Shaking Up the House Read online

  “I like your scarf! Fancy!” Ingrid called.

  “Thanks for recommending it!” said the chief of staff, waving her hand back at Ingrid. The turquoise scarf was the only pop of color in Alice’s wardrobe of different shades of black.

  “I have more recommendations in my notebook!” Ingrid replied, taking her Book of Risas out of her parka pocket. But Alice was already gone.

  A couple of minutes later, Ingrid was still making notes in the book where she wrote her practice jokes when Mami and Winnie arrived. They looked so alike, from the dark shade of their skin to their stony expressions. Ingrid took after Papi, tall and lanky, with the same cowlick in the center of their heads, making their hair stick out in all directions.

  The horses’ hooves clackety-clacked on the pavers, and the smell of pine, combined with that of hay and horses, made Ingrid’s nose tickle.

  Ingrid covered her sneeze with her elbow and whispered, “You’re late.”

  Winnie sent her a Grinch-y look before going back to staring ahead. Ingrid followed her sister’s gaze across the North Lawn, the security barrier, the naked trees at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Jackson Place, kitty-corner from the White House’s entrance.

  All she could see was the remodeling vans parked in front of Blair House—the president’s guest house and Winnie’s hiding place when things became too much at the White House.

  “Were you at Blair’s?” Ingrid asked, hurt her sister hadn’t invited her to come along.

  Winnie scowled. “I can’t now, can I? Papi said it’s out of bounds forever!”

  Ingrid looked at their mom. “But it was supposed to be ready this week.”

  Mami sighed and scratched the back of her head like she always did when she was stressed. “There’re always complications in this kind of historical building. But this is horrible timing for another pipe to burst. We needed that house fully operational by tomorrow.”

  “At least this time it wasn’t your fault, Winnie,” Ingrid said. “Remember when you made popcorn and accidentally set the timer for eleven minutes instead of one minute and ten seconds, and the microwave had to be replaced and Blair House smelled like burned popcorn for months?”

  Winnie flinched. “Why did you remind me of that now when Mami just forgave me?”

  “Ay, Win, I said this water pipe destruction thing at least wasn’t your fault!” Ingrid muttered. “I was just trying to cheer you up.”

  “Stop it,” Winnie snarled. “It’s not working.”

  “Chicas,” Mami whispered in a warning tone while still smiling. “Please don’t start a fight in front of the press. What did Papi say?”

  “A better question is, where is Papi?” Ingrid replied.

  Mami sighed. “Something urgent came up,” she said. “He’ll meet us inside in a few minutes. Now smile, Winnie, please.”

  Ingrid saw that her sister was trying and failing to look happy, so she knew she had to compensate, even if Papi’s absence had put a damper on the whole thing.

  Luckily, the horses were here.

  “What’s that on your head, little pony?” she exclaimed, and darted toward the giant black Clydesdale horses pulling the carriage. She jumped, trying to touch the white feather, and when the horse dipped his head and bumped his nose on Ingrid’s forehead, everyone ran in her direction to make sure she was okay.

  “I’m fine!” she said. “I just got a little horse snot in my hair now, that’s all.”

  After a few more seconds of this clowning around, even Winnie was smiling.

  Being funny was a lot of effort, and Ingrid worked up a sweat trying to keep everyone around her happy. But at least the photo op was a success.

  Later, sealed inside the house, Ingrid didn’t have to worry about diverting the press attention from her sister’s bad vibes. Matías López was speaking.

  He had so many names. The world called him Mr. President. Ingrid and Winnie called him Papi. Mami called him Amor. The family called him Nene. (Even though he was in his late forties, he’d always be the baby to his parents and siblings.) The Secret Service had given him the code name Pioneer.

  For the first of many things, the name fit him perfectly. The first American-born citizen in his family, the first college graduate, and then the first Latino president of the whole country, he’d blazed the way for generations to come.

  Papi had certainly made his mark on history. He’d never be forgotten.

