Chapter 51: Quinceañera

June 9, 1984

Memorial Day weekend came and went, and with it, the summer beach season got underway for Lightning in a Bottle. We did three full shows in three days, all within shouting distance of the ocean. Our schedule was fuller than we ever could have imagined a year ago; with classes over for the summer, we were doing four or five shows most weeks. Although many were at the beach, we also had quite a few gigs in the New Brunswick area, and the occasional wedding or private party as well. We were also pulling in more money per show than ever before.

However, everyone's focus was on something else entirely this second Saturday in June: Lisette's long-awaited quinceañera.

On Thursday, Inez's parents arrived in New Jersey. They, of course, wouldn't miss this for the world. Inez and I picked them up at the airport. Evie offered to spend a couple of days with her mom, so that Inez could enjoy the company of her parents in their apartment. Javier and Lupe wouldn't hear of it; there was plenty of room at the Andrade residence, and they assured Evie that they didn't want to put her out of her room. It turned out that Inez, who had a major role in the preparation of the event, stayed over at the home of her aunt and uncle along with her parents.

The entire Delgado family also made the trip up from Florida; Mike and Jenny, along with Ray and Lisa, their parents. They, however, elected to travel by car, a journey of about eighteen hours. The Delgados, likewise, stayed over at the Andrade house, which was stuffed to the gills for a few days. There were many other out-of-town arrivals as well, who opted to stay in nearby hotels.

On Friday night, Lightning in a Bottle had practice in the usual locale, which allowed Inez's parents and the Delgados to finally see us play.

"You guys are damn good," Mike said admiringly to me after we finished.

"You'll get a much better look at us on Sunday," I shot back with a grin.

The quinceañera would turn out to be, in actuality, a two-day affair. Sunday's events were a loosely-guarded secret, although word had gotten out that Lightning in a Bottle would be involved in some way.

Dad drove up with Seamus on Friday night and dropped him off at my place, at my brother's request. He brought along his suit and an overnight bag. Although I definitely sensed that a part of Seamus was looking forward to the affair, he was also extremely nervous about all the attention that was about to come his way. At first, Dad and Mom were reluctant to allow Seamus to come up and spend the night, but I explained to them that staying at my place would allow him to sleep in a little and calm his nerves. I also knew that it would keep him away from Mom's constant fussing over him. Mom did have a long list of instructions for me, mostly dealing with ensuring that Seamus looked his very best. I assured her that I had everything under control. We ended up hitting the sack – Dennis decided to turn in early as well – by eleven o'clock. Seamus crashed out on the sofa.

In the morning, I got up a little early and brought back breakfast from McDonald's. Not too long thereafter, it was time to head over to the Andrade residence. Dennis, in typical fashion, began to direct some good-natured ribbing in my brother's direction. He shot a knowing grin at me.

"You remember what ended up happening the last time we put suits on, don't you?" Dennis cracked. "Maybe young Romeo here will hit the jackpot the way you did."

"Ah, shaddap," replied Seamus with a laugh, not the least bit bothered by the remark. True, my brother had recently been forced to deal with verbal bullying. But he understood the spirit of Dennis' comment, and realized that more than anything, it was aimed at loosening him up.

"You know everything you're supposed to do, right?" I asked Seamus, as the concerned big brother in me emerged.

"I talked to Lisette about everything on the phone, lots of times," replied my brother. "Anyway, they're planning to have a quick run-through at the house before we all go over to the hall." Raul and Rosie had rented out a banquet hall for the party.

Our first destination, however, was their house. Mayra, as she usually did, answered the doorbell and let us in. Once we were inside, I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind. I turned around and took in the view of my smiling girlfriend, who I hadn't seen since the previous afternoon. Inez looked stunning in a light blue dress, a fairly short one, highlighting her amazing legs. Her always-lovely hair was done up to the max; I simply couldn't help taking a small lock of it between my thumb and index finger as I gave her a kiss.

"Do you like my hair?" she asked me. "Mami helped me fix it."

"It's beautiful," I assured her. "And you look delectable."

Inez's parents were also in the room, and I said hello to Javier and Lupe. As I did so, my mind couldn't help but try to imagine Lisette's fifteenth birthday in the other timeline. Javier and Lupe would not have been around to see it, and who knows what Inez's frame of mind would have been.

A few younger people, obviously friends of Lisette, were milling around. We quickly found a few more familiar faces. Evie was already there, along with Eileen and Dave. There was one band member unaccounted for, and I pulled Dave aside to inquire about his whereabouts.

"Where's Paul?"

"He'll meet us over at the party. His ball and chain didn't want to let him out of her sight until later." I sighed in response, hoping that either Natalie would ease up on Paul, or that Paul would come to his senses and break free from her clutches.

