Delia's Heart (22 page)

“What the hell is going on?” Tía Isabela cried, and charged into the house, through the living room to the French doors and out the back, almost before I had entered the house. Señora Rosario was standing off to the side, shaking her head.

“I kept them from taking any of Señora Dallas’s whiskey,” she told me, “but they brought their own and other things as well, I’m sure.”

“What’s going on?”

I went through the French doors to see.

Many of the boys and some of the girls had either been thrown into the pool with their clothes on or had jumped in themselves. Tía Isabela’s looming appearance silenced them. Someone turned off the music. Sophia, who was sprawled on the diving board, sat up in surprise and saw her mother. Everyone scurried to climb out of the pool. I saw Christian Taylor take off his shoes to empty the water out of them before putting them on again.

“I want every one of you off my property in five minutes or less,” Tía Isabela said, “or I will call the police. I know who you all are, and I will make sure that every parent is informed.”

They all stood staring.

“Get out!” she screamed, and they hurried to gather their things. “Don’t dare walk through my house. Go around to your cars.”

Sophia simply dropped herself from the diving board into the pool and swam to the other side. Christian Taylor helped her out and then moved quickly to follow the others, some of whom were still laughing.

“Thanks a lot for making me look like an idiot, Mother!” Sophia cried.

“You
are
an idiot, Sophia,” Tía Isabela said. “You are not to go anywhere but to school and back until further notice, maybe until you’re eighteen and out of my house. If you disobey me this time, I will ship you off in a straitjacket,” she added, glanced at me, and marched back into the house.

“You can have her for a mother if that’s what you want,” Sophia said, wobbling toward me.

“She is not my mother. She can never be my mother. She is your mother,” I said.

“Yeah, well, I’m giving her to you, whether you like it or not,” she said, slurring her words.

I watched her head toward the house, stumble, and then continue.

She’d be sorry in the morning, I thought, and followed her in. She didn’t get far. Tía Isabela was right at the French doors.

“Take off those wet clothes now. You don’t track in that water and ruin my rugs. Do it!”

Sophia wobbled and then began stripping off her clothes, smiling as she did so. She dropped everything at her feet. Totally naked, she walked to the stairway without any embarrassment, paused to smile back at us, and then went up.

“She has no shame,” Tía Isabela said sadly. She told Señora Rosario to get rid of Sophia’s clothing, and then she went to her own bedroom.

When I looked in on Sophia, she was still naked and lying on her stomach on her bed. I closed her door and went to my own room.

It was difficult to fall asleep. I truly felt as if I had been on a merry-go-round. Ending the night with this terrible scene at the
hacienda
only added to the confusion and excitement. My nerves buzzed like neon lights. Visions of my parents,
mi abuela
Anabela, Ignacio, my classmates in Mexico, all commingled with visions of the people I knew now. By the time I fell asleep, the morning sunlight was peeping over the horizon. I didn’t rise until the phone rang at midday. It was Adan. I told him to give me a chance to wake
up. He laughed and said he understood. I said nothing about Sophia’s wild pool party.

Sophia, probably suffering a hangover, never came out of her room all day. I saw Tía Isabela briefly after what was my breakfast. She told me she wouldn’t be home for dinner, but if Sophia ever came out, I was to tell her she would be home early enough to check up on her. I was supposed to warn her again that her mother’s patience had run out and she was prepared to send her to a special camp for impossible children. Fortunately, I didn’t see Sophia all day. If I was the one to give her such a message, I knew she would hate me more, if that was possible.

Since Sophia was so under the weather, I thought I had my best opportunity to visit Señora Davila. Adan called again and suggested we go for an early bite and a movie, but I thought that would put too much pressure on me to get back in time from the Davilas’ home. I told him what Tía Isabela and I had found going on at the
hacienda
when we had returned from the fund-raiser and how terrible the atmosphere was at the house.

“It feels as if a bomb is set to go off. I’m tiptoeing around,” I told him. “Because of the commotion, I didn’t get to bed until late and had trouble falling asleep.”

“I can imagine. She’s headed for big trouble,” he said, and then suggested we go to dinner. “You need to get out of there for a while, Delia.”

