by Price, Sarah
Amanda raised her eyebrows, surprised at Alecia’s candor. From where she stood, Alejandro looked perfectly handsome. And while she agreed with the former statement, she certainly disagreed with the latter. At some point he had managed to change into white slacks and a black shirt, the perfect image of a host for a Sunday gathering. And she knew he was well rested.
“¡Ay, Mami!” He rolled his head to the side, lifting his eyes toward the ceiling. “Not today. I beg of you. Just for once, let’s not start.”
Ignoring him, Alecia gestured toward Amanda. “And don’t you feed your wife? She should be gaining weight, not losing it.”
He groaned, lifted his hand, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Look at her! ¡Muy flaca!” The look on Alecia’s face showed her disappointment. Given her previous comment, Amanda could only assume that she had expected to see her daughter-in-law showing signs of pregnancy. Since she had only one son, it was understandable that she hoped for a grandchild right away.
This time, Alejandro openly rolled his eyes as he came to Amanda’s defense. “She’s not too thin.” The exasperation in his voice and the way he leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, surprised Amanda. Her confident Alejandro always demonstrated such self-control, yet in the company of his mother, he deconstructed almost immediately. “Why do you have to be like that, Mami? It’s a beautiful day, and we have just returned home. Can’t we at least pretend to like each other for one day?”
“Don’t get fresh with your mama!” Alecia snapped. After sending him a searing look, she stepped away from him and, to Amanda’s surprise, walked toward her. “Ven conmiga, mi hija,” Alecia said, taking hold of Amanda’s arm. “Let’s find you some food before you blow away in the breeze.” She clicked her tongue once again and mumbled under her breath about how a happy wife had much more to her than just bones and muscle.
Over her shoulder, Amanda caught Alejandro’s eye as she was escorted out of the room, her arm tucked into the crook of Alecia’s. Gazing at the ocean, she took a deep breath. The sun lingering over the horizon and the drained feeling in her body told her she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.
Outside, the younger guests had already made themselves comfortable on the terrace. Alejandro greeted them, the men receiving warm hugs while each of the women was welcomed with a kiss on the right cheek. The older women sat around the table, watching the others as they talked to one another while standing near the cabana house. Amanda quickly learned that the two women she recognized were Alejandro’s aunts. Their English was not as strong as Alecia’s, so they spoke in Spanish, occasionally directing a question toward her for Alecia to translate.
For the first time, Amanda didn’t mind when Alejandro’s guests spoke in Spanish, engaging themselves in private conversations that excluded her. She much preferred that to having to speak with them, for they made her nervous with their inquisitive stares and intrusive questions about her and Alejandro.
But Alecia stayed by her side, insisting that Amanda sit next to her. When the food was brought out by a woman hired to help Señora Perez, Alecia instructed her to bring a plate of food to her daughter-in-law. The attention embarrassed Amanda, and she sank lower in her seat when she realized that Alecia was making her the center of attention.
“Cuban men like healthy woman, sí?” Alecia said, poking at Amanda’s waist and backside. “You must have been working too hard, sí? Helping with farmwork.” She shook her head, clearly disapproving. “I told mi hijo that he should have gone with you. If you were to help your father with the work, then he should have postponed his concerts and trips to California. While work always comes first with him, it’s often his work and not anyone else’s, no?”
Amanda didn’t know how to respond, so she took a bite of the pulled pork. The gesture pleased her mother-in-law, who reached over and patted her arm. “I taught Señora Perez my own recipe for that one. See if you like it, Amanda.”
Indeed, it was delicious and she said as much.
Leaning over, Alecia whispered, “The secret is to boil it for three hours before you put it in the oven for the same amount of time. I season with beef stock and Goya seasoning. But the other ingredient that I use . . .” She glanced around to ensure no one else could overhear. “A rub mix with Indian coffee grounds and smoked cinnamon.”
“Oh my! I’ve never heard of such a combination!”
“¡Mira, Alejandro!” Alecia said, pointing to Amanda as her son walked over with his cousins to join them. “That’s what we need. A good appetite means a healthy mamacita.”
“Mami!” He gave Alecia a pleading look and pulled out the chair next to Amanda, pausing as he sat to whisper “I’m sorry” into her ear. For some reason, listening to Alejandro stand up to his mother’s belittling and faultfinding made her want to smile, but she managed to bite her lip and focus on her plate. The last thing she wanted was to destroy any advantage she had with Alecia, because it was clear that her mother-in-law favored her over her own son.
“Alejandro,” one of the other women called out. “Tell us about the new tour.”
“Just about five weeks in South America, starting with Colombia,” he said.
One of his cousins leaned forward as he asked, “Hitting Brazil? I’m happy to fly down to do security detail.”
Alejandro laughed. “I know what kind of bodies you want to guard. Not on my tour, mi amigo.”
The rest of the group laughed along with him, and his cousin threw his napkin across the table at Alejandro.
“Amanda,” Alecia said. “You must be excited, no? I imagine you have never gone to another country, never mind a different hemisphere.”
“Nee, I have not.”
