Across the Great River

by Irene Beltrán Hernández

  “That man … he … we must get help for her,” mutters Anita. Without warning, she collapses onto the mattress beside Mama. I can see that they are both hurt badly and that I must get help for them. I dash to the door, but before I reach it there is a sharp splattering of wood. An arm bursts through as if it were a steel hammer crushing the wood into a million splinters.

  I feel a scream swelling in my throat. I stand frozen as a hairy arm with a tattooed lady reaches for the knob and turns it. I rush back to Pablito and drag him to the darkest corner. The door swings open as if it were made of cardboard.

  The man approaches the mattress where Anita and Mama lay helpless. He moves slowly as if in a daze, then stares down at them for a long time, unaware that we are huddled in the corner behind him.

  My body urges me to get out of the room as quickly as I can, so I start creeping toward the door holding Pablito tightly. The baby cries out in objection to my tight grip. I rush toward the door, but a strong force drags me back. I pull against it, realizing that he must have caught my skirt.

  I scream and turn back to see Anita tackling him around his knees. She bites into his leg and he turns to kick her, and I struggle loose and escape, running down the stairs unaware of Pablito’s weight.

  I run into the street yelling for help. Two men see me and pass me as if I were a dirty begger. Other people only stare and walk around me. I keep screaming for help at the top of my lungs until at last a man and a woman stop. They calm me and the baby down long enough for me to explain what has happened. Soon, other men join them, and I point to the room, and they follow me up the stairs like a crowd at a bull fight.

  As we enter the room someone screams and a man yells. The tattooed man bolts out from behind the remains of the door.

  “That’s him!” I scream.

  The tattooed man and another man start fighting and they fall against the wall, knocking a woman over Mama. The woman yells out and her man friend jumps onto the tattooed man, who flips in the air and lands on top of Anita. He rolls off quickly and dives toward the door under rows of legs.

  Once outside the door, he meets more men and pushes them out of his way. “Stop that crazy man!” screams the woman at the top of her lungs.

  The men gang up on him, kicking and shoving him around until soon I hear a piercing scream followed by a loud thud, then nothing but silence.

  Finally a man says, “He’s dead. He broke his neck when he fell down the stairs.”

  “He deserves it!” snaps another.

  “Woman beater!” shouts the woman loudly. “He needed to die!”

  This seems to me like a dream, but I know it is not. For Mama still lays on the mattress and Anita lies in the corner where she has been shoved. She bleeds heavily from her mouth. A policeman plows through the growing crowd of people and he is followed by more police, who arrive and begin to clear the room of the lingering crowd.

  A man in a dark suit arrives and gives orders freely. I watch as he snaps open a black bag and then I realize that he is a doctor. “Doña Anita,” he says, “what have you gotten yourself into this time?” He kneels in front of her.

  “Anita saved us!” I yell.

  “So, she has done another miracle, but this time she will have to pay a bit more for her work.” He holds a small bottle to her nose.

  Anita struggles with him, but when she hears his quiet commands, she settles back and accepts his aid.

  “Anita, we are fine,” I add, hoping to cheer her. She raises her hand in response and then goes limp.

  The doctor finishes her bandages and leaves her lying there. “We shall let her sleep this one out. It would be best.” He rises and goes over to Mama.

  I follow him and watch closely as he looks into her eyes, then down her mouth. Next he feels her ribs and it is then that he notices the small bandaid on her side. “Ah … this looks like the work of Doña Anita.” He removes the bandaid with a quick jerk, then looks up at me. “Is this not so?”

  I nod and he returns to his work.

  “Who is this woman?”

  “My Mama.”

  “I see. Well, I will have to take them both to the hospital. The ambulance is waiting outside. Come with me, little girl, and bring the boy.”

  We wait near the door while men in white arrive carrying stretchers. They carry Mama out first, then return for Anita. I clutch Pablito’s hand. I do not know what to do, for everyone seems to be getting into cars and slamming doors.

  The doctor turns back to us. “You and the boy will have to go with Officer Gonzalez. I shall come see you later.”

