by Becca Bloom
“It’s a coffeecake I made this morning. I might have put too much cinnamon in the topping. Would you mind tasting it to see? Sylvia wants to add it to her menu, but I don’t want to poison her customers,” I added with what I hoped was an encouraging smile.
She huffed and plunked down in the chair. “If it’s to help you out, I guess I can take a bite.” She stabbed the corner with her fork and tried hard not to show the least amount of pleasure as she tasted it. Now, I’m not the best baker in the world, but I knew it was good.
“I guess it’s okay,” she mumbled, taking another bite.
“Thank you for your help. I was worried about it. We worry about the things we care about.” I almost gagged at my sappy speech. It sounded like something my mother would say.
Fernanda scoffed disgustedly, “You care that much about cake?”
“Okay, so it was a bad comparison. What I meant to say is that your mom is worried about you. Her emotions have to be so muddled up from this mess, I doubt she sees anything clearly. Come on, she just lost her sister! And from the way she’s talked about Maria, she actually liked her! I bet she even misses her.”
Fernanda’s face filled with doubt. She poked at a crumb on her plate. “I didn’t do it,” she grumbled.
I believed her. “I don’t think you did it either. But I do think you know something you’re afraid to say.”
Her fork went still and she stared at her plate.
Adi spoke softly to Martha. I guessed she was translating for her.
“I thought all our problems would be solved with my aunt gone. It’s an awful thing to think about a relative, but there it is. She was a shrew who bossed my uncle around. He’s so good with the kids, I thought he would fit in better here. But just this morning, my mom threw him out of the house. To be honest, I kind of couldn’t blame her. All he did was eat and play video games my mom didn’t want the little ones to see. Then, he’d disappear without saying anything and expect warm food on the table when he got home. As if my mom hadn’t been working her fingers to the bone all day.”
“Where did José disappear to?”
“I imagine he was working out at Rio Negro. His parents have a house out there."
Oh, I knew about that. Very well, in fact. I nodded my head as if it was news to me.
“Do you think that’s where he is now?"
“Probably. I don’t care. He isn’t as cool as I thought he was. Unless he’s out there, he’ll probably show up around lunchtime expecting a meal. It’s like having another kid in the house.”
I chuckled to lighten the mood. “Typical. I bet Sylvia’s food can even rival his own mother’s cooking.”
“Are you kidding? José’s mom is a horrible cook. She makes nothing but rice with a fried egg on top,” she said through a smile as close to genuine as her surly mood allowed.
“Serves him right for not being more considerate to your mom.” I looked over at Martha and was pleased to see that Fernanda did too. The hint of a smile must have satisfied the craving in Martha’s soul. She smiled broadly to her girl and the tears sparkling in her eyes looked to be more of relief than worry.
Chapter 18
“Okay, Dr. Phil, what was that back there?” asked Adi on our way home. After our bone displacing taxi ride, we’d decided it best to walk rather than risk another ride with Martin.
“Seriously? I was flying by the seat of my pants, but there were moments when Fernanda reminded me of my sisters. I did my best to remember all the tricks I used with them.” It had been one psychological battle after another until I learned my role as the peacemaker in our family.
“I have no idea what that’s like. Brothers, I think, must be different. And Jake has always been protective of me. Promise you won’t tell anyone, but he used to play tea party with me. I’d make him a cardboard crown sprinkled with glitter and he’d pretend to drink from the fancy set of teacups Mom gave me.”
“Aw, that’s sweet! I always wanted to have a brother. Many times, I offered to trade my two sisters for one. But then, I would have missed them so I’m glad it never worked out.”
We laughed, ignoring the whistles from the grease monkeys loitering outside the mechanic shop we passed (they must get paid for whistles instead of work), and I thought about Tia Rosa and Abuelita. On the surface, they bickered and fought constantly. But the second one of them was in trouble, they joined forces to protect each other. I liked to think my sisters would do the same for me. I’d had many occasions to bail them out of trouble over the years, but I was the steady, risk-averse one. At least, I was. Until now.