She glanced around at the people who had quieted down and were now staring at her. Her new family seemed as curious about her as she was about them. Many of them had come from Cuba seeking a new life in the United States. A few of the younger ones, cousins who were in their early twenties, had been born in Miami but still grew up with the Cuban culture at the core of their upbringing. She realized that in many ways they were just like her, having grown up among the Englische but not truly being a part of their world.
Only Alejandro had broken through and made such a success out of straddling the two cultures.
“This is a big trip, sí?” one of the aunts said.
Amanda nodded. “Growing up, the farthest I ever traveled was the neighboring church district. But last year, my parents sent my sister and me to Ohio.” She paused, remembering how she hadn’t wanted to go on the trip. She had wanted to stay home, to help her father. But her father had insisted, claiming that leaving Lancaster for a while would help her sister overcome her depression. “That was a big trip for me then.”
“What is in Ohio?”
Amanda glanced down the table at the cousin who’d asked the question. “Oh, we have family there. They have such beautiful farms, tucked into the countryside with rolling hills. And where we stayed, there weren’t so many tourists to invade our privacy. My sister didn’t want to leave, it was so different from Pennsylvania.”
“And you?” Alecia asked.
“Oh, it was pleasant enough,” Amanda admitted. “But I liked being home with my parents. My sister, Anna, stayed behind and I left on my own to come home.” She looked over at Alejandro and saw that he was listening to her, a bemused expression on his face. “Why, if I hadn’t returned home when I did or if my sister hadn’t stayed in Ohio when I left, I wouldn’t have met Alejandro.”
Amanda glanced around the table, realizing how silent it had become. Alejandro’s family listened to her with a mixture of reverence and curiosity. Underneath the table, she felt Alejandro reach for her hand and gently squeeze it. “To think that my brother’s death was the catalyst for all this.”
“How so, mi hija?” Alecia asked.
“So many sad things occu
rred as a result of my younger brother’s death,” Amanda said, choosing her words carefully. “But each one brought me one step closer to following God’s chosen path for me. In the book of Proverbs, it says There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. No matter what my heart had planned for my future, a future that most definitely did not include either leaving my family in Lancaster or traveling to foreign countries, God had a different plan for me.”
Several heads nodded, and despite feeling self-conscious under the attention, Amanda took that as encouragement to continue. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child.” She gave a soft smile to Alejandro as she quoted the Scripture. “I suppose we are all children in the eyes of the Lord. But when God points us in the direction of his plan and we accept it, we morph and transform like the caterpillar emerging after living so long in its cocoon. No matter what that butterfly does, it cannot return to the cocoon nor can it go back to being a caterpillar.” She felt Alejandro squeeze her hand under the table. “I believe that when we follow God’s will without question, that is the day when we truly become an adult in his eyes and, at that point, there is no turning back.”
Alecia remained silent for a long-drawn-out moment. Amanda couldn’t help but wonder if she had said something to offend her. But then Alecia reached out and lifted up her wineglass: “To Amanda. To mi hija,” she said, her loud voice booming across the table. “A true butterfly if ever I saw one.”
The rest of the table cheered and lifted their glasses in the air. The embarrassment of being the center of attention brought color to her cheeks, but from under the table, Amanda felt Alejandro caressing her skin with his thumb. She glanced at him and saw the pride glowing in his eyes.
Pride, she pondered. Why is it such a sin? Whether or not it truly was, she knew that she relished the expression of gratification that Alejandro now wore. She sensed that he did not often have such moments in the presence of his mother. For whatever reason, a rift had formed, and Amanda understood that for it to be healed, she would need to serve as the bridge between mother and son. She tried to avoid feeling honored at being chosen by Alejandro—or, rather, she tried to let God take the lead in creating that connection between the two of them. But when she turned back to scan the faces at the table that looked at her, Amanda couldn’t deny that she did feel that way.
If this is God’s plan, she thought, I am happy to follow as he desires. She had been but a child in New York City on the day when she crossed that street, so eager to see and understand the ways of the world. She knew now that God had placed her on that street corner, where she’d been so unfamiliar with traffic lights, and guided her into the path of Alejandro’s car. It was as if God had whispered in her ear: “Time to become a woman.”
When she’d awakened in the hospital and Alejandro had entered her room, she had slowly started to fulfill God’s plan. Despite the physical pain, the spiritual questioning, and, ultimately, the emotional stress—all of which had left Amanda reflecting on her faith and his will—she finally felt comfortable with the decisions she had made. God wanted her in Alejandro’s life for reasons perhaps still unknown. But there was one thing of which Amanda was quite certain: she was where God wanted her to be.
Chapter Four
The reflection from the sun against the pool blinded Amanda as she stretched out on the chaise longue, halfway in the shade of the cabana. The air wasn’t hot, just warm enough for her to enjoy the sunshine. An occasional cooler breeze that carried the salty scent of the ocean provided additional relief from the sun. With her eyes closed and one arm tossed over her head, both arms resting on the lounge chair’s cushion, Amanda soaked up the warmth as she listened to the soft music streaming through the outdoor speakers hidden in the landscaping.