  Now he was talking about plans for the future as the whole press corps hung on his every word. “I know the girls are excited for this new chapter in our lives.” He looked at Winnie, whose eyes were glazed over like she was thousands of miles away in her mind, and continued, “Especially Susana. The other day she told me she can’t wait for her share of California sun.”

  “Susana?” Ingrid couldn’t help it. She blurted the question out loud enough for the whole room to hear. Susana was her dad’s older sister, Tía Suz. When he was ultra-exhausted, her dad always mixed up names. Good thing he had Ingrid in his corner. “Someone get this man a coffee!” she exclaimed, pointing at her dad.

  The whole room exploded in laughter, including her dad. Ingrid loved how the crinkles in the corners of his eyes transformed his face when he smiled. She got a glimpse of what a young Matías López had looked like when he arrived at the White House eight years ago with dreams of changing the world. Of course she couldn’t remember anything from that day. She’d been too little, but she’d seen pictures and video.

  Ah! She loved the way her dad smiled.

  “Good one, Parakeet,” Alice whispered next to her. Ingrid glared at Alice, who smiled, although the glare wasn’t a joke.

  Parakeet was the code name the Secret Service had given her when, even as a toddler, she wouldn’t stop chattering away. Abuelita Leti always said Ingrid had been born speaking both English and Spanish and a language only the family could understand, Ingridish.

  Ingrid had never minded her code name before, but since last year, she wished they’d thought of a different one. A friend at school had showed her caricatures people online made of Ingrid as a parrot. Even though she’d tried to follow Papi’s advice to brush the negative things off her shoulders, every time someone called her Parakeet, she felt an uncomfortable twinge.

  Next to her, Winnie sighed. Bad moods were certainly catching.

  As she did every time dark vibes threatened her family, Ingrid tried to diffuse them by making everyone laugh. Laughter was like magic. It could vaporize even the beginnings of a family storm.

  Before she could think things through, Ingrid elbowed her sister.

  “What?” Winnie asked, rubbing her arm. “What did you do that for?”

  Instead of replying, Ingrid stuck her tongue out at Winnie, whose face remained stony. “You’re so annoying.”

  “And you’re always so gloomy,” Ingrid whispered back. “You’ve been acting more like an Eeyore than a Winnie lately.”

  Winnie’s mouth twitched, like she was repressing a smile, but she turned back to look at the window.

  Ingrid gave up. In a way, she understood her sister. Ingrid couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to the people she’d learned to love as family. Nancy in the florist shop, Leo and Jennifer in the Calligraphy Office, Otto, the chocolatier. Thomas, and his office of ushers, each in charge of a different aspect of running the house: housekeeping, food and beverage, flowers, and events. The maids, carpenters, engineers, and yes, even the Secret Service agents. Like she’d told Sally earlier, she couldn’t imagine her life without all the people she’d seen every day at the house.

  After the move, life at the house would continue the same as always, but the López family wouldn’t be the First anymore.

  There was no getting away from hearing about the move, though. That was all the reporters talked about, as if they were ready to close this chapter on the López administration.

  Chantel, one of the reporters, asked, “Mr. President, tell us about the logistics of Inauguration Day. Your family moves out the same day President-Elect Williams’s family moves in. That’s a lot of moving parts.”

  There was a ripple of chuckles across the room, and Ingrid scoffed.

  “Shhh,” Mami said, placing a hand over hers.

  “That wasn’t even a good joke,” she complained. “Besides, Inauguration Day is weeks away! Why are—”

  Mami pressed Ingrid’s hand and leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Papi has a surprise. Listen.” She signaled with her puckered lips toward Ingrid’s dad, whose face was all lit up. He loved surprises.

  Ingrid sat on the edge of her seat to better hear his words.

  “Yes, like you said, there are so many moving parts. The wizards who make it happen seamlessly are already hard at work planning every detail,” Papi said in his casual president voice.

  Carlos Rojas, one of Ingrid’s favorite correspondents, asked, “Will your girls and President-Elect Williams’s daughters get to spend some time together before your family heads to California? They got to know each other during the campaign, right?”

