"And through Mary but for Jesus we say?" Mother ended.

"Amen." We all followed in unison. It was mama, papa, Camery, Jamie, and I at the dinner table. A couple months had passed since the incident with the twins. Jamie always looked at me in anger and fear with his amber eyes and Camery with excitement with her honey brown ones. Strange the two.

"So," my fathers radiant voice exclaimed, "what's up with y'all? How's school? Tell me the tea of the day." He chuckled.

"First of all dad, don't say 'tea' you sound weird." Camery laughed, "Second, how would you feel if I was pregnant?" She said nonchalantly.

My mother chocked on her food, my brother ate his food, and my father glanced at my mother. "Well uhh," he scoffed, "are you pregnant?"

My mother stopped eating, "No, some girl at school is." Mama resumed with her food.

"Well, if you were, then there wouldn't be anything I can do. I'd accept the fact and open my arms to my grandkid."

"Absolutely not!" Mamas lion voice came out. Mama was the head in the house, she wore the skirt and pants, kept the balance, made sure everything was perfect. "I ain't raise my children to birth at a young age. Or impregnate at a young age. I won't let you ruin your life cause some guys pull out game is weak! Or your," she glared at Jamie, "pull out is weak." Jamie covered his face in embarrassment.

"Sacar...? Èl sacó?" In English, I thought, "to...sacar...to..."

"Pull out, honey. Remove." Mother sighed glaring at my father.

"Mom, don't worry. You were twenty-three with your first pregnancy. Weren't you young?" Camery asked with excitement in her stare. She had looked at me grinning, "Did you know that Khadi?"

I shook my head, not understanding why she even brought it up like it was important. "You're making me nervous. Estoy nerviosa." I then looked at Jamie and remembered the face he had made when I had commented on his nervousness. "Estaba nervioso." I whispered.

Jamie glared my way, clenching the fork in his hand. "What did she whisper?" He had looked over at mom and dad, "Mom, dad, the hell did she say?" he spewed angrily.

"Jamie—"

"James—"

"Watch your tone at the dinner table, man. I ain't raise you to be disrespectful, yahurd?" Dad had said his finger in Jamie's face.
Dad grew up in the hood, not liking how it did him when he was younger and living with his crack-addicted, heroine loving, abusive parents who didn't take care of him or his twin sister when they were young, didn't help. So, he did a whole 360 with his life. The Turing point being when his twin sister died in jail—"she didn't belong," my father always said—she was trialed as an adult, the reasoning being in there still not known. From then on, my father decided to keep watch over who went in and stayed. He became a lawyer, worked his butt off, and now he's here, doing justice, his family supporting him every step of the way.

"You watch your respects, and tone is all 'bout that shit mane. Don't get angry at yo little sis for not speaking a language you—"

"But...but I'm not angry, dad, I just—" my dad put his hand up silencing Jamie.

"James, I know you ain't mean no disrespect, but watch yourself boy," dad glared. Jamie went back to his food, playing with it, his appetite gone.

My sister ate her food gracefully, and my mother nodded and returned back to her food before saying, "He was nervous."

Mind you I was still six when this happened so of course I was still in a cry baby faze. My dad was yelling and Jamie was mad at me, so that resulted in tears. I cried myself to sleep that night.

I was at school the next day, a regular day in 1st grade. The events from last night became a blur.

"Okay, class, recess!" My teacher, Miss. Casper, said cheerfully. "And when you come back I have a special announcement," she grinned, "now straight file line by your numbers." Everything in school was repetitive, aside from the lessons, the food, and how my classmates were feeling, we were all robots programmed to live like this for years, like 12 years and counting.

I stood in between Patience Quin y Rosario Sanchez. Rosario was a spoiled little rugrat, narcissistic, selfish, annoying, una carbón y más. And Patience was quiet, usually, loved to draw, and a snitch, a got-damn snitch. Couldn't do anything around her. I was proud to call these two my best friends; I loved them. They were invited to my first ever sleepover we connected there sharing dolls, playing house, and watching princess movies.

"Let us move, and keep quiet class." Miss. Casper commented. My little class of 20 moved on to the outdoors.

