Delia's Heart (19 page)

Now, thanks to Sophia, like a balloon losing air, I sank back to the earth, where promises like beautiful bubbles floated by and then burst.

I hurried to bed and the sanctity of sleep, where I could escape from Fani, from Sophia, from Tía Isabela, and from Adan Bovio and see only my grandmother and hear only her voice.

But just before I got into bed, I saw the headlights of an approaching vehicle wash over my windows. I looked down and watched as Adan’s father got out and opened the door for Tía Isabela. He kissed her when she stepped out, and they held each other very closely. They looked like serious lovers already. A terrifying thought sizzled in my mind.

If I did something to ruin her pursuit of Adan’s father, she would see me as she saw my mother, once again ruining her plans for a loving relationship.

It was the emotional world in which she lived and from which she could never escape.

We were all in little traps, perhaps of our own making.

I
almost overslept and probably would have if it weren’t for Tía Isabela. She came bursting into my room, carrying a large shopping bag.

“Why are you still sleeping? You didn’t come home very late,” she cried angrily. “Get up, get up, get up!”

I ground the sleep out of my eyes and sat up.

“I know they didn’t serve you anything alcoholic at the restaurant. You’re underage, and if there’s one thing Adan Bovio has to avoid, it’s corrupting the morals of a minor, or at least being caught doing so. Well?”

“No, I was just—”

“Just get out of bed,” she said. “I want you to put this on today.”

I watched her dig into the bag and pull out what she called a sailing outfit. First, there was a beaded screen-print tank top. The print was of a small island with
palm trees. Then she pulled out a hooded light green jacket and a pair of light green elastic-waist pants with front pockets.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that green is Adan’s favorite color,” she remarked, and set the clothing on my bed. She pulled out a matching green sailing cap from the bag and reached in again to produce a pair of what she called women’s navigator shoes. “They’re made to walk on slippery decks. Well,” she said, “why are you still sitting there gaping at me?”

I got up quickly and headed for the bathroom.

“Get into these clothes, and come down for a light breakfast. We don’t want you getting seasick,” she called after me.

If I ever felt I had pressure on me to perform and make her happy before, I had twice as much now. I was surprised at how well the outfit she had bought fit me, including the shoes. When I went down to breakfast, I discovered she had already dictated to Señora Rosario what I would eat. It was to be merely one poached egg on a single slice of toast.

“No, no, no,” she said, coming into the dining room while I was eating. “Don’t pin your hair up like that. It makes you look too severe. I want it loose. Let it blow in the wind. Men like to see that.”

She didn’t wait for me to take out the pins. She went ahead and did it herself, fluffing my hair the way she wanted it to set.

“Has Sophia risen and eaten her breakfast already?” I asked. I didn’t think Tía Isabela had relented to let her be served in bed again.

“Sophia? She’s probably competing with you. I relented a little on her punishment and said she could go
out if she kept decent hours and behaved. We’re better off keeping her from being too idle around here. She’ll only get into more mischief by pouting. I know her too well.”

“What do you mean, she’s competing with me?”

“She went with Christian Taylor an hour or so ago, supposedly to a picnic up in the mountains in Idyll-wild. I can’t imagine her settling for a picnic. Frankly, I’m disappointed in Christian. I thought he had better taste.”

How could a mother speak so about her own daughter?

“I’m going to lend you this bag,” she continued, and showed me a green bag that looked as if it had been purchased to match my outfit. “You can carry your change of clothes in it. I just decided you should put on your new bathing suit now and wear it under your outfit.”

“Bathing suit?”

“I expect you’ll do some swimming, but even if you don’t, you’ll probably do some sunbathing with Adan.”

She took the bathing suit out of the bag to show me. It looked like something a stripper would wear. She glanced at her watch. “Hurry and finish. I’d like to see how you look in this.”

She stood over me to encourage me to gobble down my last two bites.

“Come into my room,” she ordered. “You don’t have to go back upstairs.”

I followed her out and down the corridor. She tossed the bathing suit at me and stood back.

“Well, put it on,” she ordered.

“It looks too tiny.”

“Nonsense. It’s very becoming. You have a great body, perfect for such a suit. There are literally thousands of girls your age who would kill to have your figure and be able to wear a suit like that. Put it on. We don’t have time for false modesty.”

“It is not false, Tía Isabela.”

“Whatever. Just put it on.”

