Chapter #27A Wedding Long Past Due, Part 2 by: Nostrum   For the first time in hours, Mireya noticed how Jeff eased off as they saw the two familiar faces approaching them. She even had to nod as Jeff asked, "Is that ...?"
It took Frank and Joe Durras over a minute – arguably due to the latter’s fault, as he shook the hands of a couple of guys and kissed the cheeks of a couple of girls – to arrive. They were no longer the two teens that Mireya once trained. Frank now towered over her, with a piercing stare – a trait that she identified as typical of all Lurgas – softened by a strange look of gladness. His body was solid muscle, evident despite the somber gray suit he wore. Joe, in contrast, had lost his childish looks, turning into a rather handsome young man that nonetheless kept his blond curls and clean face. To further the contrast, he was slimmer and shorter than his brother, and wore an off-white tux with necktie that made them stand out as pieces in a chess board.
Mireya hadn’t seen them in a while, and only through Jeff’s own brush with them did she know a little of what they'd done after their bout of training with her. Jeff painted them as rough and abrasive, a bit fearsome, but understanding after the initial shock passed. She saw them as a pair still too green, with one having to control the other’s impulses. Though they weren’t actual brothers - something she suspected at first and then confirmed later – they still behaved like siblings, watching and caring for each other in a different and more personal way than she cared about her own sister Vanessa, or the way Jeff watched over Marty. Seeing them all grown up was a surprise she didn’t expect.
More surprising was the deference they still showed her. "Las vueltas que da la vida", replied Joe in flawless Spanish, down to a tone of clear wonder. "¿Qué le trae por acá, señorita Guillén?"
"Adulador ...", replied Mireya, purring her ‘r’ while sneering in feigned disgust. "You know my Spanish isn’t the best."
"Like if you hadn’t reminded me almost every time we spoke. Don’t need to say that you look stunning!" He finally turned to Jeff, patting his shoulder. "This your new boyfriend?"
Mireya snickered as the young man stared at Joe in wonder. "You don’t recognize me?"
"Uh... Well, you do look like a guy I knew, but he doesn’t have the sleek hair and dashing look you have."
"It’s Jeff!" Mireya finally spat while holding her laughter. "He’s worried that someone’s going to identify him."
"No wonder he still looks like a spooked doe." Joe smacked Jeff's shoulder once more, smirking. "It’s a joke. So, how’s trainin’? Heard you’ll stay at the Archives."
"Yeah", Jeff replied, finally relaxing. "Gonna stay helping Nash doing stuff. Feel like it’s my thing. How ‘bout you? Still doing missions together?"
"Doing solo missions now." Frank finally broke his silence, though staying as laconic as ever.
"Me, I’m doing background work now. Would love to pester this meathead, but I’ll be needed to train the next generation. Pro’lly moving to Jersey as well; maybe move elsewhere. How’s your little brother?"
Jeff cackled. "Almost as tall as you two."
"Big and strong like you Frank," added Mireya, causing the otherwise stoic man to blush.
"But he’s doing super well at school. Mostly on sciences, though; every time I talk to him, he’s always figuring how to blow things up spectacularly."
"And he’s a pretty good crack shot." As the two exchanged words, it was hard to figure who was prouder of Martin Harrison – if Mireya, or his brother. The two, however, ended almost eerily similar.
"Most likely will end up an engineer." "Pro’lly ends up studying the same thing as Dad. He wants to be a field agent, though."
"Didn’t Ms. Guillén spook him?"
"I’m trying to spook him, but I guess I won’t be able to. He’s got his mind set on it."
"Oh ..." Joe pointed at the couple, speaking to some guests. "How about we greet ‘em together? Have a Scooby gang reunion. Say – you met ‘em already, Ms. Guillén?"
"Jeff took me to meet them yesterday. Wanted to give them the surprise."
"Aw, shucks! And I wanted to give ‘em the surprise ..." Before Jeff could even notice, the quartet was already on its way, with the Durrases flanking them. Mireya only had a moment to notice that Jeff’s hand mindlessly grabbed at hers. She gave a brief look at him, but he was focused on looking at his old friends, not at her. She said nothing, fearing his explosive reaction as he did, but she glanced discreetly at Lucy, judging hers.
It didn’t take being face to face for Scott to greet the Durras with warmth. "Hey! Didn’t expect you here, you two!"