"Let's go to the spot, I have news to tell you guys." Rosario had whispered. I looked back and nodded, whispering what Rosario had told me to Patience. When we had reached outside the kids had run wild, while my teacher stood with the other teachers who had recess this hour.

"Sooo..." Patience said a bored expression on her face, "what crazy story are you telling today?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Rosario barked sitting herself on the tree root, "they ain't crazy and this isn't a story, it's a fact. Plus my stories are true and I lived through them and I have pictures I can show you." She crossed her arms and 'humphed' very loudly.

"Okay," Patience rolled her eyes sitting across from her. I sat next to Patience in the shade. Waiting for Rosario to bless us with her stories.

"So," she started, her honey orbs gleaming with excitement, "my daddy, my very handsome, popular, rich, amazing daddy, bought me, Rosario Louise Alicia Antoinette Chia Sanchez a big boat with my name on it, daddy calls it's the Rosary. After me of course." Rosario was gleaming with joy and pride.

"Eso es asombrosa Rosario!" I clapped for her.

"Lo sé, y mi papa había dicho que we are having una fiesta de bienvenida." She was extremely happy in that moment, "and you guys are of course invited."

"Wait, wait, what did you guys say?" Patience asked looking at us in awe, "I really don't understand why you guys don't teach me Spanish, I'll be able to understand."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Basically my dad is having a welcoming party, and just listen to me and you'll be speaking Spanish in no time." Rosario stood with her hands on her hips.

When recess and lunch was over and my classmates and I were back in the class room they became rowdy. The adrenaline was kicking in, everyone was finally awake.

"Okay class," my teacher rang her bell ordering us to keep quiet. "Yes, Silas?" Miss. Casper had called on him.

"Didn't you say you had to tell us someting?" He grinned.

"Yes..." the class was quiet, and Miss. Casper was giggling with joy, "class, your teacher—"

"You're our teacher Miss. C."

"I know River," she smiled, "as I was saying, I, you're teacher, Miss. Casper, is going to become Mrs. Valentines." She was glowing, not only her smile, but her face and everything around her. Miss. Casper was truly happy. She showed the class the big diamond ring around her ring finger, "I got proposed to yesterday."

"Wait!" It was Silas again, "You're changing your name?"

"To Valentines?"

"Do you like Valentine's Day? Is that why you're doing it?"

"What is proposed mean?"

"Class, class, class," she rang the bell, "Yes, yes, yes but no, and it means to ask someone to be in your life forever."

"So is my mom and dad going to propose to me?" The class abrupt into laughter.

"Should I propose to my mom? She's leaving my family. My dad said she was with another man. I don't know where she's going to go though, my mommy don't got a car."

"Oh Yasmin, darling," Miss. Casper put her hand over her heart. She was saddened.

"Who are you marrying?"

"Yeah, yeah, what's their name?"

"We'll their name is Q, and they're tall, sweet, and loves kids, and I love them very much."

"Like you Miss. Casper?"

"I'm not tall Rosario," she said with sadness, "I wish I was, I could reach the top of the counter."

"Q sounds cool. Can we meet him?"

"Her, and no. She's very busy this time of month."

"Q is a girl!?" Silas asked very surprised to the information we just have been told.

"Yep."

"You can marry a girl?" Yasmin asked.

"Yep. And I don't want you guys to think different of me, I still am Miss. Casper, Until next year June 17th, I just love a person that has the same attributes like me." She said, "Love has no gender. Love is love, and that's why it's our school motto."

"Miss. Casper is just like Jamie, kissing the same gender." I had told Rosario and Patience. It was time to go home, and we were waiting outside at the pick up line.

"How do you know Miss. Casper kisses Q?" Patience asked.

"Because couples always do it, my daddy kisses my mommy all the time. Well it doesn't matter who Jamie kisses, Khadi, just like Miss. Casper said, 'love has no gender'," Rosario stated, "but my daddy's boat does, bye guys c'ya tomorrow." She waved off.

It was mama's turn to pick me up that day. I had told her the news of Miss. Casper and her engagement the best I could. Mama was not pleased.

That day, I heard wind chimes in the background.