“What are you thinking? It looks interesting from the expression on your face.”
I didn’t want to bore her with the details on the workings of my perfectly imperfect family. So, I said, “I was just trying to imagine Jake wearing a sparkling crown. And it reminded me of my dad. He’s a tall man and he’d fold himself up to sit at my pink, princess table to play with me. I’d make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and chamomile tea. He called it a ‘world famous’ sandwich.” When he went through one of his blue moods, I’d take a sandwich to him in bed and he’d try so hard to smile for me.
Adi looped her arm around my shoulders, careful not to scratch my reddened skin. “It’s a beautiful memory.”
It had been, but it held sadness for me too. There’s nothing worse than knowing someone you love is broken and feeling helpless when your efforts to fix them change nothing. The laughter from the park we walked by only deepened my melancholy.
I needed to think about something else. “Thank you for translating for me and Martha. What do you think about what she told us about Fernanda?”
“Fernanda is hiding something, for sure. While her attitude makes her look guilty, she’s so open about it, I find it difficult to believe she could be that duplicitous.”
“She is hiding something though.” I agreed with Adi, but for Tia Rosa’s benefit had considered it best to play Devil’s advocate.
“Yeah, but it’s so obvious. If she had murdered her aunt, I don’t think she’d be able to hide it. She has a rebellious streak, but she’s not sneaky. Maybe she saw something or is trying to protect someone she suspects?”
“Her mom?” I asked, though I didn’t think Martha had anything to do with her sister’s death. She was the only person who grieved the loss of Maria.
“No. I can see Martha turning herself in to protect her daughter, but I can’t see that she would put all of her kids at risk by doing something so drastic. Especially when we know her feelings toward José.”
“Yeah, I feel bad for Fernanda. She really had her heart set on him and her mom making a couple, but even she was able to see how that wouldn’t work. What she said doesn’t make me think any worse of José, but it certainly didn’t help his cause either. And then there was the mention of Christian losing work to them.”
“It sounds like there’s bad blood there. I’d like to ask Christian about it, but he’s such a slimeball.” Adi shivered, her face twisted in disgust. “He thinks he’s God’s gift to women. If we try to talk to him, he’ll assume we’re hitting on him.”
“And there’s Dario. I can’t help but think that the tainted alcohol is at the center of everything. It connects him to Maria, José, and Christian. If we prove he sells fake booze, he becomes the strongest suspect. He has money, a business, and a reputation at stake.”
“On the other hand, if we prove his drinks are legit, it’ll be one less person who could have committed the crime. He’d have nothing to fear.”
“Good thing we’re going to The Lava Lounge tonight.”
Adi nodded. “I’ll do anything to clear Tia Rosa and it’s as good a place to start as any.”
I was already nervous and jittery at the idea of facing Dario on his turf.
We stopped to wait for a break in the traffic to cross the busy street.
Adi jabbed me with her elbow and pointed to a little girl running from car to car at the stoplight, tryi
ng to sell candy. "That's something you don't see in the States. You know, it's uncomfortable to have poverty pushed in your face, to see little children who should be at school working on the streets, but what else are they to do if they want to eat? They don’t have anyone to help them."
I thought of my nephew, and I was so grateful he had an easier life. He had a father who worked hard to provide a roof over their heads and good food to eat. They had a mother who, while she drove me crazy with all of her art projects and educational posts on Facebook, I had to admire for the interest she took in her growing family. She was an excellent mother. Just like our mom.
Patting my pocket to make sure I had some change, I nodded over toward the little girl. "I have a sudden craving for candy. Let's go see what she has." I pulled out more than enough coin, knowing I would buy whatever it was she had. Even if it was grape flavored. Ew.