"It’s been a while", said Joe. "Maybe not as much for Frank."
"Yeah, we keep in touch. After he left for ... what was it, Oxford?"
"Oxford, yeah. Got called to do a mission there."
"...he paid a visit every now and then to do a check-up on us."
"Say." Joe pointed at two guys. "How do you know Kev and Tim? They’re not from Westside."
"I... studied at Eastside before, remember? I knew Ricky from back then. We met back at Keyserling--"
"Oh, so you went to college after all!"
"Well, thank Mrs. Vredenburg for that." Scott grabbed Lucy, pulling her closer; though she tried to keep a neutral look, it was obvious she wasn’t feeling as glad as her husband in meeting the two newcomers.
"So wait," pointed Mireya. "Shouldn’t it be ‘Mrs. Bickelmeir’?"
Scott cackled. "Decided to take her surname, after all. I suggested joining the names, but she was too insistent. Said the only thing she’d change about her name was dropping the first."
"Her first name?" Mireya wondered at first, since she knew Lucy only by how everyone called her, until she recalled the names the priest mentioned. "But why? Penelope is such a beautiful name..."
"Not when they call you ‘Penelope Pitstop’", replied Lucy with a snide sneer. "Or ‘having the same worth as a Penny’."
"Oh. I’m sorry about that."
"It’s alright. But thanks for the compliment anyways." Despite the honest response, Mireya backed off from the conversation, feeling as if she had insulted Lucy gravely. It wasn't her intention, as though she knew of the cartoons, her admiration for the name came elsewhere - from a song usually played by her mother while she cleaned the house, or during trips. A shame they bullied her for her name, she thought. I wish their relationship doesn’t end like the song – with Scott leaving and then returning without his face, and her going mad and not recognizing him.
Staying at a distance helped her observe Jeff’s interaction with his closest friends. Perhaps it was Frank and Joe’s deliberate attire choices, or that she nailed the look, but as soon as Jeff relaxed, she noticed more than a few girls started to observe him. She concluded her observation back at the store was right, as when some of the people she expected he’d recognize – such as the wrestler, Alec, or the Garner triplets – approached, his presence seemed to fade away.
Somewhere along the way, however, she noticed Lucy had gone. She tried looking for her – worried that, during the distraction, someone could take her – only to notice someone almost exactly like her approaching Jeff, Scott and the Durras. It took her mind half a minute to realize it was Lucy’s younger sister, Cindy, but it did nothing to quell her worries. Seeing her lead Jeff away, however, was something she didn’t expect. Her fist clenched, her eyes focused on them leaving, and she could swear she heard her voice speaking to her, taunting her.
"Jealous?" Yet, as she turned, she gasped. It was almost as if Cindy had teleported to her side, and changed clothes, but it was Lucy, holding a mischievous grin. Her eyes pointed at the pair, but it was more than obvious that she was being watched as well.
"No", said Mireya, nervously. "I was just ... worried."
"Worried? Why?"
"Well ..." Mireya tried to straighten up from the shock. "I suddenly noticed you left and didn’t see you. I thought..." She leaned closer, whispering. "I thought someone took you away."
"Oh, no. I just zoned off once they started talking about Scott becoming an associate." Lucy huffed, almost stomping the ground. "Why can’t he realize that life’s not good for him? He wants to protect us, but ..." She turned towards Mireya, giving her an accusing look. "Why can’t you convince him otherwise?"
"Jeff’s trying to do the same with Marty." Mireya’s response took Lucy by surprise. "That kid won’t budge, though. I understand what you feel, and it’s great that you’re worried about him, but you shouldn’t boss him around. You two will have a child soon enough; that alone should keep him in check, but I felt he was honest when he said he wanted to know about the supernatural to protect you. Not all associates are field agents; some are just people who help the Stellae on their missions by keeping an eye on whatever might be strange. That’s why I said what I said, back at the apartment. Your husband doesn’t have to leave your side, and if things go wrong, knowing who to call is better."
The words seemed to quell Lucy’s fears, if momentarily. "I guess you’re right. You said you trained those two, after all", she responded with a giggle.
"You’re right. They changed, though. I saw them as two eager teens, and now seeing them as adults ..." The word that started the conversation still weighed over Mireya, prompting her to ask. "Why did you say I was jealous?"
"Because I saw your face when my sister took him away. That’s the face of someone who’s jealous that someone took her man away." You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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