Mom and Dad arrived shortly. Inez and I introduced them to her parents, and I was pleased to see that the four of them sat down together and struck up a conversation.

Suddenly, Mayra and Dennis appeared; Dennis had a big shit-eating grin on his face. "Could I have everyone's attention?" Mayra called out. The room grew quiet.

"Mr. Seamus O'Malley," a giggling Mayra intoned, "I'd like to announce the arrival of your date."

That's when the birthday girl, wearing a fetchingly shy expression, swept into the room. I almost didn't even recognize her. Although you wouldn't call Lisette a tomboy, she was never the type to intentionally get dolled up; her preferred everyday attire was jeans and a T-shirt. But here she was, looking like an elegantly put-together little lady. Her face was made up to perfection. Her dark brown hair, which she'd been growing out recently, was fixed in a wavy, grown-up style. However, at a quinceañera, the dress is the most important component. Lisette had on a voluminous, floor-length white gown which actually resembled a wedding dress, minus the train. A jeweled tiara was perched on top of her head, accentuated with a matching necklace. She also wore long-sleeved white gloves that reached almost all the way to her elbows.

Seamus' reaction to her appearance was priceless. Understand, he and Lisette hadn't seen each other since the previous fall, despite having talked on the phone countless times in the interim. As many girls her age do, Lisette had blossomed substantially over the past several months; Inez and I had remarked about this a few times in the recent past. The slight chubbiness from a year ago had melted away. Her face had become much more mature, and her figure more womanly. She was, in short, well on her way to becoming a real head-turner.

And she definitely turned my brother's head, reducing him to the stuttering fool that many young men of fifteen become when graced with the sight of a beautiful female. Lisette appeared to be likewise affected by the sight of Seamus all spiffed up. The two of them just stood there, babbling nonsensically, stumbling over words. Lisette was blushing, while Seamus was shuffling his feet nervously. There was nary an observer in the room without a smile on his or her face. Many, in fact, had to stifle giggles. I caught Eileen's eye; she mouthed silently in my direction, "Aw, isn't that cute!"

At that point, nearly everyone on hand made a move to head over to the banquet hall. Seamus stayed behind; the quick rehearsal he'd spoken of would be done in private. Mayra, who of course had an important role in the proceedings, stayed behind as well. Outside, I addressed the topic of the moment with my girlfriend.

"I don't think," I said to Inez with a grin, "we'll be hearing any more 'she's just a friend' comments from my brother."

"I think his reaction – and Lisette's, too – was the cutest thing I've ever seen," she smiled back at me, echoing Eileen's comment. "We'll have to see how this plays out over the rest of the day."

Over at the site of the party, I did a double-take upon viewing the set-up. It was a spacious banquet hall, which was to be expected, since the guest list was expected to top one hundred. Dinner tables with seating for six were spread throughout. The Andrades had apparently paid a local florist quite well, for there were elaborate floral displays throughout the room. Off to one side was a large circular display, with the number "15" in the center, surrounded by yellow and white flowers. Right next to it was a spectacular multi-tiered cake, as large as you'd see at any wedding. But the centerpiece was at the front of the room: a replica of one side of a carriage, crafted mostly from paper and lace, with two large wheels on each side. The wheels appeared to be made of wood, and painted entirely in white, even the spokes. A veil hung in front of the coach portion of the "carriage", with a chair behind it, where the birthday girl would presumably seat herself at some point. I'd seen pictures of Inez's quinceañera, but even so, I was amazed at what lay in front of me.

"Wow," I said appreciatively.

"Yes, this is a big deal for Lisette," replied Inez. "All of this brings back memories for me. Mine wasn't all that long ago."

The seating arrangements worked out perfectly; we six band members occupied one table. Paul had arrived, alone; it appeared as though Natalie had opted not to show up. At an adjacent table sat Mom and Dad, along with Inez's parents, and the parents of Mike and Jenny.

Looking at my girlfriend sitting next to me, I smiled as something popped into my mind. "I never asked you this before. Who was your date at your quinceañera?"

Inez grinned sweetly before providing an answer. "His name was Steve Granado. He was a kid in my class."

I just gazed back at her expectantly, matching her grin with an inquisitive one of my own, encouraging her to continue.

"He was an okay date, I guess. He was never more than a casual friend. And there were some things about him I didn't know at the time. He's out in Colorado now," she said, her typical infectious smile sweeping across her face, "living with his boyfriend."

"Aah. I see."

The conversation quickly drew to a close, and silence descended over the room, as the ceremony got underway. The main participants had arrived, and we hadn't even realized it. A procession of sorts ensued. It started off with a number of boy-girl pairs, each couple slowly and deliberately walking up to the front of the room in turn, and positioning themselves near the carriage.

