Ch.21

As Alex and I are trying to relax and cheer up Manny, everyone else finally shows up. Now Manny has even more of a distraction, as everyone is discussing what is happening in the delivery room. We can hear what seems like a woman screaming in horrible pain. This has everyone on edge, especially Manny since we believe Gloria is in great pain. 

After a few more hours, the doctor comes out of the room saying the delivery went well. That everyone is fine and we can see them now. Everyone quickly rushes inside the room, we see Jay holding one hand like he broke it and Gloria holding her newborn son. 

"Gloria! How are you? We heard the screaming," Claire says as we enter with Manny nodding his head worried about his mother. 

"What?... Oh! That was Jay, not me," Gloria says as Jay shoots everyone an annoyed glare, that says to drop the subject. 

"She was breaking my hand!" Jay says seeing everyone trying not to laugh imagining him screaming in pain. 

"Can I hold him?" Manny asks looking down at his baby brother. 

Gloria smiles at her older son and nods her head. She then gently passes her newborn to him, while showing him how to hold him. Manny is looking down at his baby brother with adoration and is holding him like he will be hurt if he even moves an inch. Then almost everyone gets a turn holding him until he cries out to be given back to Gloria. 

"What's his name?" Mitchell asks as everyone is passing him around and has still not learned it yet from all the excitement. 

"We… we are not sure yet… The doctor said we have a few more weeks before we need to send in his papers," Gloria says as everyone nods their heads. 

"I say it is better to not rush into it. You'll know the name when the time comes," Cam says nodding his head at his own advice. 

After another hour or so at the hospital, Alex and I got a ride home from Haley. As we didn't want to be in the car with Claire. Haley seemed to sense something happened too, but unlike Claire didn't ask about it while I was in the car. Later though I bet she and Alex would talk about it, if they do. 

Later my parents finally came back from Spain, with them immediately visiting Gloria to congratulate them on the newborn. Then another couple of weeks passed, with Claire leaving Alex and I alone. However, it seems a rift has formed between Alex and Claire, as Alex would ignore Claire all the time whenever I saw them together. Then one day after I came back home from my morning jog, my Mom ran out of the house. With my Dad and sister looking at her leave, I gave them a curious look. 

"Where'd Mom go?" I ask my Dad who is playing with Olivia in the living room. 

"Apparently Gloria's family is coming to visit to see the baby. Seems she wants your Mom to come over to help with… something," Dad says unsure even what Mom was going to do at their house. 

Now that Olivia is a two she has been much more vocal and even more curious about everything. So we have to keep a close eye on her as she runs around the second she can. Though like most kids in her generation, can be captivated by TV, movies, and her tablet. Which is why she was zoned out watching whatever cartoon was currently on TV. 

"Oh, ok," I say nodding my head, as my Dad goes back to trying to play with Olivia who isn't paying attention as her TV show is on. 

After getting out of the shower, I noticed Alex texted me telling me her Dad made her problems worse. Alex was planning a party at the same time another girl from school was, so the two were competing. While Phil somehow made the situation worse for her, I can only imagine what Phil did and it makes me laugh. 

'What did your Dad do?' I texted Alex back. 

'Apparently, he found out who I was arguing with, then went over to her house. After a weird conversation, he ended it by complimenting her on her teeth!' Alex says with multiple gifs showing her agitation. This made me laugh, thankfully Alex wasn't here to see me laughing at her plight. 

Then my Mom texts my Dad and me in our family group chat, telling us that we will be attending the christening of Gloria and Jay's new son. So we get ready for that, as I am texting Alex to calm down and trying to help her figure out how to fix the issue. My Dad, sister and I all pack into the car to drive over to where the christening is happening. 

"Gabe, your Mom and I have been talking about getting you a car for your next birthday as you will be able to drive. It was supposed to be a surprise, so don't tell your Mom I told you. Though we were discussing what car to get you, I want to know if you have any preference," Dad says to me as we are driving and Olivia is in the back completely absorbed in her tablet. 

"Oh, uhm thanks. Though I am fine with whatever you guys decide," I say since I don't want to come off as greedy, even though I do have some cars I like. 

"Gabe… just tell me," Dad says while giving me a look that shows he doesn't buy my lack of care. 

"Well… in that case… would it be possible to get the latest Dodge Challenger?" I say since I've always loved 'American Muscle Cars' even though Vin Diesel almost ruined them with the Fast and Furious movies. 

"Oh! So you like those kinds of cars… Ok, I figured you want a Corvette or something more sports car," Dad says as he likes sports cars and has a Lamborghini for his joyride car. My Mom's tastes lie in BMWs, unfortunately, she is also like the stereotypical BMW driver. 

"We can make that happen. All you have to do is pass your driver's license test coming up," Dad says and I nod my head since that will be the easiest test I've ever taken. 

