Read Online The Tori Trilogy by Alicia Danielle Voss-Guillén - Free Book Online

hungry. How about una entrada ...” her voices trails off as she searches for the English word “...an appetizer? I have made papas a la huancaina .”
    Gina and I look at each other, our eyes wide with surprise. Papas a la huancaina is a traditional Peruvian dish made of boiled, sliced potatoes covered in a rich, spicy cheese sauce. It’s served cold, and Abuelita always decorates it with slices of hardboiled egg and pitted Greek olives. I always pick those off (yuck!), but the rest is delicious. It’s a very special appetizer that I usually only have on holidays or family birthdays.
    But now Abuelita’s made it just for Gina and me! She laughs at our shrieks of excitement, disappears into the kitchen, and reappears moments later with a tray holding four little plates full of papas a la huancaina , forks, napkins, and four cans of Inca Kola, a refreshing Peruvian pop that tastes, in my opinion, like a cross between bubblegum and cream soda.
    Abuelita sets the tray on the coffee table and passes out the appetizers and drinks. The four of us sit by the fire for awhile and talk, about family things and about school and our grades and our friends. Our most exciting news today is, believe it or not, something that Mr. London, our fifth-grade teacher, told us.
    â€œWe’re getting a new student in our class!” I blurt excitedly. “A girl! She’s starting on Monday.”
    â€œThis Monday?” Abuelito’s thick eyebrows shoot up. “How nice for you both. A new friend, no?”
    â€œWe hope so,” says Gina. “As long as she’s nice. But I don’t know why she wouldn’t be. Anyway, I’m glad it’s a girl who’s coming, not a boy.”
    â€œYou can say that again.” I wrinkle my nose. “Boys are so annoying, and I already have too many at home.”
    My grandparents laugh. “Ah, Victoria ,” says Abuelito, pronouncing my name with Spanish flair. “Someday you will appreciate your brothers.”
    I decide not to tell him that once in a while, I actually do. Instead, I say, “Well, I like Andrew. He’s old enough to not act stupid like the rest of them.”
    â€œ Muy bien ,” Abuelita replies. “He is married and soon will be a father. He must not act stupid now.”
    Gina and I look at each other and burst into giggles. Hearing sweet Abuelita pronounce a word like “stupid” in her soft Spanish accent is hilarious.
    Abuelita glances from my cousin to me, a puzzled expression on her face. “What is so funny?” she asks, making us laugh even harder.
    I reach up and take her hand, which is resting on the arm of the chair where she sits. “Nothing, Abuelita,” I say. “We love you very much.”
    She shakes her head at us. “This is why you are laughing?”
    â€œNever mind, Abuelita.” Gina hops up and kisses her on the cheek.
    We sit by the fire talking for at least an hour. We speak mostly in English, occasionally in Spanish. Gina’s Spanish is better than mine, but I can speak and understand enough to get by, and I love to practice with my grandparents.
    The conversation turns to my oldest brother Andrew and his wife Stephanie, who are expecting a baby next month. “I will die if they have a boy,” I say. “After all these years of putting up with four big brothers, the least I deserve is a niece!”
    â€œ Ay, qué dramática mi nieta (my granddaughter is so dramatic) , ” Abuelito chuckles. “If the baby is a boy, you will love him, I promise you.”
    I know he’s right. Babies are hard not to love. But still....
    Gina is still thinking about something I said. “Your niece ,” she repeats, her voice low. “I’d never thought about that. Tori, you’re going to be an aunt!”
    I have thought about that, and I still can’t get used to how grown-up it sounds. Andrew and Stephanie’s baby will have