At the pier entrance, Bianca pushed that pink stroller down the ramp. The steel drums on the boardwalk beat in Joshua’s ears. Her hair was tied in curls on top of her head and pinned with a bright fuchsia hibiscus. She had on this long, Aphrodite-type dress that reached down to the pavement with straps that circled her neck, shoulders and collarbone. Her cleavage showed, but barely, and when she stepped, the dress pressed into her thighs, and Joshua noticed the curve of her thick hips. She reminded him of a fetish from their Mexican Art class. She wore dangling bead earrings and bangles on her wrists, and her lips were shiny with gloss. God, he prayed, you better not be messing with me sending this gorgeous woman sauntering toward me.
He called her name, waving. She peered across the amphitheater, her face lighting up. A good sign. “Hey,” she called back, heading toward him and Jayden. “Look at this spread,” she said when she got to the picnic blanket.
He stood and hugged her. “You made it.”
She hugged him back, warmly, like Patti used to. “This is fantastic. I’m lucky if I remember sunglasses and chanclas.” She parked the stroller, locked the wheels, adjusted the sun visor, and sat. “She fell asleep in the car,” she whispered, plopping her chanclas in the grass and tucking her bare feet beneath her.
Jayden watched Bianca intently, and when she’d finished arranging herself on the blanket, he jumped and shouted, “Ribbit, ribbit,” leaping into her lap. “I’m a frog. Kiss me.”
“Ay, hey there, mijo!”
“Kiss me.” He puckered his lips.
She shot Joshua a bemused glance; he shrugged. “Well, since you’re a frog, kissing you is the right thing to do.” She planted her cheek to his lips and made a loud smooching sound.
“There, dada. I made a good ’preshun like you told me.”
“A good ’preshun?” Bianca said. “That is important.” She grinned.
He wanted to reach across the blanket and press his face to her neck. He couldn’t remember feeling this strongly about anyone, hadn’t wanted to connect with anyone this badly. Not since a few shaky friendships at the group home after Patti’s anyway. He averted his gaze from her cleavage, focused on the picnic. Busied his hands so he wouldn’t turn into one of those frat-guy boors he loathed. But goddammit, she had beautiful breasts. He opened large plastic bowls of potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and fruit cocktail, and smaller containers of apple sauce, yogurt, pudding, and a bag of chocolate chip cookies he’d baked the night before. “Dig in,” he said. “Oh, and I have something else for you.” He pulled out the paper satchel from the stationary shop, handed her the gift.
She raised her eyebrows warily. Instead of reaching for the gift bag, she asked, “What’s this?”
Jayden broke the tension, hopping and yelling, “It’s for your birthday. Happy birthday!”
Bianca’s eyes widened.
“Sorry, Jayden just loves birthdays,” Joshua said.
Her confusion gave way to laughter, and she reached out and tickled Jayden’s belly. “Tontito, you little silly boy.” To Joshua, “I was afraid you’d take the present back if I told you it’s not my birthday.” She turned her attention to the bag, peeling back the tissue paper carefully, then pulled out the journal, running her fingers along the edges, opened the cover and made a strange little chipmunk noise, like she couldn’t tell if she wanted to laugh or cry. “This is too much . . . thank you . . .” She looked at Joshua as if studying a painting again. “I love it.”
He thought she would.
They ate ham-and-cheese sandwiches, pickles, potato salad, and cookies; Jayden mostly ate pudding and cookies, but Joshua let him be.
“I can’t believe you did all this, really,” she said between bites.
“It’s just sandwiches.”
She looked at him as if to say it’s not just the sandwiches and you know it.
Jayden stood between them, his face close to Bianca’s, and shrugged up his shoulders, cocked his elbows into wings, widened his eyes, and pulled his head low, turning it quickly side to side. Bianca watched, dumbfounded but amused, until he began screeching, “Who, who!”
“Oh, I know! You’re an owl!”
He jumped up and clapped. “How’d you know?”
“You’re a perfect owl, that’s why. And I’ll bet you’re wise too.”
He nodded solemnly.
Joshua said, “It’s our spirit animal. Like Hedwig.”
“I love Harry Potter,” she said. “Will you read them to me sometime, mijo?”
Jayden hooted again, then turned sharply around, waved his hands in front of Joshua’s face, and said loudly, “Can I go play now?”
Joshua prodded him from in between him and Bee. “Go on then, kid. But stay where we can see you.”
Jayden stuffed more cookies in his mouth, then grabbed his bucket and ran down the hill to the sand.
“He’s spectacular, Josh. Such a funny little boy.”
“He keeps me on my toes.”
“If you don’t mind my asking . . .” She paused, bit her lip. “What’s the story with his mom?”
Joshua had wondered when she’d ask. “It’s not like you think,” he said. “She’s my sister, Olivia. And I don’t know where she is.”
“Your sister? Oh, you mean, Jayden’s not your . . .”
“Son? Technically, no. He’s my nephew. I’m his legal guardian, but it’s more than that. We’ve been together since he was born.”
Bianca leaned in closer. “He’s lucky to have you.”
“He’s my only family, besides Olivia. It’s us two guys against the world. My sidekick. We fight crime together.” He did a ninja karate-chop. Bianca didn’t roll her eyes. Instead, she laughed. And it didn’t seem like the uncomfortable laugh other people did but a genuine I-actually-like-you laugh.
Down at the sandpit, Jayden dumped piles of sand on the boardwalk. “Hey, man! Cut that out,” Joshua said. Jayden halted middump, throwing the bucket on the sand dune. “That kid,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, I mean, you understand.” He motioned toward the stroller.
She smiled, but it almost seemed forced. “I’d better check on Jubilee,” she said, pulling back the sunshade.
“Jubilee. That’s a beautiful name.”
Now Bianca’s face relaxed into an easy smile. “It means celebration. I grew up Catholic, and we memorized all the verses. In the Bible, Jubilee is the time of release and universal pardon. Slaves set free. Land returned. Debts forgotten. All kicked off with a trumpet blast.”