¿Mamá o Hermana?

The following chapter is written in 3rd person POV following Tanya, Sofia, and Nelly

Meanwhile, at a clothing store in the city…

“What’s the dress code again for tonight?” Nelly asks her mom, while holding a sequined, backless, cleavage-baring top. Nelly’s thinking she could style it more casually with a leather jacket and some jeans if the party leans more toward that style, but she could also pair it with a long dress skirt if it’s a bit more formal.

“We’re here to shop for your sister.” Tanya reminds her, side-stepping Nelly’s question.

“It’s just a top! I can pay for it myself. Jeez.” Nelly says defensively.

“She has a point though.” Sofia says in agreement. “I don’t want us to buy something only to be overdressed or underdressed.” Sofia adds.

“I didn’t get to ask about the dress code, mija. But it’s a party. So dress for a party.” Tanya replies, as she continues to be turned off by the clothing items she’s rummaging through.

“Yeah~, but what kind of party?” Nelly asks more pointedly. “A casual dining restaurant party screams ‘t-shirt and jeans’, but ‘grand opening’ and ‘Rebecca Hoffman’s the organizer of said party’ screams ‘dress the eff up’.” Nelly explains her predicament.

“Oh, I don’t know. Semi~ casual…? I think? Maybe?” Tanya answers, not really instilling any confidence with her answer.

Sofia immediately gives a warning glare to her twin sister, mentally telling Nelly not to dare speak whatever jab about their mother’s promiscuous history she knows Nelly immediately came up with. Nelly just gives her twin a look that conveys ‘you thought it too’, before joining her mother and sister in order to share her input on Sofia’s clothing options for tonight.

“Define ‘semi-casual’?” Sofia follows up once her sister is now beside Tanya. Despite her earlier warning glare, this question is to intentionally rile up her sister to continue the joke and possibly step out of line.

Nelly takes the bait, and teases her sister by feinting that she’s about to say something, only for Sofia to give the same warning look as before. However, it’s much clearer that Sofia’s warning look is actually a look to goad Nelly to talk her way into trouble.

“Ay dios mio, neither of you are being subtle.” Tanya says in frustration, not even needing to glance at her daughters to sense that the two are having a silent mental argument. “Just tell the joke already.” Tanya tells them.

“No, mamá. Nelly’s just being out of line, as usual.” Sofia replies.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Nelly shouts defensively, and this is what gets Tanya to give her signature **** glare that gets Nelly to immediately tense up in attention and zip her lips. Getting a win over her sister causes Sofia to laugh. Tanya makes Sofia’s win short-lived as Sofia gets the same **** glare that is just as effective on her other daughter.

…

“You didn’t actually answer our question though.” Sofia points out, having allowed the amount of time she knows Tanya needs for her agitation to pass.

“Can’t you just ask?” Nelly then adds, and Tanya throws her hands up and rolls her eyes in defeat.

Tanya takes out her phone reluctantly to text Viv. She knows full well Viv will give a teasing reply first since she’s pretty sure Viv already told her this information multiple times previously, but didn’t bother to commit it to memory. Tanya takes a deep breath to mentally prepare herself, before pressing send.

[Tanya]: What’s the dress code for tonight again?

[Viv]: Ooooh someone’s excited!

[Tanya]: Of course I am, V. How can I not be? It’s a big night for you!

[Viv]: You mean, “for us”!

[Tanya]: Right. Right. Of course. It’s a big night for Becca as well.

[Tanya]: So what’s the dress code again?

[Viv]: I meant “us” as in all the girlfriends! It’s going to be our first big sheBANG!

[Viv]: It’s usually clothing optional once you’re inside. But since we agreed on a theme, yours is thick red suspenders, skimpy blue boy shorts, and a blue cape. Painting yourself green and shaving your head gets bonus points for dedication.

[Tanya]: What the hell are you talking about?

[Viv]: What are YOU talking about?

[Tanya]: The dress code for your grand opening!

[Viv]: Oh.

[Viv]: I thought you were asking about the Fuck-this League Orgy.

“Puta madre.” Tanya can’t help but curse under her breath. Even with her earlier mental preparation, this turn in the conversation was wholly unexpected.

[Tanya]: ̶W̶h̶y̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶I̶ ̶a̶s̶k̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶r̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶c̶o̶d̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶r̶g̶y̶!̶?̶

[Tanya]: Sorry for the confusion. But now that it’s cleared up, what’s the actual dress code for tonight?

[Viv]: I already told you.

[Viv]: Countless times.

[Tanya]: I know. I’m sorry for not remembering.

Tanya texts Viv, but grumbling and seething as she types.

[Viv]: I told you…

[Viv]: Just look pretty :*

“[Lord, grant me patience.]” Tanya prays in Spanish after reading Viv’s message.

[Viv]: Anyway, I’m needed for prep. See you later, Manhunter! ;)

“¡Qué puta, Vivian!” Tanya more audibly grumbles after reading Viv’s last message, as it preempts her to ask Viv to be more specific.