  “Yes, the four of them are good friends,” the president said. “This is why I’m sure my announcement will be a great holiday present for my daughters.”

  Every eye turned toward Winnie and Ingrid.

  Winnie kept looking at the window like a trapped bird dreaming of flying away.

  But at the mention of presents and the Williams sisters, Ingrid jumped to her feet and clapped.

  “I love you, Zora and Skylar!” she exclaimed, blowing a kiss to one of the cameras.

  During the campaign, she and Winnie had totally clicked with Zora and Skylar Williams, twelve-year-old twins, identical in every way but their personalities. Maybe it was that the four girls understood each other like no one else ever could. After all, the First Kids Club was a very exclusive group that no one was really prepared to join. Ingrid couldn’t wait to welcome the Williams sisters to it.

  After another bout of laughter rippled through the room, the president continued talking. “It’s tradition for the president-elect and their family to move into Blair House after the election.”

  From the corner of her eye, Ingrid noticed that at the mention of Blair House, Winnie’s spine had stiffened, her attention fully on Papi’s next words.

  “But what about the remodeling going on at Blair House after the pipe burst?” one of the reporters asked, voicing Ingrid’s questions. “Is it finished?”

  The president’s eyes glinted. “The restoration of Blair House, like most restoration jobs, is taking a little longer than expected.” He glanced at Mami and grimaced almost imperceptibly.

  Mami shook her head and pressed her lips as if trying not to smile.

  “Beau Williams had mentioned he wanted the twins to be established in the area well before January 20,” Carlos continued. “Since Blair House is unavailable, will the future first family stay at a nearby hotel?”

  The president took a big breath and said, “Paloma and Mr. Williams have been communicating daily about this dilemma. As you know, Carlos, school resumes at the beginning of January, and moving into a new house while trying to keep up with school isn’t the best situation. So my wife and I had an idea. . . .”

  Mami pressed Ingrid’s hand. “Here it is. Listen.”

  “The holiday season is a time for traditions, family, hospitality, and friendship. The arrival of my family in the White House gave rise to a lot of new traditions. Some were received better than others . . . ,” he said, and a mixture of laughter and embarrassed looks passed through the room. “Considering we have more than one hundred and thirty rooms in this house, we’d like to extend our hospitality to the Williams family and share the house with them,” the president continued. “That is, until Inauguration Day, when my family moves out, and the Williamses officially move into the executive residence. I think it’s a wonderful plan.”

  A buzz went across the room.

  “Really, Mami?” Ingrid asked. “I’ve always wanted to be one of the official tour guides! I promise I’ll make sure Zora and Skylar are ready for the best years of their lives!”

  Mami laughed. “Shhh. He’s not done.”

  The president kept talking about the logistics of sharing the house with the Williamses, but Ingrid was too excited to pay attention to his words. She was already miles ahead, planning to show Zora and Skylar the Lincoln Bedroom, the Queens’ Bedroom, the chocolate replica of the White House, and all the nooks and crannies that no “Secrets of the White House” YouTube video included.

  Having two friends her age living at the home where she’d been so happy was a dream.

  3

  Winnie

  After the grand announcement and the obligatory photo op, Winnie ran up to the residence to grab her phone and text Skylar and Zora.

  Ingrid chased after her, climbing the stairs two at a time. “Wait for me, Win!”

  Winnie couldn’t contain herself, but when she took her phone from the cabinet in the kitchen, she paused for a second. She needed to catch her breath anyway.

  “What are you doing?” Ingrid asked.

  The kitchen and family area room were filling up with people.

  “What does it look like I’m doing? Why haven’t they texted me already?” Winnie said while she typed, I can’t believe it! We’re so excited!

  But the minutes passed, and the twins didn’t reply.

  “Maybe they got their phones taken away?” Ingrid said. “Remember what a hassle it was for us to finally get phones?”

  Winnie remembered, and she suppressed a shudder. Poor Zora and Skylar. Their lives were about to change drastically.