He promised it would be a quieter evening. I agreed to end the conversation and started out before Sophia came down. I had been hoping to find Santos at home and the opportunity to speak with him, but he was somewhere with his father.

Señora Davila was happy to see me and ecstatic that I was really going to Mexico and would see Ignacio.

“He has sent back this note, telling you where to meet him in your village. I would appreciate your giving him this,” she said, handing me a cross on a chain. In the center of the cross was a tiny diamond. “It was my grandmother’s, my mother’s, and mine. I want Ignacio to have it. I want him to have hope again,” she said.

I promised I would give it to him. She also gave me a letter she had written.

“Rather than send it the usual way, I’d like you to hand it to him personally. My husband is already nervous about sending your letters to him.”

“I understand.”

“I am not one for writing letters. My writing skills are poor, but there are things sometimes better said like this. Also, he can hold on to the letter, hold on to the words, and read them whenever he wants.”

“
Sí, señora
. I will hand it to him myself.”

“
Gracias
. Be careful yourself, Delia.”

She hugged me, and I left, wondering if I should say anything to her about Santos talking to Sophia. I thought it might add to her heavy worries, however, and decided not to speak of it. I couldn’t imagine Sophia coming here anymore, anyway, now that she was literally under house arrest.

She had still not emerged from her room when I returned. The door remained shut, and I didn’t bother to check on her. Instead, I hurried to shower, do my hair, and dress for my dinner with Adan. Tía Isabela called from wherever she was to ask me what Adan and I were doing. She sounded worried that I
would have somehow not agreed to go out with him.

“It’s an exciting time for both of us,” she told me. The way she had included me in her happiness surprised me but also disturbed me. It was almost as if Sophia had died and I had truly taken her place.

Despite my fear that I would be terrible company and ruin the evening for Adan as well, I soon found myself relaxing. He was very upbeat, perhaps to overcome my dark mood. He talked optimistically about the future, his business, his father’s election, parties we would attend, more trips with his boat, describing days and weeks of future activities as if we were already engaged or even married.

“Soon you’ll graduate from high school and be out of that house and away from all the tension and trouble,” he said.

We had gone to a fancy French restaurant, and I had permitted him to order for both of us. He surprised me with his command of French and his knowledge of the menu, the sauces, and even the preparation of the dishes. Once again, he reminded me of his travels in Europe, and I realized how wide the gap between us really was. Despite all that Tía Isabela had done to prepare me for this high social life and despite the progress I had made with my education, I was still a stranger in a strange land. Adan didn’t seem to care about it, however. In fact, he enjoyed being my teacher, telling me about things I had never seen.

“I want to do all these things over, go to all these places again with you,” he told me.

“How can you be so certain about us, about me, Adan?” I asked him before we had finished our dinner.
I had waited as long as I could to ask. “After all, we have not known each other that long.”

He smiled, thought a moment, and said, “Because of the way you make me feel, the way I feel when I’m with you, and I don’t mean just having a beautiful young woman on my arm. Some men wear their women like another piece of jewelry, but for me, being with you…is different.”

“How is it different?” I pursued. I wanted to know what it was he felt so strongly.

He smiled again. “I like that,” he said. “I like that you’re making me dig deeply into myself to answer.”

“And what is the answer, Adan?”

He thought before speaking, just as before. “You make me aware of what it means to have family,” he said. “I haven’t felt this way since my mother died, even though my father tries the best he can.”

He couldn’t have said anything that would have endeared me to him more, but he couldn’t have said anything that would have given me more pause, either.

Family was what Ignacio had lost and what I had hoped to bring back to him.

Family was what I had lost and what I had hoped to regain myself when I was with Ignacio.

In the end, the rich and the poor want the same things after all, I thought. We are all desperate for the same real love, the same sense of belonging, the same comfort that came with loyalty and devotion. Money couldn’t buy it, and it was not something luck brought. You had to have an honest heart that you were willing to open to someone else, someone you would trust with your very soul.

He reached for my hand.

“Adan,” I began.

“No, no, don’t apologize. I’m glad you made us have this serious conversation, Delia,” he said. “When you return from Mexico, I want to continue it.”