  A strong hand touches my shoulder and leads me to a police car. Gonzalez puts us in the back seat and slams and locks the door. He goes to the front of the car and starts the engine. He is about to pull out onto the street when the doctor’s face appears outside the window.

  “These policemen will not take us to jail will they?” I ask as I roll down the car window.

  “No, just to a place where you can rest and wait for me to return.”

  “Please help Mama and Anita.”

  “I will,” he says.

  I watch him enter the ambulance and close the door. As it speeds off, I cry on Pablito’s shoulder, but he wiggles away from me and pulls off the officer’s hat. If this is the greatest of all lands, why is everyone I love getting hurt? It is not so easy in this new land. I prefer the quiet life of the old village and the ranchito to all this confusion.

  The police car speeds onward, tossing us around as if we were balls and, in time, it comes to a screeching halt. I peek out the window and ask, “What is this place?”

  “The Youth Center,” the officer replies.

  “I don’t like it!” I protest on seeing black bars on the windows.

  The officer lifts Pablito to his chest. Immediately Pablito pulls on his black mustache, which makes the officer laugh. He takes my hand and leads us into the faded brick building. “I’m sorry you don’t like it here, niña, but for right now it’s the best we can do.”

  We walk into a small yellow room where there is a desk in the center and on one of the walls there is a picture of a red-haired clown.

  “Nell! Are you here?” he shouts. His voice echoes and bounces off the walls. He waits impatiently and when he does not receive an answer, he turns and peeks down the hall. “Wait here, I’ll be back.”

  I climb into a chair and pull Pablito onto the next one. Soon I hear voices, one happy and the other muttering in hushed tones. I figure it is the officer returning with the woman he calls Nell.

  She smiles as she enters the room. I stare at her, and I cannot help doing so, for if God makes angels, this is one that he sent to earth. She is beautiful, like nothing I have ever seen before.

  “Hello, there. Such darlings!”

  We respond with unknowing stares. So she looks up toward Officer Gonzalez.

  He chuckles, “You have to speak Spanish, Nell. They don’t understand English.”

  “I should have known.” She bends down on her knees and looks us straight in the eyes. “Are you hungry?” she asks with spoon to mouth gestures.

  The baby grabs her long blond hair in his hand and pulls at it playfully. She does not attempt to remove Pablito’s hand, but lets him handle it. I ache to touch those golden strands for I have never seen such a fair person with eyes that are grey-blue, the color of the angry sky just before a storm breaks.

  She laughs as Pablito pulls hard. Without realizing it, I reach out to touch her hair. She immediately takes my hand in hers and I bow my head in shame, then notice her hands.

  “Señora, what fine fingernails.”

  “Gracias, niña, perhaps after we eat I can paint yours.”

  I pull my hand away embarrassed, because I feel dirty standing next to such a nice creature who does not mind taking my sticky hand. I hang my head in shame, like an ostrich ploughs his head into the dirt.

  “If you like, we can have a bath, too.” She touches my nose with her long slender finge
r. “What do you think about that idea?” She doesn’t wait for my answer. She turns, “Officer Gonzalez, the children are in my care. Continue with your duties.”

  “Be nice to Nell, children.” He nods and turns down the hall.

  She lifts the baby to her arms and then takes my hand. We enter a corridor which leads to a room that is painted a faint blue, like the sky after a fresh rainfall. There are four little beds in that room which are surrounded by shelves that are loaded with books and toys. In the center of the room is a table with chairs painted to match the walls. Pablito lets out a shout of joy as he sees all the colorful toys. Immediately he makes his way over to them.

  “Ramona, please come here.” Nell stands near a door painted white. She smiles back at me encouragingly. A woman appears who is middle-aged, dark skinned and does not smile when we are presented. Nell, I notice, is not shy about giving orders, nor does the woman jump to do what she is asked.

  “Ramona, bathe the girl, then get her some clean clothes,” commands Nell.

  The woman holds out her hand, signaling me to follow her, but I hesitate, then look at Nell and say, “You come with me, señora Nell.”