  “Chicas,” Mami called from the other side of the family room. “Please finish your homework for Monday, because tomorrow’s a big day.”

  An army of aides and attendants already milled around them, finishing the last-minute details before the big move.

  “Can we go to my room?” Winnie asked, but Ingrid was shaking her head. “I don’t want to go to your room, Win! This is too exciting!”

  “How are we supposed to do any homework here?” Winnie muttered.

  A young aide looked in their direction, and Winnie angled her body to talk to her sister without anyone eavesdropping.

  They had zero privacy, but through trial and error, Winnie and Ingrid had perfected their secret-sharing system. Not that they’d ever had anything super exciting to hide from the Secret Service and other White House staff, but it was annoying when rumors of their latest crushes spread around the staff.

  “I wonder why Mami and Papi wouldn’t tell us before announcing it to the whole world,” Winnie said, voicing the thought that had nagged at her since the press conference.

  “It was a surprise,” Ingrid said, scratching her head. “It makes sense. . . .”

  “Not really.” Winnie shrugged one shoulder. “I’d have liked a little more time to prepare a welcome for Sky and Zora.”

  “I know!” Ingrid replied. “Like those welcome practical jokes the staff plays on each other.”

  “Practical jokes?”

  Before she replied, Ingrid glanced up at Mami, who had a radar for detecting troublemaking. But why would she look at them with so much suspicion? This time they hadn’t even started planning trouble.

  But before Winnie could look guilty in advance, Mami’s phone rang.

  “No. Not satin,” she said. “Theresa’s assistant said she prefers one-hundred-percent pima cotton. Cream. Please make the room look and feel homier than a hotel.”

  Next to her, Alice gave instructions to the head housekeepers. “Make sure the girls’ favorite treats are all stocked: Nutella sticks and red grapes. Ah, one more thing. I know it will be hard, but do try not to call the twins by each other’s name. They’re identical, but Zora’s a little shy, and Skylar loves fashion. She usually wears a bow or another kind of cute hair accessory.”

  “Does President-Elect Williams prefer coffee or tea?” Nelson, the head butler, asked.

  Alice didn’t even check her clipboard to reply, “Coffee.” And then, answering the silent questions on his face, she added, “Colombian. French press. No sugar. A splash of half-and-half.”

  The woman was a human computer.

  But someone was missing from the crowd of staff. Winnie looked around, but Agent Sisco was nowhere to be seen.

  Before Winnie could ask her sister to expand on those practical jokes she’d been talking about, Ingrid leaned in closer and whispered, “The next few weeks are going to be epic. I’ll get to give them a tour and show them all over the house. The other day, Mami said that they’ll attend a different school from ours. Bummer, because wouldn’t it be fun to ride with them every day? But, oh well . . . I always wished there were more of us, you know? Siblings, I mean. Imagine all the fun we’ll have with them! Those few days in the campaign were a blast. Last week when I asked Papi about hanging out with the twins, he hinted at a surprise, but this beats anything I could’ve come up with. Picture this! If we . . .”

  Ingrid went on and on for minutes. Winnie let her sister run out of steam. She knew from experience that the best way—the only way—to get a word in when Ingrid was excited was just to let her talk. And that’s what she did. Typical Ingrid, wishing for more people, as if there weren’t enough people milling about them. All. Day. Long.

  Winnie’s gaze darted to the grown-ups. Everyone was 100 percent engaged in best-hosts-ever mode.

  “So the other day, when I was waiting for you to be done swimming laps in the pool, I overheard one of the clerks mention to one of the maids about a little tradition here at the house,” Ingrid said. At “tradition” her eyes glinted with excitement, bringing Winnie back to the present.

  Winnie wiggled her eyebrows. “Finally.”

  Ingrid continued, “You know the Williamses will bring their own staff and stuff to the house, right?”

  Winnie narrowed her eyes. “Not really . . . the staff will remain the same.”

  “The president will appoint new chiefs of departments, though.”