Making Enchiladas

We set up an assembly line. I heat the tortillas in manteca after Crystal dips them in chile ancho and drains them. Niles carries full plates of hot tortillas to his father, who rolls them around spoonfuls of filling. When we’ve finished the hot, greasy work, I pour the last of the sauce over neat rows of stuffed tortillas, sprinkle them with cheese, clean the stove and counters. The kids help their father rinse plates and pans. They don’t know this is the last time. The cheese melts. Crystal dances to “No More Lonely Nights” on the radio. Niles and his dad joke and wrestle. After grace, we sit before steaming plates. The kids stuff their mouths, insult each other, and laugh. We can’t avoid their eyes forever. Their father and I stare at each other across the table.