I took off my new clothes and my bra and panties while she stood by waiting. Then I slipped into the abbreviated bottom and the small top. There was little left to imagine about my body, I thought.

“I had a figure just like yours once,” she said, admiring me. “I remember when my husband first saw me in a bathing suit like that. I knew from the look on his face that I had hooked him like a fish and would reel him in.”

She stuffed my bra and panties into the bag.

“I’ve put in a small makeup kit for you, tissues, and a new hairbrush. You have everything you need now. The restaurants you’re going to for lunch and dinner are not formal. They’re both beach restaurants. Because you’ve been so good these past few days and listened to what I tell you, I’ve bought you this,” she added, and handed me a small case. “Go on, open it. I want you to wear it today.”

I opened it and saw a beautiful watch with an emerald-green leather band.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

“Of course, it is. Now, have a good time, and don’t say or do anything to embarrass me.”

Señora Rosario came to the doorway. “Señor Bovio has called from the gate,” she said.

“Which Señor Bovio? Adan?”

“Yes, Mrs. Dallas.”

“Okay, Delia. Go on. Get dressed.”

I hurriedly did so.

“I won’t be home when you get back,” she told me as I put on my new outfit, “but we’ll have time to talk about your day tomorrow at breakfast. Late breakfast,” she added.

She handed me the bag and nodded. Adan was waiting in the entryway. He wore his own sailor outfit and cap and looked as if he belonged in a movie.

“Wow,” he said when he saw me. “Perfect. That’s a perfect outfit, and we have terrific weather today. The sea isn’t too bad at all.”

He opened the door quickly. I supposed I looked so nervous he was afraid I might change my mind. Instead, I smiled at him and hurried out. I couldn’t help feeling I was being swept along in a wind I couldn’t possibly resist. We were on our way.

“Did you enjoy last night?” he asked.

“Yes, very much. I like your friend.”

“Yeah, he’s great. Fani is fond of him as well.”

Since he had brought up her name, I thought I could speak about her. “Why does she not go out more?”

“You mean on dates?”

“Yes,
sí
.”

“Fani is a little too particular about the men she sees. Sometimes I think she’s asexual, not interested in men or in women.”

He laughed at the expression on my face.

“I’m just kidding, but she is too into herself to be in a relationship. She puts herself too high up. No one can reach her. Don’t worry,” he added quickly. “I’m
not speaking out of school. I have this same argument with her all the time.”

As we drove to the sea, he talked more about his youth, the times he and Fani had been together, once when their families even met in France.

“She’s probably the closest friend I ever had who happens to be a girl,” he said. Then he turned to me and smiled to add, “Until I met you.”

In my mind, I was imagining a boat perhaps a little bigger than a fishing boat, but when we parked and Adan nodded at his boat, I was amazed.

“That’s it.”

“Where are the sails?” I asked.

“There are no sails. It’s a powerboat. My father bought it last year from a friend of his, and we actually have used it only a half-dozen times since.”

He grabbed his small bag, and we stepped out of the car.

A tall, thin man in a T-shirt and jeans stepped out onto the deck as we walked to the boat’s slip.

“Everything’s set for you, Mr. Bovio,” he said. “The kitchen’s stocked just as you requested. She’s gassed up and ready.”

“Thank you, Bill,” Adan said, and turned to me. “I was thinking last night and decided it would be stupid to get off the boat for lunch. We’ll dock and have our own lunch on the boat, okay?”

“Yes,” I said, still wide-eyed.

“Let’s tour the boat first,” he said, and the man he called Bill extended his hand to help me board. Then he nodded at Adan and got off.

“Thanks, Bill. See you later,” Adan told him.

He brought me first to the bridge to show me the
boat’s sophisticated electronics. We had to climb a short ladder. There were two brand-new-looking comfortable chairs in front of the panel in the up position. He explained it all, the radar, the sonar, all of it, but I heard very little. It wasn’t that it was too complicated for me as much as that I was still in awe.

Through a portal under the bridge, we entered a small living room with a television set, leather sofa and salon chairs, a small kitchen with modern appliances and a small dining table. There was a short stairway from the salon to the staterooms, where there were two queen-size berths and room for two more in bunks, bathrooms, a sitting area with a desk and two full bathrooms with showers. There was even a clothes washer and dryer.

“You could live on this boat,” I said, and he laughed.

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it from time to time. C’mon, let’s get started.”

