his chest. I caught myself staring, and didn’t care in the least.
“Wait,” I said, shaking of the trance his awesome body pulled me into, “your numbers are wrong. If your grandma is seventy-eight, and your great-grandmother is ninety-one, she was only thirteen years old when she had your grandma?” I must have looked horrified, because Javier stared at me for a moment, confusion on his face.
“Yes, this is true. Why?” he asked, pausing his dinner to look at me.
“Isn’t that kind of young?” I tried really hard not to sound judgmental. I mean, it’s none of my business who his great-grandma had sex with. And at what age.
“No. My mom has me when she is twenty, after my four brothers. My grandmother has my mother when she is twenty-five, after my six uncles and aunts. But my great-grandmother has my grandmother at thirteen, and she is first baby.” It all looked like it made sense in his mind somehow.
“They get married kind of young in Colombia, don’t they?” I asked, trying not to sound grossed out, like there was anything wrong with his culture. All I could do was picture the kids who used to ride their bikes up and down my street back in Illinois, imaging them pairing off as couples and getting married in little midget wedding ceremonies.
“Compared to America, yes. But in parts of Colombia the people are still together living in villages in the mountains, and it is the tradition.”
“Wow. So everybody gets married in middle school?”
“No, the boys are older. They have to finish school or learn a trade before they can marry a girl.”
“So why aren’t you married yet?” I teased.
“I am married, but my wife lives in Colombia with my mother.”
“Oh. Wow.” I put my hamburger back down on the wrapper and let that nugget of information sink in a little bit.
“It is another joke, Andie. I am not married.” Javier looked awfully proud of himself for pulling one over on me.
“Very funny! You had fooled for a second there.”
“But I think I will be married soon. I will marry you.”
“Huh?”
“Yes, again, it is tradition. In Colombia, we are already married because I feed you aji, and you accepted. Now, there is only the ceremony to complete at the church where the priest gives us aji plants to grow around our home to help guarantee that we have lots of children, and then it is final.”
“Huh?” I was only kind of aware that I didn’t sound really smart during this conversation.
“That is a joke again, Andie.”
“You really need to stop that,” I laughed. Despite his sense of humor, I had to make myself push aside thoughts of planting peppers and making lots of babies with Javier. Instead, I rolled my eyes at his joke and ate a few more french fries.
“But I do want to marry you.”
I stopped chewing and looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to tell me he was kidding again. He didn’t. In fact, he stared right back at me, watching my expression. “That’s not exactly how it works in America,” I stammered.
“I know. First I must speak to your father. I read this.”
“No, I mean, people don’t usually get engaged on the first date.”
“No? This is second date. Wonderful! We can get married!”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, people who are young and just met don’t
“Wait,” I said, shaking of the trance his awesome body pulled me into, “your numbers are wrong. If your grandma is seventy-eight, and your great-grandmother is ninety-one, she was only thirteen years old when she had your grandma?” I must have looked horrified, because Javier stared at me for a moment, confusion on his face.
“Yes, this is true. Why?” he asked, pausing his dinner to look at me.
“Isn’t that kind of young?” I tried really hard not to sound judgmental. I mean, it’s none of my business who his great-grandma had sex with. And at what age.
“No. My mom has me when she is twenty, after my four brothers. My grandmother has my mother when she is twenty-five, after my six uncles and aunts. But my great-grandmother has my grandmother at thirteen, and she is first baby.” It all looked like it made sense in his mind somehow.
“They get married kind of young in Colombia, don’t they?” I asked, trying not to sound grossed out, like there was anything wrong with his culture. All I could do was picture the kids who used to ride their bikes up and down my street back in Illinois, imaging them pairing off as couples and getting married in little midget wedding ceremonies.
“Compared to America, yes. But in parts of Colombia the people are still together living in villages in the mountains, and it is the tradition.”
“Wow. So everybody gets married in middle school?”
“No, the boys are older. They have to finish school or learn a trade before they can marry a girl.”
“So why aren’t you married yet?” I teased.
“I am married, but my wife lives in Colombia with my mother.”
“Oh. Wow.” I put my hamburger back down on the wrapper and let that nugget of information sink in a little bit.
“It is another joke, Andie. I am not married.” Javier looked awfully proud of himself for pulling one over on me.
“Very funny! You had fooled for a second there.”
“But I think I will be married soon. I will marry you.”
“Huh?”
“Yes, again, it is tradition. In Colombia, we are already married because I feed you aji, and you accepted. Now, there is only the ceremony to complete at the church where the priest gives us aji plants to grow around our home to help guarantee that we have lots of children, and then it is final.”
“Huh?” I was only kind of aware that I didn’t sound really smart during this conversation.
“That is a joke again, Andie.”
“You really need to stop that,” I laughed. Despite his sense of humor, I had to make myself push aside thoughts of planting peppers and making lots of babies with Javier. Instead, I rolled my eyes at his joke and ate a few more french fries.
“But I do want to marry you.”
I stopped chewing and looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to tell me he was kidding again. He didn’t. In fact, he stared right back at me, watching my expression. “That’s not exactly how it works in America,” I stammered.
“I know. First I must speak to your father. I read this.”
“No, I mean, people don’t usually get engaged on the first date.”
“No? This is second date. Wonderful! We can get married!”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, people who are young and just met don’t
Similar Books