With Adi’s help, I managed to buy five little boxes of mints — one for Adi, Sylvia, Tia Rosa, Abuelita, and me. When I tried to slip an extra dollar to the young girl, she tried to give it back. I insisted, and she smiled so big, I could see all of her teeth (the ones that weren’t missing, that is). She couldn’t have been over seven.
Adi said as we walked away, "She'll follow you everywhere you go now."
"Then I’ll have to make sure I always have change in my pockets."
Across the street on the corner, I saw someone I thought I recognized. Seeing as how I didn’t know very many people here, I stopped to get a better look. I pointed over to the large electronics store, pulling Adi over so we wouldn't be seen. "Is that José?" I could have sworn it was him, but he was average height and had black hair … just like every other local guy walking down the street. Maybe I was seeing things.
Adi looked all over the place instead of where I pointed.
“At the front of the electronics store. With the saggy pants and backward Yankees baseball cap. Hurry before he goes in!”
“All I can see is his back, but it might be him.”
"Do you think Abuelita is right about him?"
"She usually is right about most things, but don't ever tell her I said so."
I held up my little finger. “I pinky swear.”
Adi and I looked at each other, nodded as we made a mutual decision, and then promptly crossed the street to stand in front of the large windows displaying televisions, stereo systems, and cell phones. I gasped as I saw the sales prices. "Hot snot, I could buy the same TV for under four hundred dollars back home. Are people really willing to pay this much?" The stickers advertised a sale at two thousand dollars. Talk about a markup.
"They find a way or they spend the next five years making payments. I don't see him, do you?"
I looked between two screens. One displayed a soccer game, and another displayed The Terminator. The glow reflecting off the glass of the window made it difficult to see beyond it. "I can't see anything past the screens. Would it be too obvious if we just went inside?"
“And risk being seen by José? I’m sorry, Jess, but with your light and bright red skin, he would most definitely notice us.”
She had a point. Then again, if it wasn’t him, it wouldn’t matter.
A small crowd gathered around us, intently watching the soccer game playing on the large screen. They provided a good cover, so we hung around for a few minutes. The crowd got larger as the team dressed in bright yellow jerseys and black shorts advanced across the field like a swarm of bees. People held their breath and bounced excitedly, their eyes riveted to the screen. The air buzzed with excitement around me, but I kept my eyes firmly focused on the front of the store, hoping José would make an appearance. If it was him, what was he doing?
Shouts and cheers surrounded us and I soon found myself jumping up just to see over the waving arms of the crowd. I got high-fived a couple times. They must have thought I was just as happy as they were that their team had scored a point, made a shot, gotten a touchdown … whatever it was they did in soccer.
Doggedly watching the door, I saw José come out of the shop with a large grin on his face and an even larger box in his arms. Adi saw him too. An employee from the store followed José with two more boxes, following him across the street to flag down a taxi. José laughed and conversed with the employee as they waited, and we saw him tip the guy after his boxes had been carefully placed in the backseat of the car, them being too big for the trunk.
He didn't exactly look like a grieving widower.
We departed from the rambunctious crowd of soccer fans for the restaurant in search of Abuelita. Just maybe she was right about José.
Chapter 19
Baños came alive at night. Sultry salsa, fast-tempo merengue, grinding reggaeton, and classic rock boomed from speakers placed in business entryways to draw in customers. People danced in the street. A man peed in a corner.
I looked away before I saw anything I didn’t want to see. Adi said, “We call that a pee corner. Hold your breath as we walk by. It stinks.”
Abuelita laughed at me. She, along with Tia Rosa, had insisted on accompanying Adi and I to The Lava Lounge. They had felt a sudden protective instinct to keep us out of trouble (as if Adi and I were the ones to worry about). They wore head-to-toe black and Tia Rosa carried her ever-present plastic bag. I was scared to ask what she hid in it, especially when Abuelita pointed to it and whispered.
“How can people urinate in public like that? Don’t the bars have restrooms?”
“We no look. You get used to it,” said Tia Rosa.
I didn’t think I’d ever get used to that.