She pondered relaxation. An odd concept for a woman who grew up on an Amish farm tucked into the back roads of Lancaster County. Farm life did not lend itself to solitary moments of relaxation spent enjoying the sun, music, and inner reflection.
But she definitely needed this after the previous evening.
The impact of her comments at the table had shifted the energy for the rest of the night. Not only had Alecia been listening, and really hearing what was said, her bullish attitude toward Alejandro had also quickly dissipated, Amanda’s words having sparked in her a new appreciation for her son. Amanda knew that Alejandro was pleased; for he, too, seemed more relaxed in the presence of his mother. Amanda’s words that spoke of godly love had transformed the atmosphere of the gathering. The rest of the family members had looked at her with a new kind of respect, and she suspected that they no longer viewed her as just another one of Viper’s women but as Alejandro’s true wife. She could stand on her own two feet and speak in a manner that showed respect for God and an understanding of his plan.
It certainly had given the people something to think about, that was for sure and certain.
The tension had eased and the rest of the evening had progressed smoothly. There had been no more separation of the younger cousins from the older women. Instead, everyone remained at the table, talking and laughing. Alejandro, however, surprised her the most. He seemed to unwind and loosen up, telling stories from the recent trips that he and Amanda had taken. When he spoke, the rest of the people at the table listened, enthralled with his tales of fans and interviews, video shoots, and music recordings.
There hadn’t been much time for Amanda to reflect further on what she had said about Aaron. Now, alone by the pool, she had only her thoughts to keep her company. And those centered on the realization that one event, the tragic death of her younger brother almost four years before, spoke of God’s love for his children.
At the time, Amanda had thought Aaron’s death would ruin her family. Instead, his death had actually saved them.
She sighed and shut her eyes, letting the sun warm her skin as she wondered when she had last thought of Aaron before the previous evening. She used to think about him on a daily basis, the guilt of his death still hanging over her head, for she knew she never should have left him unattended while he cared for that horse. There had also been her sister Anna’s depression, which had ruined Anna’s chances of marrying Menno. Amanda tried not to tear up as she remembered all of the sorrow and hardship that Aaron’s death had caused her family.
Yet, what no one had realized at the time was that his death was part of God’s greater plan, a plan that Amanda certainly could not have predicted. It made her wonder what God had planned for her own future, especially as it related to Alejandro’s upcoming tour in South America and then in Europe. While she felt nervous about so much travel, she knew that, as long as she was with Alejandro, she was doing what God wanted. A husband needed the support of his wife, and she was only too happy to give it.
“Ah, there’s my Princesa,” Alejandro exclaimed happily as he strolled outside, a mug of hot coffee in his hand. Amanda took in the sight of his black shirt and cream linen pants, a perfect crease down the front of each leg; Alejandro was clearly dressed for the day.
She greeted him with a smile, her heart overcome with love at the sight of him. Since Christmas, she’d enjoyed every minute of his affection and attention, and the two of them had more than made up for time and trust lost to the emotional upheaval that his former manager, Mike, had caused.
“Gut mariye!” she said, her voice playfully exaggerating her Pennsylvania Dutch accent.
Alejandro laughed as he leaned down to kiss her. As his lips lingered above hers, she smelled the mesmerizing scent of coffee mixed with his cologne. He gently stroked her cheek and whispered, “Buenos días, mi querida.”
She caught her breath again, as she had when she’d thought of Aaron earlier, but this time for quite a different reason.
A slight hint of a smile touched Alejandro’s lips as he slowly pulled away and sat down on the edge of the chaise lon
gue beside her. After putting down his coffee mug, he removed his sunglasses and studied her. His concentration made Amanda blush, which made his blue eyes sparkle with delight.
“I see you are drinking in the sun,” he said at last. “You are wearing your sunblock?”
She nodded and pointed to the pink bottle on the table next to her chair.
“Ah, good.” He put the sunglasses back on and glanced up at the blue sky. “Perfect weather. You like Miami, no?”
“I like wherever I am,” she replied truthfully, “as long as I am with you.”
He reached over and took her hand in his, lifting it to his lips and kissing the back of her fingers. “Ay, Princesa,” he exhaled. “You fill the gaping hole in my heart, the one that exists when we are apart and can only heal when you are with me.” He pressed his cheek to Amanda’s hand and stared at her with an intensity that made her feel light-headed. “After what we have been through, we have learned a valuable lesson, no?”
Before she could respond, he gently placed her hand back on her lap and reached for his coffee mug. She sensed the shift in Alejandro as he switched into business mode. His ability to profess his profound love for her in one breath and then, seconds later, focus on something else always caught her off guard.
“Now, we must talk, Amanda,” he said, the tone of his voice more serious.
She swung her legs over the side of the chaise and sat up, facing him. “Is there something wrong?”
“Not at all,” he reassured her. “But we have to discuss preparations for South America.”
Ah, she thought. The upcoming five-week tour in South America. There had been so much discussion about this tour, and it had always been in the future. Yet, she knew all along that it was approaching rapidly, and now the future was suddenly upon them. While she was excited about traveling with him to countries that a year ago she hadn’t even known existed, she felt apprehensive, too. Different cultures, different languages, different countries.