mercedes

my grandmother died a few years ago. my grandfather started dating someone a few months after her death. a woman named maria. a immigrant from mexico with two sons, mercedes, and modesto. maria is 60, mercedes is around 40, modesto is 20, my grandpa just turned 80. my grandpa met maria through mercedes who would come up to his house to do work. now mercedes rents the basement. he calls my grandpa the old man. he calls my mom if grandpa is late getting home from his trip into town. I only hear one side of my mom's converstion with him.

"Well Dad left here around one, and he had to go pick up a prescription, so he should be there soon--yeah, around one--he'll be there soon mercedes--are you making a pizza--yeah--just put it on a pan--yeah take that paper off--put on a pan, bake around 450 degrees--450. okay--yeah dad will be back soon--okay, bye mercedes."

"He needed me to tell him how to make a take-n-bake pizza. Where is the old man? I'm trying to make a pizza." My mom says when she gets off the phone with him, putting on her best accent.

My aunt was skeptical about my grandpa dating a mexican.

"She's a mexican." My aunt said to my mom.
"You're a bigot." My mom said back to her.

I've only met mercedes once. He came over around last christmas after my grandpa was in the hospital. he was staying at our house while he recovered. mercedes didn't say much, except, "i take care of the old man. i care about the old man."