Two blocks ahead of us, the street fell into darkness and the music grew louder. Instinctively, I knew that’s where we were heading. It seemed appropriate that the scary bar would be in an equally creepy part of town where the street lamps didn’t shine. I typically avoided dark bars where the emphasis was on choking on everyone else's cigarette smoke and weaving through a crowd of strangers who had had one too many, so to say I was out of my comfort zone was a gross understatement. Adi looked uncomfortable too.
“You okay?” I asked her when she clutched her stomach. Wow, she was taking this worse than I was.
“Let’s get this done,” she said resolutely.
Neon lights highlighted The Lava Lounge with a flashing, exploding volcano above it. The music was deafeningly loud and I couldn't help but wonder how we were supposed to learn anything if we couldn't even hear ourselves shout when we stood next to each other.
“Okay, you remember what you’re supposed to do?” I yelled.
Tia Rosa shouted, “I watch bottles.”
Abuelita said, “I watch Rosa and Adi. I no make trouble.”
Adi added, “I’ll find someone intent on getting smashed and switch his drink when Tia Rosa gives me the signal. I’m hoping for vodka. Mom makes a delicious chicken dish in a vodka sauce.”
“And I’ll chat it up with Dario, pretending to be interested in Christian to see what I can find out about both of them. He’ll soon tire of me, so I’ll poke around to see if he’s hiding anything.” If I got caught, I’d do the potty dance and ask for the baño.
Taking a deep breath of urine-scented air before entering, I stepped inside with my posse.
It was darker inside the bar that it had been outside. To our right was an open floor where a few talented dancers showed off their skills in the center of the room while others teetered on their feet around the edges, grabbing the walls or holding onto each other when they lost their balance. Strobe lights provided the only lighting outside of a few sparsely placed black lights which lit up my white T-shirt like a beacon. So much for blending in.
In the few seconds it took my eyes to adjust and observe my surroundings, Abuelita took up her post behind a potted fern between the bar and the seating area to the left. Adi, Tia Rosa, and I walked up to the bar.
Dario’s teeth glowed as he smiled at us and waved.
"Good evening, ladies," he said in his deep baritone. "Let me welcome you to
my humble establishment. I’m honored you’ve come for a visit," he said addressing me. Pulling out three shot glasses, he selected a clear vodka bottle and poured. "First drink is on the house."
Adi stared into her glass, her fingers shaking as she reached for it. Maybe it was the lighting, but her face looked green. Doubling over, she groaned. “I’ll be right back,” she shouted, already halfway to the hallway clearly marking the bathrooms.
Dario motioned to Adi’s vodka shot. “Maybe Abuelita would like to drink that. I see her trying to hide behind my fern.”
Great. Dario was already on to us and Adi was sick. So much for our plans. We’d just have to wing it.
Tia Rosa laughed. “She shy. I take drink to her.” I had a bridge to sell Dario if he believed that line.
Some new customers entered the bar and sat, taking Darío to the other end of the counter.
I looked over in time to see Abuelita toss the shot back, downing it in one gulp. I held on to my drink, planning to use it to switch with a tainted one. I would have to take Adi’s place — the task I dreaded most. I wasn’t very good at meeting new people and nobody sat alone. I’d feel weird joining a group I didn’t know. Scanning the drinkers settled at the assorted tables and booths, I hesitated to select a target.
I should have been bolder. Darío came back over to where I sat before I could take my drink and disappear amongst his customers.
"You don't like my liquor?" he asked in an offended tone. I couldn't tell if he was kidding or for real, so I proceeded cautiously while cursing myself for my hesitancy. Lifting the glass to my lips, I took a sip and tried not to make a face as the bitterness of the vodka crossed my tongue and burned going down my throat.
He must've seen the smoke coming out of my nose because he laughed. "That'll put hair on your chest." As if I wanted hair on my chest. “Come on, down the hatch.” He watched me expectantly, not even diverting his gaze when Tia Rosa joined me at the counter.