My heart began to pound. I had not told him that
mi tía
Isabela had forbidden the trip. Apparently, she had not told him, either, or even mentioned it to his father.

I smiled. Maybe it was deceitful giving him such hope, giving such hope to myself, in fact, but I was too much of a coward to do or say anything that would change it. I held his hand as tightly as he held mine.

But the back of my neck felt hot. Behind me, in the shadows, the evil eye was surely beginning to open.

S
choolwork, studying for exams before our vacation break, kept me busy during the following ten days. Adan was busier as well, because his father’s campaign had picked up its pace. He traveled with his father all over the state and at the same time had to look after their business concerns. Edward and Jesse visited once more and again went into detail about our trip, which was now our secret escape. Sophia hovered about like some buzzard waiting for something, some mistake, some opening that would give her an opportunity to pounce on any of us, but we were all very careful. Tía Isabela’s rage the night of Sophia’s wild swimming party didn’t diminish all that much as time went by. She still refused to permit her any privileges and kept her from seeing her friends after school and on weekends. It made her more sour and bitchy, but Tía Isabela seemed determined this
time to break her spirit. She kept reminding her of the alternative.

“Disobey me once more, Sophia, and you’re gone. I’m not kidding. Preliminary arrangements are all in place. You know I have friends high up in the judicial system who will take you in hand.”

Sophia was quite aware of what had happened to that boy, Philip Deutch. He was something of what they called an urban legend at our school, used by more than one parent from time to time to threaten a child. It was as if they said the wicked witch would get them. He loomed out there, embodying a punishment so severe it actually gave some of the students nightmares, including, I imagine, Sophia. Tía Isabela reminded her that she had already been in juvenile court. She had a record, so to speak, and was a prime candidate for more severe punishments.

She cowered and backed away but, like some rat in the corner, waited patiently for her opportunity. During the ten days, she wasn’t nasty to me, but her friendliness and at times overly sweet manner only put me on my guard even more. Fani was always there as well, chanting, reminding, warning.

Because I had said nothing more about Mexico, Tía Isabela dropped the subject, too. Edward and Jesse did a fine job of making it seem we all had moved off the idea. When they were home, they talked about college activities, their classes and plans for other trips. I thought Edward was being more pleasant to his mother than I had ever seen him while he winked at me behind her back. It all made me feel more deceitful, but I saw no other choice. Señora Davila’s cross and letter remained close to my heart. I dreamed of handing them
both to Ignacio and finally seeing him again. Every night, I read his note describing the cantina where we would meet. I memorized every letter in every word, even the way he formed them with the curves in his S’s and the slightly tilted crosses in the T’s.

I was actually trembling the day school broke for the holidays. Everyone was excited about his or her time off. Most were going places with their families. Tía Isabela never once mentioned such an idea. She was even more involved now with Señor Bovio’s political campaign and attended a number of functions with him. She planned to attend many more. Adan still believed that I was off to Mexico with my cousins for a trip my aunt had sanctioned. He didn’t suggest any dates or dinners during the holidays. It seemed to me that he was so overwhelmed with new responsibilities he was grateful I would be on a holiday anyway.

Fortunately, Tía Isabela was so distracted preparing for a cocktail party that she didn’t notice just how nervous I was. Sophia looked at me suspiciously at dinner when I had trouble eating. I told her I was just not feeling well because I had gotten my period. She accepted that excuse readily. Whenever Sophia had hers, she acted as if the world were coming to an end. She moaned and groaned about her cramps and made all the servants miserable. Tía Isabela hated hearing about it.

After dinner, I packed a small satchel with what I considered essential. The plan was for me to sneak out at three
A.M.
and walk down to the road, where Edward and Jesse would be waiting. We would then drive off to the airport in San Diego, where they had booked a nonstop flight to Mexico City. They had reserved a
rental car, and Jesse had the route all worked out. We would be in my village well before nightfall and check into the small hotel.

As if she could sense that something was happening, Sophia barged in on me twice. Fortunately, both times I was lying on my bed. I didn’t have the headache and cramps I had described to her, but I was so tense I felt better just lying still until the hour to leave had come. My appearance bored and disappointed her.