We went back upstairs, and he got the engines going. He was very proud of the boat and couldn’t stop explaining and describing everything about it. Soon he realized he was going too quickly and too far over my head.

“Don’t worry about any of it,” he said, laughing again. “You’re here to enjoy the day, not buy the boat.”

“Buy the boat?” I couldn’t imagine anyone having enough money to do so.

He smiled and began to take us out to sea, moving slowly at first. I could see from the concentration in his eyes that when it came time to do what had to be done, he was very serious and precise. Then he
smiled a little impishly and sped up. We bounced over the waves so hard I screamed. But it was very exciting. After a while, he let me steer the boat and taught me some of the most basic things. I had no idea how much time had gone by, but when we were far enough out, he cut off the engines and said it was time for a cool drink. He lowered the anchor and we returned to the galley, where I saw the refrigerator had been stocked with far more food than we could eat.

“There’s cold lobster salad, shrimp salad, cold cuts, a Greek salad, breads, delicious desserts, and champagne if you want any. You ever had a mimosa?”

“Yes. I know what it is,” I said.

“Good. I’ll make you one. For today, I’ll be the waiter. You go up to the deck and make yourself comfortable. You have your bathing suit?”

“
Sí
,” I said, already blushing at the thought of stripping down to it.

“Perfect. It’s going to get hot. Even just dipping into the sea will be delightful.”

I went up to the deck. The boat bobbed in the ocean but not badly. He was right about how hot it felt with no clouds and the sunlight reflected off the surface of the ocean. Very self-consciously, I took off my outfit and spread one of the large terry towels on a chaise. There was even sunscreen set out for us. I rubbed it into my much-exposed body and lay back on the chaise. Except for the occasional sound of a tern or another motorized boat in the distance, it was peaceful. The movement of the boat quickly lulled me into a comfortable daze, bordering on sleep. I didn’t even realize Adan had come up with a tray carrying two
mimosas in champagne-style glasses and a platter of cheese, fruit, and crackers. When I opened my eyes, I saw him standing there gazing at me.

“Oh,” I said, sitting up.

“You are truly a beautiful girl, Delia. Woman, I should say.”

“
Gracias
, Adan.”

“Here, try one of these.”

He set the tray on a small table and organized a chaise for himself. I sipped the drink. It was refreshing and didn’t taste at all like anything alcoholic, but I knew it was, of course.

“It’s good?”

“Yes.”

“Nice drink for this time of the day.”

He took off his shirt and pants. His body was lean and tan.

“I was on the swimming team in college,” he explained before I could even think of complimenting him. “I’m still always training.”

“I’m not much of a swimmer. We swam in a small lake near the village sometimes, but not much more than that.”

“So, your village was inland?”

“
Sí
. The biggest industry is the soybean farms. My father was a manager on the biggest one.”

“And he and your mother were killed in an accident caused by a drunken driver.”

“Yes,” I said.

“I know you don’t like to talk about it. I don’t like to talk about my mother’s death, either. I’m sure they wouldn’t want us to dwell on it. They’d want us to be happy,” he said. “
No más
,” he added. He reached for
the sunscreen and began rubbing it into his body. “You put some of this on?”

“Yes.”

“Turn over, and I’ll put it on your back and the backs of your legs. It doesn’t take long to wish you had,” he added.

“
Gracias
,” I said. He rubbed in the lotion, taking his time. I felt his fingers over my upper thighs, moving all around my legs.

“We don’t want anything bad to happen to this skin,” he said. He even did my ankles.

I turned around, and he smiled and drank some of his mimosa.

“We need music,” he cried, and turned on the boat’s stereo system.

The radio went on immediately to a Mexican station, and he came out dancing. He beckoned for me to join him, and I did. In minutes, we were both laughing, drinking more mimosas, and eating some of the fruit and cheese. Every once in a while, another boat would draw near, and the driver would play his horn. Most of them had tunes instead of just a blaring noise. The people aboard would wave and scream. It seemed as if everyone on the ocean had been invited to the same party.

I didn’t know how much time went by. I didn’t think about it, but at one point, Adan decided it was too hot, and he dove into the sea. He beckoned for me to join him, to climb down the ladder and dip myself at least. I was afraid, but he called and called until I inched myself down the ladder and, still holding on to it, lowered myself into the ocean. He swam over to me, and we bobbed about. I was screaming half in
delight and half in fear when he kissed me and kept his arms around my waist.