When Hunter first feels it, he pauses. It’s hard and doesn’t feel like it’s supposed to belong in the bread, but he looks around the table and everyone is eating their shares just fine.
He doesn’t say anything. He just keeps chewing. But no matter how hard he bites down on it, the piece of what feels like plastic, it doesn’t break. He doesn’t want to eat it nor does he want to spit it out. He doesn’t want Camila thinking that he doesn’t like the bread. He does, it’s just this one bit.
But it seems like Luz has caught on to his displeasure. She squints her eyes at him, as if she trying to figure out what’s wrong with him without having to ask. He tries to smile at her and act as if nothings wrong, but it comes out more like a grimace and Luz starts laughing. It gets everyone’s attention and Camila and Vee are both looking back and forth between him and Luz.
“Mija, what’s so funny?” Camila asks, a smile already tugging at her lips. She sets down her piece of bread and scoots closer towards Luz. “You should stop laughing before you start choking.”
But it’s too late. Luz’s laughter has already become a coughing fit. Vee laughs at her before going up behind her to slap her on the back. Camila shakes her head and gets up to get a glass of water. Luz coughs into her elbow before she’s moving her arms around to make everyone move away from her. She pushes her chair all the way back and leans forward, her hands holding onto the edge of the table. She’s looking down as her coughing fit begins to die down. She lets go of the table but stays hunched over, wheezing to herself.
Hunter’s face is warm with embarrassment. His discomfort isn’t that funny.
“What happened?” Vee asks. She sits back down and looks over at Hunter.
“He’s got a baby!” Luz finally exclaims. Her face is red as she gulps down the water Camila got her.
“Oh!” Vee smiles. She stands up and leans over the table, searching Hunter’s plate for the baby. She frowns when she doesn’t find it. “Where is it?”
Luz hums loudly to get Vee’s attention. Her mouth is full of water so she doesn’t speak, but she points at her mouth and then points at Hunter.
“Are you eating the baby?” Vee asks, biting her lip to stop herself from laughing.
“Mijo, you don’t eat the baby. You can spit it out,” Camila says. She grabs a napkin and hands it to Hunter, who takes it and immediately sticks his tongue out to it.
Out comes the plastic baby from his mouth and Luz and Vee immediately go “ew” and “gross” respectively. Camila reaches over and playfully smacks Luz on her arm.
“Luz! You said you told him that there was a chance he could get the baby!” Camila scolds, but there’s no real bite to it.
“I thought it would be funny if he got it and didn’t know what it was,” Luz says. “And it was!”
“Why is there a baby in the bread?” Hunter finally asks. He’s rolled up the napkin with the baby and sets it down on the table.
“It’s tradition,” Luz says, as if it explains everything. “You got the baby, which means that you have to make tamales for everyone on February second.”
“Yes, that is typically what it means, but don’t worry, you don’t have to make any,” Camila adds. She puts a hand on Hunter’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “You’re going to want to be careful. There’s usually three of them in the bread.”
Vee sighs loudly at this. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to find any more in there.”
She picks up a little plastic baby from her plate. “I got one in my first piece.” Then she picks up the uneaten slice on her plate with her other hand and flips it so everyone can see the bottom, where the feet of the baby can be barely seen sticking out. Luz gasps and Hunter can already tell that she’s about to have another laughing fit.
“Oh my—now we have to make tamales, mamá!”
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