“Are Edward and Jesse coming down to spend time at home, at least?” she asked me.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “I think they’re going away with friends on a trip.”

She smirked skeptically. “My mother doesn’t know anything about any trip.”

“Maybe she does and just hasn’t said so,” I remarked as casually as I could. “Maybe she doesn’t think it’s any of your business or mine.”

“I don’t believe you,” she finally concluded. “You’ve become too good at lying.”

I looked at her and shook my head. She left, and when she returned a second time, I pretended I was fast asleep, but she kept her bedroom door wide open, and I had no doubt she was waiting and watching my door all night. My hope was that she would get bored and distracted and fall asleep herself. At ten to three in the morning, I opened my door just enough to slip through. Crawling, I moved as softly and silently as I could. Sophia still had a light on, but I could also see the blinking images from her television set bouncing off the walls. I was grateful for the soft carpeting on the stairway. Barefoot, my feet whispered me down and to the front door. I didn’t open it until I was certain
there was no one nearby. Then I opened it as slightly as I had my bedroom door and seemingly glided on a shelf of air into the night.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought I would faint and be discovered at the entrance in the morning. Keeping myself as much as possible in the shadows, I made my way down the driveway. When I reached the gate, Edward triggered it with the clicker in his automobile, and it swung open. Jesse held the rear door open for me, and without a word, I got in. In fact, none of us spoke until we were well away from Tía Isabela’s property.

“Anyone suspicious?” Edward asked.

“Sophia was. She kept asking questions. She asked about you two, as well.”

“Figures. Being a sneaky person herself, she has a nose for anything sneaky,” Edward said. “But you feel sure no one saw you leave?”

“Yes, I feel sure.”

“Good. We’re on our way, then,” he said. “We’ve got the first flight out. By the time they realize you’re gone, we’ll be halfway to Mexico City.”

“Tía Isabela will hate me,” I said.

“And how,” Jesse added.

Edward nodded. “She’ll be angry for a while, but, as I told you, my mother doesn’t like airing her dirty linen in public, especially now. She’ll rant and rave and then just forget it. She’ll try to make you feel sorry for her having to put up with two reckless teenage girls. Believe me, she’ll be working at being the victim here.”

“Nevertheless, don’t sugarcoat it, Edward. Isabela Dallas is not exactly going to treat any of us with kid gloves,” Jesse said.

“It will all be bluster,” Edward insisted, giving Jesse a look of reprimand. “Don’t worry about it, Delia. Just enjoy the trip, and start thinking of all the places and things you want to show us. For now, lie back and get some sleep.”

“
Sí
,” I said, and sprawled out on the rear seat. I closed my eyes, not realizing just how exhausted I was from the tension. In moments, I was asleep. I woke up when I heard Jesse say we were approaching the airport parking lot.

“From here we’ll take the shuttle bus,” he told me when I sat up, grinding sleep out of my eyes.

After we parked and while we were waiting for the shuttle bus, I felt as if we had become three shadows. They were tired themselves. None of us said much. Finally, the bus arrived, and we rode to the terminal. Edward gave me my airline ticket, and we went through the process of checking in for our flight. We didn’t have to wait too long before boarding, but I almost fell asleep again in the chair by the gate.

When we entered the plane and took our seats, I felt a new cold rush of fear wash over me. We were really going. There was no turning back now. Edward squeezed my hand gently to reassure me. I didn’t imagine I was doing a good job of hiding my anxiety. I kept looking at the airplane door, expecting policemen to come charging aboard at any moment to take the three of us off in handcuffs. But the door was closed, and the pilot addressed the passengers. We felt the plane move back out of its docking, and moments later we were rolling along, heading for takeoff. I gripped the armrests and closed my eyes as the plane lifted. I tried to concentrate on images of Ignacio.

“Take another short nap,” Edward whispered. He closed his eyes himself. Jesse was already asleep. I nodded and did exactly that.

I slept until the flight attendant announced that we were preparing for our descent to the airport in Mexico City. There was just enough time for me to go to the washroom and soak my face in cold water. I returned to my seat and saw the excitement on both Edward’s and Jesse’s faces.

