An Unexpected Love

How Do I...?

"Why was the door closed?" said Nicole as they walked to the car.
"No reason."
"Ahh. Did he give you a goodbye kiss before you left."
"Mom!" Elena said. She could feel her face blushing.
"We just had a conversation." said Elena.
"Sure." Nicole said, unconvinced.

They got into the car and drove off.
"Elena. I forgot to ask. How long are you staying in San Jose? I know your mom and dad are planning on leaving soon." asked John.
"Grandpa, I honestly have no idea."
"She is going to want to stay as long as she can, because of Dr. Melendez." said Kristina.
She actually forgot that she was leaving soon and her Grams wasn't wrong. She had even more reason to want to stay now. She didn't want to think about leaving at this point. Elena kept quiet.
Everyone looked at her.
"No response? That's a first."
"What?" Elena said, coming back from zoning out.
"Nothing." said Nicole.

Kristina kept asking Elena questions.
"Any plans tonight?"
"Maybe."
Nicole smiled.
"With Dr. Melendez?"
"No." Elena said.
Kristina seemed disappointed.
"Why?"
Elena kept quiet.

Everyone ended up being quiet for the rest of the drive.

Elena entered the house first.
She went straight upstairs and read a book.
She was about to fall asleep.

There was a knock on the door.
"Sorry. I didn't know you were asleep." said John.
"It is fine."
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You sure?"
She sighed.
"Grams just asks too many questions. It feels impossible to escape."
"I know and she'll never change." said John.
Elena smiles.
"Why don't you go out for a bit? Get some rest and then take a drive to the beach or something. Or drive to Salinas. Check up on the bakery."
She laughs. "Are you trying to tell me to pack and leave?"
He laughs. "No. I love having you here and I know you have to go back soon."
"Grandpa, Salinas is an hour and a half from here and takes double the time to get back with all the traffic."
She sighs. "Maybe I will take a drive somewhere. I need to get back later though and get changed." She looks down at her book.
"Do you have plans with Dr. Melendez? Or should I rather say Neil?"
She looks up, smiling.
"So that is why you said no when Grams asked. She said Dr. Melendez instead of Neil. Smart move."  He gives her a high five.
She laughs.
"Okay. I will let you rest and then you should go for a drive. Wherever it may be."
She nods and he leaves.
She then closes the book and falls asleep at the desk.

After two hours, she wakes up and goes downstairs.
"Where are you off to? The hospital, again?"
said Nicole, sitting at the kitchen counter while watching David cook lunch.
"No, Mom." She rolls her eyes without letting her mom see.
"Okay. Well, before you go. Your dad has to get back to work tomorrow so he will be leaving later today."
"Oh. So you're staying for while longer, then?" she said to her mom.
"Yeah. I thought maybe you could drive me to Newport Beach when you plan on leaving for Salinas."
"Nicole, you do realise that Newport Beach is further from San Jose than Salinas, right?"
"Yeah, David. I know my Geography, thank you."
Elena laughed.
"Well, I thought that you could stay with us, just for a day or two and then drive back to Salinas."
Elena exhales.
"Okay. Fine."
"Thank you." Nicole said.
"I leave at 4."
Elena nods. "I'll be back before then."

She gets in her car and drives. She is not sure of what she could do. She thinks of trying to find a new place to eat at.
She sees a Mexican restaurant. She stops and walks inside.
Nostalgia hits her.

The smells of the different food reminds her of when her Abuela used to make food whenever she visited Newport Beach, when Elena was younger. She passed away two years ago.

She sits down and choose something to eat. She decides on enchiladas and an agua fresca. She eats the enchilada.
"This is so good. Reminds me of Abuela's." she thought.

She pays the check and drives back home.

"I'm back." Elena said.
"Where did you go?" asked Kristina.
"I had lunch."
"Where and with who?"
Elena sighs.
"I was alone. I went to a Mexican restaurant."
David looks at her.
He sees Elena tearing up. Nicole looks at her.
David moves to her and hugs her.
She whispered.
"Dad, the enchiladas reminded me of Abuela's."
He sighs.
"I miss her too." he said.
Elena wipes her tears and breaks free from their hug.
She clears her throat.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
He nods.
"I'll carry the bags to the car." She heads back outside and puts the bags in her dad's car.

Nicole puts her hand on David's shoulder.
Kristina exhales. "Okay. Let's not get all sad. You need to get going."
He nods.
He looks at Nicole and kisses her.
"I'll see you when I see you." David said.
Nicole nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Take care, Kristina. Look after her, John."
David hugs them.
Kristina whispers. "You may have lost her, but you still got me."
He breaks from their hug. He wipes his tears and nods.
Elena comes back into the house.
Her dad hugs her.
"I assume you have plans with Dr. Melendez. Or should I say, Neil?" he whispers.
"Yeah. How did you..."
He interrupted her.
"When you stayed behind at the hospital, I kind of knew you would make plans with him. Have fun. I love you."
They stops hugging and she nods.
"I love you too. See you soon."

He gets in the car and starts driving.
He waves as he drives off.

They all head back inside. Elena goes upstairs. She changes her top and grabs a jacket. She estimates that a walk to the park will take about fifteen minutes to walk to. She decides to call Justin.

"Hey. Things still okay that side?"
"Yeah. We just got a huge order today."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?"
"A couple wanted us to make cupcakes and confectioneries for their wedding."
Elena widens her eyes, but then she become sad.
"Kind of bummed that I am not there right now. When is the wedding?"
"In four weeks."
She smiles. "I'll be back before then."
"We're also invited to the wedding."
"Us?"
"Yeah. You, me and Lynn."
"Wait. My friend's getting married the same day. In Salinas."
"Your friend isn't Amber Lee, by any chance?"
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"Luke's my best friend. They're the couple."
Elena's eyes widens. "Well. Small world."
They laugh.
"Yeah. I was usually out of town on business and stuff when you guys hung out."
She nods.
"Luke met her here in Salinas when she was doing her residency."
"Right. I remember. She was still telling me about this great guy she met. They were friends for a while before they became a couple."
"Yeah. Anyways, that is all that's new here."
"Thanks for the update, Justin. I got to go."
"Okay. We'll talk tomorrow about the order?"
"Yeah. I'll set up a meeting. See you."

The call ends.
She looks at the time. It is 17:30. She brushes her hair again, making it look neater.
She goes downstairs. Everyone is in their rooms.
"Have fun." John whispered.
She turns around.
"Thanks, Grandpa. I should be back around 8 or 9."
He shakes his head. "Take your time."
She smiles.

She walks and admires the scenery as she walks. The sky, the flowers growing on the sidewalk. She then listens to some music through her earphones.

She gets to the park and then and sits on the bench.

Someone taps on her shoulder.