  “Why, darling, I have to watch the baby while you bathe. Go on with Ramona and I’ll come check on you later.” She touches my shoulder. “Ramona will not harm you and I’ll be right here in this room.”

  We enter a very tiny room filled with a huge white bath tub that seems as cold as can be. I watch as Ramona bends on her knees and twists two knobs that are clear like glass. Water rushes out of them at great speed. I gasp. I reach out to touch the water with my finger. It is cold. Ramona pulls a large bottle down from a shelf. She unscrews the cap and pours the pink liquid into the water. Soon, huge white bubbles appear covering the water completely.

  Ramona turns and pulls at my blouse. I struggle with her. “No! I can undress myself!” I shout.

  She frowns, then twists the glass knobs, and the water stops. Then she rises and leaves the room. I stand alone for a few seconds, then touch the bath tub with all my hand. It is very cold. I reach in and touch the bubbles and water. They are nice and warm.

  I untie the pouch and look around for a safe place to hide it. I see that the bath tub has clawed feet, so I feel behind them and find that they are hollow. I roll the pouch into a tight ball and push it into one of the claws, then I finish undressing and slip into the white foaming water that Ramona has prepared.

  Ramona returns. I study her face as she picks up my dirty clothes with the tip of her fingers. Her face seems made of stone. She says not a word, but from the expression on her face she does not need words. I stick my tongue out at her as she leaves the room. Then I cross my fingers because she has not looked down at the spot where I hid the pouch.

  The white bubbles glue themselves to my body, tickling me and then bursting into little rainbows of color. The more I move in the water, the higher the mountains of bubbles become. This is a fun bath, I decide. Back in the old village we took our baths in the stream, but we never had this much fun because the water was always too cold or too muddy to linger in it.

  Nell enters the room with Pablito. “How are you doing, Kata?” Pablito stares at the bubbles, then screams. Quickly he escapes Nell and sticks his hand into the water. Nell pulls him back, “No, it’s not your turn, yet.”

  I laugh because Pablito’s arm is covered with suds. He smears them across Nell’s face, but she is not angry. She laughs as she wipes the suds off her face and off his arms.

  Ramona enters and Nell leaves with Pablito. The silent one washes my hair, scrubbing until my head feels like it will fall off. I watch with bowed head as the dirt from my hair seems to kill the beautiful bubbles.

  “This will fit her.” Nell bursts in the room carrying a dress that is green and gold, the colors of green peppers and squash. She stands watching as Ramona slips the dress over my shoulders.

  “I declare! You look mighty different!” Nell circles me for a better view. “And your hair is just like coal with gold strands peeking through. Everything’s perfect!”

  The silent one only nods, still refusing to smile. Suddenly, a big splash of water soaks the front of my dress. Nell screams and Ramona jumps into action. Pablito has managed to fall into the tub full of water. With one big thrust, Ramona puts in her arm and yanks him up. He opens his eyes wide, looking very frightened, but then he starts laughing.

  “Pablito! You are very bad!” snaps Nell with her hand over her heart. “Ramona, bathe him while I feed Kata.” She takes a towel and dries my skirt, then leads me into the other room.

  My dinner waits on a tray. I do not like my first taste of American food. The meat needs chile and I do not like the green stringy stuff. I wonder what has happened to the basket of tortillas that Anita and I rolled.

  Nell sits across from me talking in her broken Spanish. “The doctor will be here in the morning. He will want to speak with you. Do you understand what I am saying?” Her eyes search mine.

  I nod that I understand, but I ask, “Will Pablito stay here with me?” This time I search her face to see if she understands me.

  She looks a little puzzled, then a big smile breaks over her face. “Yes, so will Ramona.” She rises and squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll do all right, niña. Now, I have to go home, but I will see you first thing in the morning.”

  I nod. “Si, señora.”

  Nell turns. “Señorita Nell. You see, Kata, I’m not married.”

  “You are too beautiful not to be married,” I say.

  “Thank you. You won’t be afraid here, will you? You have been so good.” I nod that I wouldn’t and she adds, “Remember, you are safe here.”