"There are fourteen pairs," Inez explained to me. "The girls are Lisette's friends, and each one invited a date. The number fourteen is symbolic, obviously. The fifteenth pair will be Lisette and your brother, but they'll proceed differently. Look," she directed, pointing at Seamus, who had joined the others in front. Right now, he was by himself.

Next, Mayra followed the group of young people up to the front, accompanied by Dennis. Dennis had not uttered one word to me about his role. Rosie followed behind them, walking by herself. Finally, the birthday girl herself appeared, escorted by her father, as all stood and applauded. Up front, Raul handed off his daughter to my brother, and I thought I actually saw Seamus tremble. Everyone liked Raul, but his old world values could make him a bit intimidating at times.

Raul and Rosie retreated to their seats, as did Mayra and Dennis. The music began, and fifteen pairs of ninth-graders took to the dance floor. When the first song ended, all took a seat save for two people: Lisette and Seamus. It was time for the waltz that my brother had practiced with Inez. He'd quite obviously done some more practicing, because in spite of his nerves, he really did a fine job. One more thing needs to be mentioned. It was apparent to all that the two of them were quite infatuated with one another. In fact, in Seamus' case, he was so fixated on Lisette that he'd largely forgotten to be nervous. Right then, I knew that a chat with my brother was in order, the first chance I got.

"Your brother is a real charmer, Pat," cracked Paul.

"Once again, it runs in the family," Dave added, as everyone at our table laughed quietly.

I stole a glance over at Mom and Dad, both of whom were displaying proud smiles. But no one sported a wider smile than my girlfriend. She turned to me, and whispered what was on her mind.

"Just look at them. They're just like us. A junior version of you and me."

I nodded, for the very same thought had crossed my mind.

At song's end, Seamus walked Lisette up to the front of the carriage, and then stepped aside. Lisette parted the veil, and took a seat inside the coach. Rosie made her way to the front, and pinned back the veil to give everyone a clear view. She produced a pair of white high heels. She reached down, removed the shoes her daughter was wearing, and slipped the high heels onto Lisette's feet.

"More symbolism," Inez related. "Her old little-girl shoes were replaced with grown-up high heels. Now, of course, this is not the first time Lisette's worn heels. But the purpose of that little ceremony is to mark the transition from childhood to young womanhood."

Next, Raul arrived on the scene, carrying a small box, from which he removed a small doll. The doll had on a dress that was remarkably similar to Lisette's. Raul presented the doll to his daughter.

"At my quinceañera, we didn't do the doll thing," said Inez. "But Tia Rosie loves that tradition. It's very common in Mexico. It's supposed to be a last remnant of childhood, the last doll she will ever receive."

After that, it was time to eat. It was a buffet-style meal, and everyone had their fill. Then, it was time for more dancing, with the dance floor open to all. Inez and I took the floor, and we even managed to persuade Eileen and Dave to submit to a salsa lesson (and they both caught on, very quickly). I even tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to talk Dad and Mom into a dance lesson of their own.

"I don't intend to make a fool of myself," laughed Dad. "I was born with two left feet."

I was happy to see that Seamus fit right in with Lisette's friends. He was one of very few that were not of Puerto Rican heritage, but that did not appear to faze him one bit. He was laughing, joining in, and having a wonderful time. Of course, having Lisette as his sponsor didn't hurt.

A little later, we switched partners. A laughing Inez seized Seamus away from Lisette, which gave me the chance to dance with the quinceañera herself.

"I've had a great time today," I told Lisette truthfully. "And I can see that Seamus has too. I haven't had a chance to tell you this, but I'm really glad that you asked him to be your date. It's been a great experience for him."

"I was a little worried about how he would fit in," confessed Lisette. "But he really surprised me. It's been – well, it's been a birthday I'll never forget." Coming from the reticent Lisette, this was a remarkable statement. And it was delivered with a soft smile and a faraway look in her eyes that I couldn't help but notice.

I really need to have that talk with Seamus, I reminded myself silently.

After everyone finally tired of dancing, the cake was cut and served to all present. One final ceremony followed, and Raul was the one to initiate it. He produced a box of white twelve-inch candles. Taking one out, he struck a match and lit it. He handed it to his daughter, who then presented it to one of the guests.

"There are fifteen candles," said Inez. "Lisette secretly selected the fifteen most influential people in her life up till now, and will present each one with a candle. She's already paid tribute to her parents and to Mayra, so it will be fifteen people outside her immediate family."

After giving out a few of the candles, with two of them going to Inez's parents, Lisette approached our table. She presented one to Inez, and my very touched girlfriend gave her a hug and a smile. I was, however, completely unprepared for what came next.