“Welcome to Mexico,” Edward kidded when the wheels of the plane touched down.

We hurried off the plane when the doors were opened. Like me, they had brought only carry-ons, so we didn’t have to go to the baggage carousels. We went directly to the rental-car desk, where Edward and Jesse finished the paperwork. Another shuttle bus took us to the lot, and we found our car. They had rented a nice-size SUV.

It was somewhat hazy when we set out from the airport, but as we went west, the sky cleared. Seeing the
campesinos
walking along to their work on the larger farms, the women and children walking along, some with donkeys, some pulling little wagons filled with vegetables to sell in the markets, passing cantinas, open markets, and villages with squares built in front of their churches, just as in my village, drew me back through time until I felt as if I had never left. It took only minutes to remind me how much I loved my country and, despite its hardships, my life with my family in our poor village. I couldn’t look at everything enough, and looking at it all quickly brought tears to my eyes.

Jesse and Edward were full of questions about everything.

“What exactly is a
campesino
?” Jesse asked.

“Rural people who have a little land but not enough to provide for themselves and their families. They have to work on the bigger farms, but they still take pride in what they own,” I quickly added, “even though people back in the U.S. would laugh at what they own.”

“I guess owning a car is a big thing out here,” Edward noted.

“They don’t go very far from their work and their
casas
. In the village, they find their entertainment, their religion, their schools.”

Little children waved at us as we drove by, and Jesse waved back.

“They act surprised at seeing us. This isn’t exactly tourist territory, is it?” Edward asked.

“No. You will not find English spoken at all in some places.”

“I never fully appreciated the enormous changes you’ve had in your life until now,” he said.

“
Sí
,” I said, unable not to sound sad.

“You’ve done very well, Delia,” Jesse immediately told me. “You should be proud of yourself.”

I smiled at him and said, “
Gracias
.”

Everyone was hungry, so we stopped at a roadside cantina and had some soft tacos and beans. They both drank bottles of Mexican beer, and then we continued on. The going became slower as the roads narrowed and turned into broken macadam, gravel, and just dirt in places. Edward was glad they had decided to rent an SUV and not some fancy automobile. The newer road construction was uneven. At times, we would ride for miles on good roads and then turn onto the older, broken ones.

Finally, I began to recognize the area just outside my village. I sat up with renewed energy and excitement. I was truly coming home, and even though neither my parents nor
mi abuela
Anabela were alive, I looked forward to going to our
casa
and walking the same streets. Of course, I would get to the cemetery as soon as possible.

“Is this it?” Edward asked as we approached.

“
Sí. Es todo
. This is all of it,” I said, smiling.

Jesse turned to me. “Funny how you went right to Spanish,” he said. “You really have come home.”

“
Sí
, Jesse.
Estoy en casa otra vez
. I am home again.”

I told them where the Hotel Los Jardines Hermosos was located. As we approached it, we passed by Señora Rubio’s
menudo
shop, and I smiled at the realization that I had almost ended up there married to her son. Ignacio had saved me, and now I was returning in hopes of saving him.

“This is our town square,” I said the moment we reached it. “At night, there is music and food. You’ll see tonight. That’s our church.”

“I think we can see that,” Jesse said, laughing.

“Don’t tease her,” Edward said, then winked and added, “too much.”

They both laughed at me.

“I want to see the house in which my mother lived. I brought a camera for that,” Edward said. “I plan on blowing the picture up into a poster and putting it on the wall in the living room.”

“She’d kill you,” Jesse said. Edward gave him an impish smile.

When they saw what was the hotel, they laughed again.

“And you called ahead and made a reservation,” Edward reminded him.

“Stop, please, Edward!” I cried.

“What?” he asked, stopping.

“These two women looking at us. They are the Paz sisters, friends of
mi abuela
Anabela.”

I lowered the window and waved to them. They stared confused for a moment and then both simultaneously brought their hands to their hearts.

“Delia?” Señora Paz said, walking slowly toward us.

“
Sí, cómo está,
Señora Paz?”