I slip my hand behind Isabella’s neck and bring her close enough to kiss her. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being in awe of this woman, of her heart, or of her fearlessness when it comes to helping others.
“Thank you,” I murmur against her lips.
“For what?”
“For helping me see that I wasn’t checked in or fully aware of the things happening around me. I’ve been simply existing for far too long, and I’ve made peace with sending off money and counting it as my good deed. But now I see that there is more to be done, especially when it comes to my people on the island.”
She nods. “It would probably mean a lot more for people to see you outside of your official role, out there making news waves and bringing more attention to the cause because you have such a large platform. But not only that. When people are in the trenches, they don’t need fake smiles and rolls of paper towels thrown their way. They need to see you in the trenches with them, shoulder to shoulder. Showing up to things where they can talk to you about their experience and feel the connection happening in front of their faces. There’s never a way to fully understand what someone is going through when you’ve never been through it yourself. But you can listen. You can give people the time of day, make them feel seen and heard. And with a little magic, maybe even make them smile, laugh. Forget about their circumstances for a moment and focus on the joy instead.” She traces the slope of my nose with a delicate finger, leading it down to my lips, and I kiss it gently. “If there’s one thing I learned about the Puerto Rican people when I lived down there, it’s that nothing, and I mean nothing, keeps them down. I thought we Dominicans were the life of the party until I saw how Puerto Ricans got down.” She chuckles. “Not only do they rise aboveadversity time and time again, but they do it with a sense of pride.” She smiles softly. “Once, we were in a complete blackout, heating up canned soup over a portable electric stove. All the neighbors were out, and apparently, so were the mosquitos. My cousins were miserable, having lived these same scenarios in the Dominican Republic. I don’t remember exactly what one of them said, but it was something silly like ‘Why wasn’t I born in Bora Bora?’ Most of us laughed, but one neighbor shook his head good-naturedly and said, ‘Yo soy Boricua aunque naciera en la luna.’ And that phrase has always stuck with me. Because I’m a proud Dominican, but I was born here in the states and don’t have the same experiences as the majority of my family. But that sentiment, of being who you are, no matter what your birth certificate states, will forever stay with me.”
I let out a deep sigh as I let those words sink into me.
My little Spanish lessons, which may have started as a way for me to get closer to Isabella, have now turned into serious business. Whenever I’m not on the field, I’m doing self-appointed homework, since I truly believe my woman is taking it easy on me when giving me small assignments. But I don’t want easy, I thrive when pushing myself.
Which is why I know exactly what that sentence meant. “I’m Puerto Rican, even if I had been born on the moon.”
Direct translations usually suck, because the Spanish language always has a flair for the romantic while English is pretty straightforward and to the point, but the sentiment isn’t lost on me.
The idea that you are a whole version of yourself, of your culture, no matter where you were born or how you were raised, soothes a part of me that’s always struggled to figure out exactly where I belong.
Always feeling like I’m part of this or that.
Puerto Ricanbutnot from the island. Hispanic,butI don’t speak Spanish.
Dealing with the ignorant “Oh but you don’t look Puerto Rican” comments all my life, because there is apparently only one acceptable version of what a Latino man should look like. Another strike against me not feeling worthy enough to claim my people loudly, proudly.
Yet with each passing day, with the woman by my side—who doesn’t even share my same exact lineage—I’m getting closer to my roots.
And for a man who could afford to buy anything, she has no clue that she’s given me the greatest gifts of all. Acceptance, education, and love.
There goes that word again, tumbling in my mind in a nonstop loop.
One of these days, once things have settled and I believe she’s ready, I’ll tell her how deeply and madly in love I am with her.
But for tonight, I’ll have to settle with showing her.
forty-one
This is already myfavorite game, and it hasn’t even begun yet.
The feeling in the stadium is electric. The DJ is blasting salsa, merengue, and bachata through the speakers, keeping everyone in the stands moving and on their feet.
The Monarch players litter the field, greeting their teammates for the day, celebrities and Puerto Rican public figures. They’re all in casual jeans and T-shirts, with loose jerseys indicating the teams—one home team Monarchs jersey and the other an away game Monarchs jersey.
The crowd is filled with people who donated to the cause or those who won tickets. Most of the ticket winners were flown in from Puerto Rico. Over a dozen of them on Mateo’s private jet. Only I know this because I was there when he was on the phone, asking how we could get more Puerto Rican locals to the Monarchs’ stadium. I’m also the only one who knows that he’sfooting the bill for most of their hotel stays, since he upgraded whatever the stadium was offering and extended their stays—with a stipend.
I look down from the suite I’m seated in, but I can’t see him. He must be mingling with the newcomers.
And yes, I’m in the suite. Because not only was I invited, but I was able to bring as many friends as I wanted since Mateo reserved a private suite… for the rest of the season.
Luisa and Daisy are done with their logistics for the day and are indulging in the chilled champagne as Denise wrangles her three kids while also pleading for a glass. She came along with her mom and cousin so they could help her out with the kids, but I swear they’re all velcroed to her.
Amelia and Nikki were also able to make it, and they brought their significant others. I remember Tony faintly as the hot guy she was on vacation with when we met, but I truly forgot that the guy was the size of a tank.
Although the biggest shocker was when Amelia’s husband, Evan Cooper, walked in and immediately spilled the beans that Amelia was newly pregnant. It took a second for my brain to jump off the fact that Evan Cooper was hanging out in our suite. But the way his smile beamed the moment of his announcement made him seem much more approachable. And a clear simp in regard to his wife.
Daisy’s fiancé was supposed to be here as well, but it seems like he’s running late. I’ve been dying to meet the man who’s put a ring on Daisy’s finger, and not because he has atrocious taste in jewelry. There’s a silent sadness in Daisy that sometimes slips through her blinding smiles, and I wish I knew how to set her free from whatever is keeping her down.
Next to Amelia’s pregnancy announcement, my favorite moment was when Nick Stonehaven showed up andimmediately ruffled Luisa’s feathers with his mere presence alone.
