by Faith O'Shea
“This is quite a view.”
They could see the whole city. Even Harborside was visible in the distance. There were many places she’d visited, more exciting, more populous, but this was home. The unique neighborhoods, Newbury Street, Harborside, and Fenway were beyond compare. It didn’t sprawl but compressed itself into a vital, living organism that offered its residents a metropolitan feel but a small-town vibe.
She took the time to breathe, to anticipate the questions she knew would lead her further down the path lined with falsehoods. She hoped she was ready when Jelani’s assistant called them in.
“It’s good to see you, Allie. Jelani has some of the preliminary paperwork started, so this shouldn’t take long. Is this your husband?”
Allie nervously looked around the room to see who might have overheard, but the few waiting clients were busy amongst themselves, chatting. She noticed Mateo had a grin on his face. He might be happy about the situation, but she was still wary about word getting out.
In almost a whisper, Allie said, “Yes. This is Mateo Alvarez.”
They walked down the short hall to the first office on the right. Jelani was standing by the door to greet them, giving her a hug before offering a handshake to the man standing too close beside her.
“It’s been too long. We’ll have to find some time for a drink. Alec won’t mind baby duty and we’re due for a catch-up.”
They occasionally grabbed dinner when discussing aspects of her immigration program and they’d become friends in the process.
“Sounds good. I have the tickets all lined up for you. I grabbed the best ones we had, and I have to warn you, it’s going to be a hell of a year.”
The law firm had season tickets to the Red Sox, and Allie had pitched a reason to have access to both teams, which Jelani had taken her up on.
“Alec was over the moon about it. He’s a fan, been following Jackson since he got here.”
“Haven’t we all.”
“And this is your new third baseman.”
Jelani said something to him in Spanish that she barely understood. She was sure she wasn’t keeping secrets but merely making him feel more comfortable. When the lawyer moved behind her desk, she got right down to business.
“Sit. Please. I have the information you gave me, and I’ve begun to put the packet together. I’ll need some more personal information from you, Mateo, to finish it off. And if you could give me your mother’s phone number, I’ll contact her, explain the process, and tell her what to expect.”
When Mateo rattled off the number, Allie was suddenly aware of how much mother and son were talking. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He was worried about her and it would have meant checking in daily to make sure she was okay.
Mateo was leaning forward, a look of concern on his face.
“That would be appreciated. She’s a bit apprehensive about the whole thing but eager to get here.”
“Things have loosened up but it’s still a difficult proposition. Every once in a while, the Cuban government allows a mass exit. It’s too bad you didn’t leave then.”
“I was too young, playing in the junior league, to have thought of it. We kept waiting for a new president, one that wasn’t a Castro, but it would seem we waited for nothing.”
A new president had taken control of the island last April, but she knew Mateo had already put plans in place for his exit. He wasn’t waiting around to see if there would be an improvement in their policies.
“Well, you’re here now, and with Allie willing to sponsor your mother, I’m hoping there won’t be a problem, but we have to move quickly. My resource in Havana says there’s something currently going on between our governments, and there’s talk that all visa processing in Havana will be suspended due to the conflict, so I want to facilitate this as soon as possible. If it does stop, we might be able to get her out through Nicaragua which has opened its doors. We’ll find a way. I promise.”
“I will not subject her to a midnight boat trip.”
“I don’t think it will come to that if we move on the visa right away, but we need to be prepared. Why didn’t you take her with you when you left?”
“I did not know how it would go or what I would find when I got there. I did not want to put her at risk.”
Allie knew he’d arrived in Cancun with little money and could survive on his own if he had to. If she hadn’t been there…
“If I had known I’d meet Alicia the day I landed, I would have, but we can’t foresee such miracles.”
Jelani began to ask questions, and Allie listened, learning more about Mateo than was wise.
She’d known his father left them when he was young, but hearing the stories about his childhood, the lack, the poverty, the determination to succeed, moved her. She’d had it good in comparison. Maybe her mother moved in and out of the house at will, but she’d never abandoned her kids, was always a solid presence in their lives.
Interrupting her thoughts, Mateo said, “My mother hated living there and I knew it. If I had been a better son, I would have moved her away years ago.”
Jelani was the one who countered, “If you had gone ahead with this plan years ago, you might have ended up in the same kind of boat as the others. You arrived safely, and with Allie’s help you’ll get your mother out and here. Where do you intend for her to live? With you?”
With pen in hand and legal notepad ready, she was ready to jot down his answers that Allie assumed would be needed for the application.
“Yes, at first but I know she will want a place of her own when she’s ready. She is very independent and expects me to be so. She says no man should live with his mother.”
Allie smiled at that. Mariposa sounded like a smart woman.
Jelani was surprised. “That goes against type doesn’t it? Hispanic men always dote and their mothers allow it.”
He shrugged, gave her a sheepish smile. It was one she’d never seen from him before. He was not a sheepish man.