"Well thanks in advance," I say to him as he smiles nodding his head. 

We then continue to discuss our tastes in cars while arguing about what is better. Finally arriving at the church for the christening we see everyone else has started to show up too. I see Alex wearing a very beautiful white dress and walk over to her smiling at her. 

"You look amazingly beautiful," I say to her as she smiles and blushes. 

"Thanks, you look handsome too," Alex says as I smile at her.

"What's up broski?!" Phil says to me walking over to me and giving me his standard 'cool guy' high-five. 

"Hey Phil, I'm good, and you?" I say as I call him Phil at his request. 

"I'm good, you should ask Alex about me helping her," Phil says while smiling at Alex whose eye twitches in annoyance.

"Dad I alre–" Alex says before Phil sees my Dad and ignores her to go say hi to him. Like my Mom and Gloria being best friends, my Dad and Phil are best friends. 

"Ed! Little Olivia!" Phil says running over to them to say hello. Meanwhile, Alex looks even more annoyed at her Dad ignoring her now. 

"My parents are going to drive me insane!" Alex says while grumbling about the crap they put her through. 

"You mean even more insane," I say with a teasing smirk as Alex shoots me an annoyed glare. 

"You aren't wrong," Haley says walking by and entering the church. 

"Fuck both of you!" Alex says to us as we all walk inside the church. 

We then sit in Church, I have Alex on my one side and Haley on the other. While my Mom and Cam were chosen to be the Godparents. Gloria obviously chose my Mom, while Jay seemed to have chosen Cam surprisingly. I didn't think he considered Cam that close to him, then again Jay doesn't appear to have that many friends. Especially considering that he didn't appear to invite anyone outside his family here, except for mine and Gloria's family. 

As the ceremony was conducted the priest went about his beginning part of the christening, Haley whispered to me. 

"Alex and I talked the other day… I know what happened. All I am going to say is, she and I may not appear that close. But she is still my little sister and if you hurt her, I will cut you," Haley says to me taking me by surprise as I look over at her with a surprised look. 

"I'd never hurt her, but noted," I whisper back to her as Alex looks over to us with a confused face. 

"Uhm, your sister was asking about the other day," I whisper to Alex who gives me a confused look but shrugs it off. 

After the beginning was over, Jay seemed to want to give a speech before the actual christening. He went on about how his life changed for the better ever since meeting Gloria and now that he has another son. Jay then talks about how the birth of his new son is the best thing that ever happened to him.

'Damn! Jay your other son is right there!' I think to myself while looking over to Mitchell who seems upset at the statement. With Claire whispering something to him. 

Jay then tells about how he met Gloria in a diner while getting his car washed and waxed. He sent over a piece of pie, and Gloria came over to talk to him a few minutes later. But it turns out he originally sent the pie to her friend, who was in the bathroom and missed it. Gloria was the one who instead came forward to thank him and talk to him. Jay originally gave that pie to Sonia.

"That's a pretty funny twist of fate," Phil says as Jay nods his head agreeing with him. 

However, it seems Sonia, Gloria's sister doesn't take this twist of fate happily and attacks Gloria for stealing her life. Thankfully the priest was holding the baby as Sonia tackled Gloria who is now fighting her sister. We all watch this stunned at the change of events, before Cam and my Mom pull the two sisters apart. 

Sonia then demands to get out of Colombia and away from her mother. Gloria's mom seems very upset now hearing this and gasps. Sonia turns to Jay saying she would be there for Jay should anything happen to Gloria. Though from the sounds of it, it seems like she is going to kill Gloria. 

"Fine! Mom can live with us!" Gloria says though Jay immediately looks horrified because it seems Pilar hates him.

"Uhm! We should talk about this!" Jay says as he wants to deny Gloria's Mom from living with them. 

This whole fight then sparked the issues between Phil and his kids again, as they all began to voice their complaints about his way of 'fixing' their problems. A fight continues out at the pews between Phil and the kids, but Claire tells them to stop being so dramatic, calling for them a Wah-mbulance.

"We're in a house of GOD, dammit!" Jay says as everyone except my family is now fighting with one another. This makes everyone go quiet as the priest has just been standing there watching this with an awkward face. 

Jay tells Pilar off about her martyr act, given she's been keeping Sonia under her thumb. But he points out Pilar is doing so because she's afraid to go on with her life, and should go find happiness.

Jay then says Pilar could visit any time she wanted within reason, and Jay promises to help Sonia get her own place. He even offers to send Manny to visit Pilar...but he wouldn't be a priest because he likes girls. And now it is time for the christening. Cam and my Mom are godparents and thus had to declare that they reject Satan and all his works and empty promises. Jay finally agrees to call the baby Fulgencio Joseph Pritchett.