Read Online The Senator's Hispanic Bride by Alexis Gold - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alexis Gold
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popped one into his mouth and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Miguel! Mi primo! This is excellent! You keep cooking like this and I might let you work in the kitchen someday!” Orlando wrapped his arms around Michael in a big hug and then let him go with a clap on his shoulder. “Good! Now go get your beans before you burn them!”
Michael rushed over to his beans and Pablo helped him pair them with the rice. Ricky, Orlando and Pablo all approved, and Michael could not have felt more proud as he walked out of the kitchen with the men, side by side, carrying the dishes of food that they had made, and setting them on the table before the ladies and Mama and Papa.
He had not felt as much a part of a family in years, if ever, and it warmed his heart and touched his soul, making him feel as though he had found something he never wanted to let go of. He looked around at all of their faces, laughing, talking, sharing the food, and loving each other, and he felt like he was home.
Isabella wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. “This is delicious, Michael. You did such a great job! I love it. I’m so proud of you.” She bit on a plantain and closed her eyes to savor it. “Michael, I thought I would be the one to help you and teach you how to cook, but I think you began your lessons in very good hands!”
Papa waved at him and he walked over to him. “Come, sit by me, Miguel. Come here.”
Michael sat by him and looked at him with respect and admiration as the old man poured each of them a shot of rum. “You are my son now, Miguel, and I want you to know how proud I am of you for becoming part of this family and loving my beautiful daughter so much. I can see how happy she is, and it’s because of you.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Michael said with a wide smile. “She makes me happy, too.”
“Miguel, I want you to know that you are as much a part of this family as every one of these people who are here. You might not have been born into it, but you were brought into it by love, and there is no stronger bond than that in the world.” He wrapped his arm around Michael’s shoulders. “My son.” He kissed the top of his head and toasted him, then drank with him.
Ricky, Orlando and Reynaldo pulled out guitars and started to play music for all of the guests of the restaurant, and the ladies began to sing. Before long, most of the patrons in the restaurant were clapping along, some of them joined in the song, and all of them enjoyed the camaraderie as the night grew long. Michael looked around him at the people who were loving the evening there together with the family, feeding their bodies on the food, their hearts on the music, and their souls on the warm and colorful culture that surrounded them.
He realized as he was sitting there that his desire to change the communities of his city had changed. It had once been that he just wanted to make them better places for the economy, for safety, for tourism, for reasons of ecology and morality, but now as he sat there, having gotten to know them, having been with them, he realized that his desires had changed to include wanting to do this not for the people as a whole, but for people as individuals. For each one of them that he saw and spoke with, for people, individually, and he vowed to himself that that was just what he would do.
The music filled the dark night, and before long, there was some dancing, some drinking, lots of singing, and lots of celebrating and wonderful memories were made. Isabella was tucked under his arm for a good portion of the night, near to his heart and warm in his arms. She delighted in seeing him participate in all the things he had done with her family, from cooking dinner for all of them to clapping along with the music and talking with her cousins and parents. Only one person hadn’t interacted with him that night, and that was Marisol. She still didn’t trust him, but she didn’t say anything about him or to him,
“Miguel! Mi primo! This is excellent! You keep cooking like this and I might let you work in the kitchen someday!” Orlando wrapped his arms around Michael in a big hug and then let him go with a clap on his shoulder. “Good! Now go get your beans before you burn them!”
Michael rushed over to his beans and Pablo helped him pair them with the rice. Ricky, Orlando and Pablo all approved, and Michael could not have felt more proud as he walked out of the kitchen with the men, side by side, carrying the dishes of food that they had made, and setting them on the table before the ladies and Mama and Papa.
He had not felt as much a part of a family in years, if ever, and it warmed his heart and touched his soul, making him feel as though he had found something he never wanted to let go of. He looked around at all of their faces, laughing, talking, sharing the food, and loving each other, and he felt like he was home.
Isabella wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. “This is delicious, Michael. You did such a great job! I love it. I’m so proud of you.” She bit on a plantain and closed her eyes to savor it. “Michael, I thought I would be the one to help you and teach you how to cook, but I think you began your lessons in very good hands!”
Papa waved at him and he walked over to him. “Come, sit by me, Miguel. Come here.”
Michael sat by him and looked at him with respect and admiration as the old man poured each of them a shot of rum. “You are my son now, Miguel, and I want you to know how proud I am of you for becoming part of this family and loving my beautiful daughter so much. I can see how happy she is, and it’s because of you.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Michael said with a wide smile. “She makes me happy, too.”
“Miguel, I want you to know that you are as much a part of this family as every one of these people who are here. You might not have been born into it, but you were brought into it by love, and there is no stronger bond than that in the world.” He wrapped his arm around Michael’s shoulders. “My son.” He kissed the top of his head and toasted him, then drank with him.
Ricky, Orlando and Reynaldo pulled out guitars and started to play music for all of the guests of the restaurant, and the ladies began to sing. Before long, most of the patrons in the restaurant were clapping along, some of them joined in the song, and all of them enjoyed the camaraderie as the night grew long. Michael looked around him at the people who were loving the evening there together with the family, feeding their bodies on the food, their hearts on the music, and their souls on the warm and colorful culture that surrounded them.
He realized as he was sitting there that his desire to change the communities of his city had changed. It had once been that he just wanted to make them better places for the economy, for safety, for tourism, for reasons of ecology and morality, but now as he sat there, having gotten to know them, having been with them, he realized that his desires had changed to include wanting to do this not for the people as a whole, but for people as individuals. For each one of them that he saw and spoke with, for people, individually, and he vowed to himself that that was just what he would do.
The music filled the dark night, and before long, there was some dancing, some drinking, lots of singing, and lots of celebrating and wonderful memories were made. Isabella was tucked under his arm for a good portion of the night, near to his heart and warm in his arms. She delighted in seeing him participate in all the things he had done with her family, from cooking dinner for all of them to clapping along with the music and talking with her cousins and parents. Only one person hadn’t interacted with him that night, and that was Marisol. She still didn’t trust him, but she didn’t say anything about him or to him,
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