Chapter Text
“$5 for these mangos, no less.”
“They’re barely even good! This one is almost overripe, that one has a weird lump, and that one has a giant bruise on it! I’m only paying three for these.”
“Listen, kid, I don’t wanna argue about this any more than you, but a guy’s gotta make a buck and there’s a line growing behind you. Five dollars, take it or leave it.”
Luz glared at the vendor as she dug through her satchel for the money her Mami gave her. “Scamming a fourteen year old out of a couple dollars isn’t helping anyone, man.” She took out a few dollar bills and tossed them on the counter. “Four dollars, final offer.”
The vendor scowled. “A dollar sure would help me ,” he mumbled as he picked up the money. “Fine. Have a nice day.”
With a grin, Luz put the mangos in her bag and watched the man gape at her when she put an extra dollar in the tip jar. “You too,” she said with a wink, and disappeared into the bustling crowd of the farmer’s market.
Saturday was probably her favorite day of the week. Saturdays were famer’s market days, which meant she could get her hands on the freshest of the fresh produce and amazing food from the variety of vendors that frequented the temporary marketplace. It also meant quality time with her mom, who got much-needed free time on Saturday mornings from her nursing job at the hospital.
This Saturday felt different, though, and Luz couldn’t quite put her finger on why. The weather was normal, and there weren’t any big events happening that day. So why did today feel so special?
Luz pushed through the crowd to find her mom surveying the food stalls and trucks. She walked up behind Camila and put her chin on her mother’s shoulder. “Hey, Mami. Having trouble deciding?”
Camila chuckled. “Yes! There’s so many options!”
Luz considered her choices. Greek? No. Tacos? Eh. Waffles? Too late in the day, if that was even possible. She saw a brown food truck nearby, just outside of the farmer’s market’s boundaries. The Owl House? It didn’t look like much of a house, but people were happily walking away from the vehicle holding some kind of sandwich. “How about that one?”
Camila studied the truck. “Looks sketchy. Let’s go!”
Walking up to the truck, Luz could see a grey-haired woman at the front handing out sandwiches and taking money. She wore a magenta t-shirt that said Bad Girl Coven in front of a drawing of the woman surfing. “Definitely sketchy, but that just makes the food all the more delicious!” She searched for a menu and saw a single sign that said “Chimichurri Sandwiches!”
She and Camila approached the counter and the woman leaned out to greet them with a smile. Camila giggled and nudged Luz. “Probablemente podría hacer un mejor chimi que esta gringa.”
Luz smirked and nudged her mom back. “Apuesto a que encontró la receta en línea.” The two burst into a fit of laughter. The woman in the food truck raised her eyebrow but didn’t seem to know what Camila and Luz had just said.
“Hiya there! What can I getcha today?”
Luz smiled at her sweetly. “Well, there’s only one thing on your menu today, so I bet you can guess.”
The woman frowned. “Right, well, you could at least tell me how many sandwiches you want and if I need to leave anything out.”
Luz dropped the smile. “Point taken. I’ll have two sandwiches, and, um, I don’t know if there’s any dairy in your recipe but I’m lactose intolerant.”
The woman smiled again. “Got it! My recipe doesn’t use dairy so it shouldn’t be a problem.” She turned to Camila. “Any dietary restrictions for you, beautiful?”
Luz had to turn away a bit to stop herself from squealing as she watched her mother turn the darkest shade of red she had ever seen. Ah yes, classic bi panic. Camila took a second before she was finally able to respond with a choked “no, hermosa .” Luz screamed very loudly internally.
The woman smirked as she typed their orders into the computer in the truck. “Can I have your number?” she asked. Camila turned even more maroon, if that was even possible. The woman’s smirk turned into a grin. “I like to contact my customers when I have an event so they can come again.”
Luz grinned right back. “That sounds great!” She rattled off her mother’s phone number. Camila could have done it, but she was far too busy trying not to pass out. Luz figured she could handle this for her.
“That’ll be ten dollars.” The woman handed Luz the two sandwiches and Luz put the money on the counter. “The name’s Eda, by the way. Edalyn Clawthorne. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” She stuck out her hand and Luz shook it.
“Luz Noceda, and this is my mom, Camila. It’s nice to meet you too.” She looked back and forth between Eda and her mom. “I should probably get her somewhere else before she passes out. See you later!”
“Understandable. Have a nice day.”
“You too!” Luz responded as she dragged her mother away by the wrist. She found a bench nearby and sat Camila down before sitting next to her.
Camila shook her head. “That was… interesting.”
Luz almost choked on her sandwich. “That’s all you’ve got?”
“Yeah?”
“Mami, you almost passed out. You called her hermosa .”
Camila groaned and ran her hands over her hair before taking her sandwich from Luz. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“What do I do now?”
“How should I know? I don’t even have friends, let alone a love interest!”
Camila looked at Luz, then looked at the food truck. She sighed, taking a bite of her chimi. Her eyes widened, eyebrows arching. “What’s she calling a chimichurri sandwich? This is just a normal burger! Where are the sauces? The cabbage! It’s just a slightly flavorful patty with a couple onions and pickles in a basic bun! It’s just a slightly above average burger! Luz, why didn’t you tell me?”
Luz shrugged. “I don’t know. You were already pretty upset.”
“Fair point,” Camila mumbled. She continued to bore holes into the brown-painted metal of the food truck as she ate. “We’re coming back to this food truck. I have a thing or two to teach this lady.”
“Good thing I gave her your number!”
“You what?! ”
A week went by with no news from Eda, but on Friday afternoon Camila got a message from an unknown number.
(***)-***-**** - 3:47 pm
Find me at the farmer’s market tomorrow!
Camila smiled unconsciously. She had a few choice words for this woman, and she was not going to miss out on her chance to say them to her.