“What happened?”, “What did she say?” Sofia and Nelly ask simultaneously.

“She said tonight’s dress code is for us to ‘just look pretty’.” Tanya tells her girls through gritted teeth, still seething from Viv.

“Look… pretty?” Sofia repeats in confusion.

“What? Is that going to be too hard for you, sis?” Nelly teasingly asks her sister.

“We are literally identical!” Sofia argues back.

“[Why am I surrounded by children?]” Tanya thinks to herself in Spanish, as she rubs her temples to alleviate her perceived migraine. At least, she thought it was just a thought.

“Hey now, we’re your children.” Nelly jokes, even chuckling as she says it, pointing out that Tanya failed to keep her inner thoughts to herself.

“Si, and by the time I was your age I was raising two six year olds. You’re not disproving my point.” Tanya playfully argues.

“[Oh, come on!] Abuelo and abuela—” Nelly tries to say something back in Spanish, before Sofia puts a hand over her mouth to prevent her from finishing her point. Sofia knew that it’s a trigger point for Tanya to be seen as an older sister instead of who she actually was to them. So even implying that their grandparents did more of the heavy lifting of raising them is a line Sofia knew to genuinely stop Nelly from even attempting to cross.

“No, mija. Let her talk. She wants to act like a child, then I’m gonna discipline her like one.” Tanya tells Sofia, lifting her leg to grab her slipper, and gripping it like a weapon.

“Tranquilo, mamá. We were just having a bit of fun.” Sofia pleads to their mother, as she stays in between them like a referee, while still having her hand on top of Nelly’s mouth.

“Plus, we’re in public.” Sofia reminds her in a whisper. Tanya drops her slipper and puts it on in one swift motion. She then turns around to avoid making eye contact with her children any further, but her silent fury is enough for Nelly to realize she really crossed the line this time.

“Lo siento, mamá.” Nelly apologizes after Sofia frees her mouth to talk. “That was… I was out of line.” Nelly adds.

“Again.” Sofia says jokingly, trying to defuse the situation.

Tanya takes another deep sigh. She knows Nelly didn’t mean anything hurtful by what she was trying to say, and it wasn’t as if Nelly was making her point up either. Their grandparents really did do some heavy lifting in raising them while they were younger. It was only because of them that Tanya could get her GED, acquire her auto mechanics certification, and land a stable job—while only ‘moonlighting’ as their mother.

Tanya realizes she’s a lot closer in age to them than she is to her own parents. She begins to ask herself why can’t she be a little more lax with them the same way she is with Stella and Cassie, who she’s seen act similarly like her own daughters? Tanya starts to think she’s lucky that they don’t resent her as much as Cassie resented her mom. She realizes there’s a reason Cassie thinks of Jay as a father figure, and that’s because he was there for Cassie when Sylvie wasn’t. Why shouldn’t her daughters look at their abuelo and abuela the same way when, she too wasn’t there as much as their grandparents were?

“No, no. I’m sorry, mija. Us doing this together is supposed to be fun, and I’m ruining it by being overly sensitive.” Tanya apologizes.

“Overly sensitive? Mamà, this is the baseline of your sensitivity. You always overreact when it comes to us.” Nelly points out, and Sofia gives Nelly an offended look, and a look that’s asking ‘why can’t you just keep your mouth shut?’. However, Sofia’s anticipated reignition of Tanya’s maternal fury doesn’t come to pass. Instead, Tanya starts to chuckle.

“You’re right. When it comes to you two, I can’t stop myself from being overly sensitive.” Tanya agrees. “But I’ve had to be. You’re mi hijas, and that’s how I’ll always see you two.” Tanya adds, before wrapping her daughters up into a group hug.

The two girls glance at each other in both disbelief and confusion, as they rest their chins on their mother’s shoulders. The two girls share a smirk at the absurdity of the situation, as they didn’t expect their mother to do such a quick one-eighty after just being visibly furious.

“Is this a trap? Should I say my goodbyes before you kill me when we get home?” Nelly half-jokes, but it does get Tanya to laugh.

“This is my way of saying, I now recognize I’ve been overcompensating. I know I wasn’t the perfect mom. I left you two to be raised by my parents while I went off to classes, studying for tests, and working. You two were never short on parental love. You got more than enough of it from my parents. That’s why I felt I had to balance out them spoiling you two. The only real way I’ve been able to assert that I’m your mother and not just your ‘big sister’ is by being your disciplinarian.” Tanya tells them, taking Nelly and Sofia by surprise.

“Pero mi mamà y mi papà… they’re not here to spoil you two anymore. So I need to remember to take over those duties too.” Tanya tells them, kissing both on their cheeks, before separating from them.

All three women can’t help but smile after that warm exchange. Both Sofia and Nelly want to return the affectionate words their mother just shared, but neither of the two seem to be able to express their feelings into words. In turn, they both decide it might be better to let it be left unsaid. They can show their appreciation through their actions.

But that can wait…

“Does that mean you’re paying for our stuff?”