  The silent one enters carrying Pablito. He shines like silver rinsed in the stream. I have never seen him so clean. She has dressed him in a blue and yellow shirt and has put a soft white paper on his bottom. “What is that?” I ask touching the paper.

  “It’s a Pamper. It’s like a paper diaper. After he dirties it, I throw it away. No washing needed.”

  “It doesn’t hurt him?” I ask.

  “No.”

  Pablito yawns and rubs his eye, seeking sleep.

  “I’m leaving now, Ramona. Take care of the children,” Nell orders as she closes the door. “I will be here early tomorrow morning. So will the doctor.” She waves goodbye to me and slowly closes the door.

  “May I play with Pablito a little while?” I ask.

  Ramona brings him over and places him on the bed with me. We look through a picture book together while the silent one pulls down the covers on the bed.

  “Are you ready to sleep?” she asks in a low manlike voice.

  “Yes,” I answer.

  She comes for Pablito and puts him in the bed with the wooden bars. She covers him and stands watching until he falls asleep, then she comes to check my blanket.

  “Do you have children?” I ask.

  “No.” Then she turns out the light.

  I toss, turn and count my fingers while sleep takes its time in coming. I finally doze off, but I feel like I am suffocating in a hot thick grey mist. I sweat, but I soon become frightened as the mist burns my hair and skin. The more I struggle to get out of the mist, the thicker it becomes. At last it engulfs me in a long endless tunnel.

  “Mama!” I scream.

  I awake trembling like an earthquake. Ramona immediately seizes me and she strokes my hair until I fall back into a calm sleep. With her hands she pushes away the mist, the tattooed arm, the blood on Anita’s face and the bruises on Mama.

  My eyelids open slowly like a butterfly on its first early morning flight. Pablito is spread-eagle, laying on his stomach. My eyes float down to where Ramona sleeps. Her mild snores add music to the early twilight.

  I need to go to the outhouse … a bathroom … as the white ones call it. I ease myself into a sitting position, then lower my feet to the floor. I stand watching the silent one for any signs of waking.

  Step by step, like a slow moving tu
rtle, I make my way over to the door. I push it open only enough for me to slip through, then I glance back. No one has moved, and the snores have not stopped their up and down rhythm.

  I touch the tub which is even colder than the night before. I reach for the pouch, find it, untangle it, then tie it under the white cotton slip they have given me. I smooth down the slip, then study the white hole with its swirling water. I dread sitting on it because I know it is cold, but I must go, so I quickly use it, and then push the little handle down. Quickly I stand so that I can watch the water in the hole swirl faster, then disappear.

  It’s magic, I think, watching the hole refill itself. On going back into the blue room, I notice the silent one has hardly moved. I crawl back into bed smiling to myself. With my treasure safe around my waist, I fall asleep again.

  I awake with a start when I hear a man’s voice outside the door. I recognize it as the doctor’s. I glance over to Ramona’s bed, but it is made and she is gone. I sit up quickly and notice that Pablito is still sleeping.

  Nell enters. “Well, it’s about time, young lady. Did you have a good night’s rest?”

  I tighten the blanket around me and watch as she goes over to Pablito. “He’s still sleeping,” she says as she feels his forehead. Satisfied he is all right, she turns to me and says, “Doctor Mendez is waiting for you.” She hands me my dress from the chair and watches as I slip out of the blanket and pull the dress over my head. “I think it would be best if you speak with him before having breakfast, he is a very busy man.” She brushes my hair quickly. “We would not want to keep him from his work.

  “Yes, he needs to get back to Anita and Mama.”

  Nell chuckles, “Kata, there are other sick people besides your Mama and Anita.” She holds the door open for me.

  “Yes, señorita Nell.”

  She leads me to the small office where the doctor waits. He looks like he has not slept all night long. “Chiquita, little one, let’s talk.” He points to a chair. I wait while he clears his throat.

  “Anita is doing much better now, even though she lost several teeth. Her face is swollen, but it will heal in a few days. Her ribs are very bruised, but the X-rays show nothing broken.”