“Maybe I dote a bit but when my father left, he took his mother with him, not his wife. Mami has lectured me that is not the way it should work.”
“She’s right.”
The self-consciousness was gone and back in its place was the confident man.
“She is, yes. I will take responsibility for my familia. It is a sacred trust and I will love and protect them until death.”
Jelani looked at her, her eyes holding steady. “Those are the kind of men I like. You’re a lucky woman.”
Luck had nothing to do with it. The baseball gods had been with her the day she walked into the cantina, guiding her to one of the more talented of players. The man beneath it all was saying the right things. Didn’t they all? To get what they wanted? Or until they didn’t need it anymore? Until they got bored or tired or just for the hell of it?
Jelani had found her mate, after years of waiting for his arrival. She’d had a child who was cherished by both mother and father. It could happen.
But could it happen for her?
When she glanced over to Mateo, his eyes met hers as if looking for agreement. For the first time since the old break-up, she felt a niggle of need and want surface. Not for just sex. That had been there since the day she’d met him. But for something more. Something she was petrified to reach out for.
When Jelani had gotten what she could to complete the application, she donned a contemplative expression.
“I think I’m going to fly down and apply for this in person. It might do some good if you came with me, Allie.”
“What?”
She flashed a horrified look at the lawyer. She hadn’t intended to get any more involved than she had. She’d married the man for God’s sake, then agreed to sponsor his mother. Now she was being asked to travel to Cuba to expediate it. No. Not something she was going to do. No.
“I can’t possibly spare the time. Not now.”
“I’d only be going for a couple of days. If I’m lucky, I might only need
one. I don’t want them to shut us down before we get this done. You’re her sponsor, married to her son. It might make a difference, and I think Mateo deserves all of our energies on this.”
When Allie turned to face him, there was a somber expression in his eyes.
“I would go if I could, in your stead, but I am not allowed back in.”
Not for eight years. She forced that thought out.
“I have a wake and funeral to go to over the next two days. Next week I’m already scheduled to check in—”
“We can go Thursday after it’s over, be back Saturday. I’ll set up an appointment at the consulate for Friday. Consider it a girls’ time away.”
Without words, Mateo was beseeching her to go. Her heart dipped. If they couldn’t get Mariposa out, he’d be devastated. Looking at it from a professional perspective, she knew it wouldn’t be good for the team. Throwing caution and her good sense to the wind, she said, “I’ll clear my schedule. I have to make an appearance at the mercy meal, but I can be ready to leave by late afternoon. Will that work?”
She’d have to arrange for someone, maybe Seb, to get Mateo to his driving test but she didn’t think that would be much of a problem.
“Perfect. I’ll have Vivian make the reservations, apply for our tourist card, and book us into an approved hotel in Havana. You’re going to love the place, Allie. It’s bright and colorful and so us.”
Jelani directed a question to Mateo, “Would your mother be able to come meet with us or should we plan to go to her? I’m going to have to apply for the visa under family visit, one of the specialized reasons we can travel there, so we’ll have to spend the time with her.”
Allie felt panic skitter through her. She wasn’t ready to meet his mother. That would take her a step closer to full-on involvement. She watched in mute disbelief as Mateo pulled out his phone and made the call.
The conversation was in Spanish and she had a hard time following the flow of foreign words. The only one she understood was esposa. When he swiped off, he said, “She will get to Havana for Friday. She is anxious to meet my…wife.”
Fear streaked through Allie’s system and it was boosted by a shot of adrenaline. The charade was going from absurd and laughable to real. It wasn’t Jelani’s fault she was treating it as a reasonable request. She hadn’t told her friend the truth behind the marriage, so how would she know this was way out of her comfort zone. She was knee deep in those roiling waters and sinking deeper.
She was almost sorry she’d invited Mateo to drive to Pittsfield with her. It was over a two-hour drive and she wasn’t sure she could be cooped up in the car with him now that she’d agree to go to Cuba. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts, try to figure out a way to extricate herself from a situation that was getting way out of hand.
As if knowing it, Mateo kept silent, his attention on the passing scenery as they drove along Route 2.
What was he thinking? Did he regret calling his mother or was he worried about how the meeting would go? Her curiosity began eating away at her.
“Does your mother know the truth?”
He brushed his hair off his face with both hands before giving her his attention.
“She does not. She would not be pleased if she knew I did it to get her here. She believes marriage is forever. It never mattered that my father didn’t file for divorce; she would not have remarried.”
That kind of thinking resulted in a lonely life.
“I didn’t think religion was big in Cuba.”
“It has nothing to do with religion. Nor what happened all around us. Many marriages are short-lived there. It has to do with a commitment made.”
“But she didn’t break that commitment. Your father did. If a contract is broken, it is terminated. Or redress is sought by the other side.”
“You consider marriage a contract?”
“Isn’t that what it is? A binding agreement between two parties?”
“My contract with the Greenliners ends in five years. Then we renegotiate to extend, or I go someplace else. Marriage has no term limit. Didn’t you hear the words until death, us do part?”
