Tres Leches

The younger children squealed when Marisol brought out the cake.

“It’s a lamb!” cried Anna.

“It’s just shaped like one,” said Marisol, setting it on the table. “I used a mold. The eyes are gumdrops, and the fleece is made of coconut.”

“What’s inside?” asked Luiz, the only boy at the party. “Guts?”

Marisol smiled. So like his father, brash. She wished he was here.

“No, Luiz. It’s cake. Tres Leches, your favorite.”

She cut it and served the slices on festive plates, stood back and watched them eat.

Her sister Carmen squeezed her arm. “We’ll hear from him soon.”

Friday Fictioneers

37 comments

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  1. granonine

    Brash like his father. I kind of like boys who are brash. And I like that this story is about his dad, who I’m guessing is deployed somewhere far away. Good one.

  2. Alicia Jamtaas

    Very timely piece. I love how you show how Luiz is just like his father then Take his father out of the picture ~ hopefully just for awhile. Nicely woven. (Thanks for the picture!)

  3. pennygadd51

    You’ve constructed that story beautifully, Josh, telling us just enough for us to see the bare bones of the backstory, while imagining the detail for ourselves. Word-craft raised to the level of art, I think.

  4. patriciaruthsusan

    Thanks for this picture that has led to so many good stories, J. Hardy. I liked this story. My mother had a lamb mold. So many families are split apart these days. —- Suzanne

  5. Prior...

    I could really feel the emptiness from the dad being MIA
    And clever idea to pivot from a lamb-shaped cake being served on festive plates

  6. 4963andypop

    Sad footnote to a happy day. Makes me imagine that Luiz’s father has left to find work (perhaps Northward, if this is in Mexico) or perhaps been deported South from the US. The fact that Luiz never calls Marisol “mom” makes me think she is caring for him while his dad is away. All supposition of course. But with such a rich snippet, i can see this story being expanded.

  7. bearmkwa

    Beautiful story. I half expected the cake to be stuffed with gummy bugs, worms, etc just to make the kid happy. Wouldn’t that have been a hoot! Laughing just picturing the look on his face!

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