pieces and sauté without water in a pan until tender.  Allow to cool.

Mix with the rest of the ingredients in a salad bowl, salt to taste, and then chill.

Café de Olla

This is a spiced, black coffee drink. Alma’s great grandmother’s recipe called for using a clay pot and
piloncillo
, but you can use a saucepan and dark brown sugar. Alma’s grandmother used to give Alma a cup that was mostly hot milk and sugar with a teaspoon of café olla mixed in for flavor. To this day, Alma still likes to add vanilla soymilk to her café olla, which she makes on a rainy day and remembers her
abuelas
.

Ingredients
:

2 quarts of water

1 cup of ground coffee

1 cup of dark brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Directions
:

Boil the ingredients together (it will make your kitchen smell delicious) and then let stand for ten minutes. Strain and serve.

Tia’s Te de Canela

Cinnamon sticks and water, that’s all it takes to brew a delicious, naturally sweet cinnamon tea.

Ingredients
:

Four cups of water

Three Ceylon cinnamon sticks, about three inches each. Ceylon sticks are a softer texture than Cassia and have a different flavor.

Directions
:

Bring the water and the cinnamon (you can crumble the cinnamon sticks) to a gentle boil and then simmer for five minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then strain, and sip. Delicious!

Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones)

Recipe adapted by Teri Barnato from "Best Loved Cookies" by Publications International, Ltd.

Used with permission from: Food Empowerment Project, www.foodispower.org

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup pecans pieces or halves

1 cup non dairy buttery spread, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided

2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour, divided

2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place pecans in food processor.

2. Process using on/off pulsing action until pecans are ground but not pasty.

3. Beat vegan buttery spread and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

4. Gradually add 1 cup flour, vanilla, and salt.

5. Beat at low speed until well blended.

6. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour and ground nuts.

7. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour or until firm.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

9. Shape tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls.

10. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

11. Bake about 11 minutes or until pale golden brown. Don't over bake.

12. Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then place them in the remaining 1cup of powdered sugar and roll around until covered.

13. Let cool then eat!

Buñuelos

Recipe courtesy of Pedro Hernandez, used with permission from: Food Empowerment Project, www.foodispower.org

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

12 eight-inch flour tortillas

vegetable oil (for frying)

Serve with vanilla non-dairy ice cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large plastic bag, mixing well, then set aside.

2. Cut tortillas into 3x2 inch strips, or just into strips.

3. Fry a few of the tortilla strips at a time in 1 inch of hot oil (until crisp and golden), turning once (or deep-fry in 375°F oil until golden.)

4. Drain and place on paper towels.

5. While still warm, place a few strips at a time in sugar mixture in bag.

6. Shake gently to coat.

7. Store in airtight container.