She had. Her stomach had done a somersault as soon as the words were spoken. She still didn’t understand why she’d gone the priest route. Religion had not played a big role in her life. They could have had a legal ceremony without the religious undertones but for some reason, she’d thought it would make it even more believable. And Mateo had seemed more than agreeable.
“If I don’t tell my mother about our agreement, you’ll need to play the role of wife a little bit longer. I ask that you let her believe there is love between us.”
The panic should have come rushing back, but for some reason it didn’t. Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as she thought. There was a deep respect growing for him, and an unnatural attraction that was turning her inside out. She knew there was no way for her to avoid meeting his mother if she was sponsoring her. Maybe it would be better all the way around if she was alone when she did. She’d get a better sense of the woman without her son by her side.
Mixed with the anxiety, there was an undercurrent of excitement that was running along her spine. She loved experiencing new cultures and she’d never thought about traveling to Cuba due to all the restrictions. It might be fun to visit a new and exotic place.
She gave him the first real semblance of a smile when she asked, “What kind of clothes should I pack?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mateo answered her question, explaining that January wasn’t as warm as July and August and didn’t get above eighty degrees for the most part. She’d be missing hurricane season, so she should find it balmy and warm, similar to what she’d found in Cancun. She’d worn mostly sundresses and shorts during their time together and he suggested she take the same type of clothing to Havana. Dressing for comfort would be better than dressing for style. She’d probably realize quickly that whatever she brought would be conservative in the Cuban handbook. Women there didn’t think shorts or skirts could ever be too short. Their dress was extremely feminine, which to them meant sexy.
“Bring a good pair of shoes for nights out. You won’t get into a nice restaurant if you’re wearing flip-flops.”
“Really?”
“Really. It will appear shabby to them and they will see it as disrespect.”
“So noted.”
“Also, don’t forget to take sunscreen if you wear it. It’s not readily available and if you do find it, the price will be prohibitive.”
“I don’t think we’ll have time to sit out in the sun. We’re there for a day, two at the most. I have a feeling we’ll be sitting in the consulate, or wherever we go for the exit visa, for the most part.”
“If you have the time to act the tourist, my mother can show you the local sights.”
She’d pulled into the Double A team’s parking lot and got out of the car with a curt “We’ll see how it goes.”
If he was a gambling man, he’d take odds that she wasn’t willing to spend any more time with his mother than was needed. It worried him and he began to wonder if he should just tell his mother the truth. It might save them all from looking like fools.
He put those thoughts away when he was invited into the office and was offered a seat. He wouldn’t have to twiddle his thumbs in an outer room waiting. It gave him the opportunity to see Alicia in her element, get an understanding of how the farm system worked. This was where all future Greenliners began their careers in earnest. He was able to observe the interaction, rapport and overall demeanor between Alicia and the newly promoted Mickey Padalecki. She had an easy and open way about her when talking to the new manager and the rest of the coaching staff, and he could tell there was respect for her input. The players who’d be arriving for the new season had been scouted and drafted with her approval, and over an hour was spent reviewing the bios and hopes for each individual rookie. It sounded as if she’d already finished the development plans and was looking for Mickey
’s feedback.
He began thinking about Allie in Cuba, and it blocked all else out. Although she’d been against it at first, she now seemed to be looking forward to it. One of the few personal things she’d shared with him in Cancun was that she loved traveling and considered it one of the perks of her job. It came out purely in response to his question as to what she was doing there. She admitted that weeks spent in the warmer climate of the Dominican Republic or on the island of Puerto Rico were always welcome in the cold winter months of New England. She might get a mini island vacation out of this, but he’d get something far more valuable. News about his mother. Mariposa avoided the truth if she thought it would worry him.
Like you’re doing?
He began to doubt the wisdom of this charade. Should he tell her what he’d done? Why Alicia was sponsoring her? That it wasn’t out of love or a sense of family but because she’d needed a third baseman for her team? He could hear her reprimanding him for doing something so impulsive, something that was so permanent. I taught you better, Mateo. This was bad judgement. You should do only those things that make you proud.
How could he explain it to her so she’d understand? His grandfather would have seen it clearly. He’d known there were things that happened in life that had no rhyme or reason, that defied logic. There was something about Alicia that had him doing things he’d never thought himself capable of. Like being married by a priest in a ceremony to a complete stranger. His thoughts echoed Rumi’s written words. He was filled with her. She was part of his skin, his bone, his blood, his soul, and there was room for nothing or no one else. He had yet to regret his decision.
He hoped he could still say that after the two women in his life had met.
They were so different. His mother smoked cheap Criollo cigarettes on occasion, danced salsa with abandon, wore jeans, and rode in gypsy cabs. She’d gone to university, like all in her generation, but an education in Cuba meant nothing in terms of the workforce or providing a living. She was hot-blooded when riled, a disciplinarian when need be, yet loving and kind.