Upon receiving another lighted candle from her father, Lisette returned to our table. This time, she handed the candle to me.

Caught off guard, but incredibly moved, I mumbled, "Thank you, Lisette," and gave her a hug.

An equally stunned – but thrilled – Inez looked at me. "Wow. Wow. I hadn't a clue that she was gonna do that."

"She picked me," I said in astonishment, "and she's only known me for a year and a half."

When all of the candles were distributed, the fifteen candle bearers were asked to come up to the front. Lisette proceeded to give a short speech, paying tribute to each of the fifteen. She directed a few words toward Inez and me.

"I gave one candle to Inez, my cousin," said Lisette, speaking more loudly and clearly than I'd ever heard her. "She's someone I've looked up to and wanted to emulate ever since I was a little girl. I gave another to her boyfriend Pat, who always treats my cousin with such love and respect. I admire their relationship so much. In fact, they represent my romantic ideal."

I'll fess up ... when I heard that, my eyes got a little moist, so touched was I.

When Inez and I arrived back at our table, another unexpectedly pleasant surprise awaited us. My sister was seated there, looking a little misty-eyed herself. My initial fear was that she was resentful, once again, but that concern proved to be unfounded.

"What an incredible tribute that was," said Eileen to us both, "to the two of you."

Hopefully – hopefully – that signified that Eileen had put her jealousy behind her.

Another round of dancing ensued, this one featuring currently popular music for the most part. It stood to reason that the younger crowd took over the dance floor at that point. Finally, the celebration wound down, and Raul briefly addressed all present. He invited everyone in attendance to a continuation of the festivities the following afternoon, to be held at their residence.

Inez wanted to spend the night with her parents (they'd be flying back to Miami on Monday), so I gave her a goodnight kiss and told her I'd see her tomorrow. I hung around, keeping a watch out for Seamus. He'd disappeared for a short while, as had the entire contingent of ninth-graders. The exception, of course, was Lisette, who was saying goodbye and thank you to each guest as they departed. Finally, just as I was starting to get worried, here came my brother.

"We were just hanging out outside," he explained. "Hey ... can I sleep over at your place again tonight?"

I thought that to be a fantastic idea, but naturally I had to run it past Mom and Dad first. Telling Seamus to wait for me, I headed over to our table, where our parents were preparing to make their exit. I found them talking with Eileen about mundane matters. They intended to drive home tonight, but would come back up early tomorrow afternoon.

"Do you mind if Seamus stays up here again tonight?" I said to both Dad and Mom. They appeared initially reluctant, so I decided to clue them in on my motivation. "He asked me if he could. Plus, I want to talk to him about a few things."

Dad immediately got my drift. "It's okay with me," he agreed. Mom, catching on as well, similarly gave her consent. I watched with interest as Seamus said goodbye to Lisette in a manner that, at least on the surface, seemed to be nothing more than friendly. Then, we bade farewell to those still hanging around, and hit the road.

Darkness had fallen by now; my apartment was empty. Dennis, no doubt, had gone straight over to Mayra's place from the banquet hall. Although I was dying to know what was on my brother's mind, I'd steered the conversation toward less pressing matters on the way over. I wondered whether he would open up to me. But Seamus, surprisingly enough, wanted to cut to the chase.

"That was a cool party," he said tentatively. "A real cool party."

"You did a great job with everything," I assured him. "And it was obvious to everyone that you had a good time. I'm sure that meant a lot to Lisette." As soon as I mentioned Lisette, a smile crossed my brother's face, confirming what I'd suspected: he was smitten.

"Lisette is different from the girls I know in school," he offered, opening up even more. "She talks to me. She doesn't go crazy trying to impress me, like Heather did. I guess I've always thought of her as a friend. But tonight? She was, like ... a girl." Putting it in a way that only a fifteen-year-old could.

I offered a knowing grin, encouraging him to elaborate.

"But the thing is, she lives too far away." I nodded in response to that statement, for he'd mentioned a big concern of mine. "Far away," in this case, meant a drive of a little over an hour. However, I also knew that for a couple of ninth-graders, a one-hour separation might as well be ten.

"You and Inez are lucky," he went on. "You live only a few minutes apart."

Now, he was making a comparison that I felt I needed to discourage, or at least temper. Although it was an obvious angle to explore, he was, after all, just fifteen years old.

"I'll give you some advice here," I began. "It's just a reality check. It may not be exactly what you want to hear, but believe me, it's for your own good. It's tempting to compare Lisette with Inez, because they're cousins. Try not to do that. You're both in ninth grade. Trust me when I say this ... there's a lot of changes ahead for you both. And instead of comparing Lisette to Inez, let me, just to illustrate something, compare her to someone else I know."