There's some things you can't hide

 Gabe gave Rico a slap on the back when they met up at the sports bar for a burger. "Man, I was afraid you weren't going to make it."

It wasn't often that Gabe went out to eat, and it'd been three weeks since he'd seen his best friend, Rico, who had been down to Texas to see his mother and siblings.

"You and me both, bro," Rico sighed. They both got energy root beers and settled for some onion rings to start off the meal.

"That was crazy, all that flooding down there, and you guys actually were in it." Gabe stared at Rico as he couldn't believe what he'd been through.

"I don't know. It was crazy. One minute Mona's driving us in the rain and bam, water everywhere," Rico shrugged. "It was the first time I ever thought maybe we were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"You should be used to it. Remember when you woke up in a flood?" Gabe's smile was open, but he knew that wasn't a great experience for Rico either. 

"Oh, god," he sighed, remembering that time when he lived in the basement apartment and it flooded. "I can't believe what I said in all this with Mona." He nursed his bottom lip then as he cradled his bottle of chilled root beer.

"What?" Gabe winced.

"I told her, 'you're no Carmen.'"

"You said that? When?"

"Oh, it was while a hard rain was coming down and she stopped the car..and that's when suddenly we were in a sea of muddy water. I just couldn't stop thinking about Carmen. She would have known what to do. I mean, she saved me that time when it flooded."

"Was Mona mad?" Gabe wanted to know.

"Of course, she was."

Rico laughed then. "I did manage to get us out of the car, and we hung on to a tree for dear life." He sounded as if he was glad it was over. They ended up flying back.

"So did you actually get to see your Mom?"

"It was good. The kids are so grown-up now. She thinks I'm all grown up. She thinks Mona and I should get married."

"So are you two gonna get married?"

"Not yet." Rico shook his head no. About then, the burgers arrived. The mood was ready for thick juicy burgers and thick Man Fries.