Chapter 1
The last few days had been extremely peaceful! This was a novelty for Rafael, whose life was always plagued by the madness of his karma, Thomas.
Rafael had known Thomas for as long as he could remember, which meant fourteen years. It all started in preschool when Thomas stuck an entire pack of gum in his hair, forcing him to shave his head. Or the time he "accidentally" spilled juice on his new shoes. And then there was the time he found Rafael’s diary and read it aloud to the entire school.
They got into fights many times, and oddly enough, they became friends. Rafael's mom loved Thomas. There was no denying it; he had a way with older women.
But Rafael didn't want to think about that menace. Now, all he wanted was to relax during his vacation. Soon, he'd have to deal with his friend again, and he hated the thought of it.
He was lying in his room, staring at the baby-blue wallpaper. He hated it, especially since every time his karma visited, he was called "Big Baby." He even received a baby-blue pacifier during a Secret Santa years ago, and Thomas had drawn his name. Rafael was sure Thomas had rigged it.
The street was starting to get busier as people headed to work. It was only 9 a.m. Being an adult must be a "drag," Rafael thought. He stretched and planned to sleep a little longer, then spend the afternoon reading a book called Crows, which was being posted online by its author.
While he was thinking about Cecilia, the girl he liked, the house phone rang. Not his cell phone, which would’ve been normal, but the landline. That could only mean one thing: either someone had died...or it was Sheila, Thomas’s mom, calling. He hoped for the first option.
He heard his mom, who had been awake for a while, answer the phone, and after a few minutes, she burst out laughing. Rafael felt a shiver run down his spine; he sensed that his peaceful day was about to end.
Footsteps approached his room, and since it was just him and his mom in the house, he knew who it was. He pretended to be asleep as best as he could, even drooling a little. He was proud of his performance. But then he thought of acting, which made him remember Cecilia because he had met her in third-grade drama class. He started chuckling without realizing it.
The door to his room flew open as his mom entered. Maristela was a bit overweight and short. But she made up for it with her voice because she naturally had a megaphone instead of vocal cords.
"Wake up, sunshine!"
Maristela noticed her son's mischievous smile and slowly closed the door, leaving just a crack to whisper through.
"Are you doing it?"
"No!" Rafael completely forgot his act and jumped out of bed, blushing.
"No need to be embarrassed," her voice came through the crack. "Boys your age are like that."
"Mom, for the love of God! I'm not doing anything!"
"It's healthy!"
"Oh, come on!"
He jumped out of bed, opened the door, and, in a mock gesture, showed her the front of his pants.
"See? Everything's normal!"
"It could just be small."
"What do you want, Mom?"
Realizing her teasing wasn’t working anymore, Maristela got back to the point.
"Sheila just called."
"As I feared."
"And," Maristela continued, ignoring his interruption, "it seems Thomas is having one of his… creative moments."
"I’ve told you he needs medication!"
"Maybe! But you know Sheila, all-natural. You should’ve seen her in college—she was like a chimney!"
Rafael always forgot that his mom had studied psychology with Sheila. Their sons becoming friends had been a joy at the time.
Sheila could have written a thesis on her scatterbrained son.
"What a mess!" Rafael muttered slyly. "Well, I’m going back to sleep!"
"Oh, no, you’re not!"
Rafael knew exactly where this was going, and feeling his peace slip away, he decided to rebel.
"I'm not going!"
How ridiculous, he thought, forcing himself not to blush. He felt like a kid throwing a tantrum over a stupid toy. He remembered going to the mall with Thomas to watch a movie and seeing a snotty little kid have a meltdown over a balloon.
When the kid finally extorted the balloon from his father, Thomas quietly popped it. The kid's crying was music to their ears! Thomas was a hero that day.
"You," Maristela said, placing a hand over her heart as if she’d been struck, "are rebelling against your dear mother?"
"Maybe," he said, feeling embarrassed.
"Using my powers as the one who brought you into this world, I will take away something you love as punishment and for revenge, hehe."
"There's nothing you can take that will affect me!"
"Fifteen days without Fandangos."
Rafael’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. No, anything but the Fandangos! But he had to show strength in the face of this terrible threat. His hands were sweating, and he fought to keep his voice steady.
"Fine."
"The ham-flavored ones."
"You monster!"
A bitter defeat. Rafael couldn’t live without his Fandangos. Accepting his sad fate, he finally surrendered. His day would include Thomas. Slumping his shoulders in submission, he asked,
"What did that lunatic do this time?"
"If I told you, it wouldn’t be fun!"
"Are you really my mother?"
"Of course! You came out of me! Want to see the C-section video again?"
"Anything but that!"
"Now hurry up! Sheila’s leaving for work soon."
Grumbling under his breath, Rafael started looking for clothes to leave the house. He had decided it would be quick. The problem was, it never was when it involved Thomas. His mom was already by the car when she yelled,
"Rafael!"
"What?!"
"Don't forget to bring a head of garlic!"
Rafael froze with one shoe in the air. What on earth was about to happen? But before he could say anything, he heard the car starting. He was alone, still holding his shoe.
