“This isn’t an orphanage; it’s a place of business. If I let every girl with a sob story stay here, there would soon be no room in the house for working girls. There are men who pay well for little girls, but I don’t run that kind of establishment.”
“Oh, no, Señora,” said Enriqueta. “We have no intention of asking for charity, and certainly Concha has no wish to work as a…as an entertainer. I have the money for next week’s rent with me, and we understand if you need to charge a little more for Concha’s daily meal.”
La Señora agreed to let them stay one more week for half again the rent they had paid the previous week. Lola was not happy with the price, but they had no choice. Monday she would spend even more time looking for another place to live; meanwhile they had a dress to finish.
When Pepita came for a fitting that afternoon, she was so excited she ran to show the dress to La Señora, even before it was finished. Within minutes La Señora, Pepita, Gabriela, Rosita and two more women Lola did not know by name were trying to crowd into the small room, all talking at once. Blanca started crying and Estela’s lower lip began to quiver. La Señora clapped her hands and cleared the room. Everyone got quiet, except Blanca, who had no respect whatsoever for the authority of La Señora. Rosita gave Lola a wink as she left.
Lola smiled as she watched La Señora pore over the sketches on the wrapping paper. Soon they were discussing yardage, lace, and prices. Now they had something La Señora wanted. Before La Señora left they had an agreement. They could stay, and would get the use of a small room in the attic where the cook and the cleaning woman slept. Concha could sleep there, and they could keep the bundles of uniforms there as well. In return the girls would make dresses for the women at half the usual price.
The next day when Lola stopped to buy groceries, Luis was trying to calm a heated discussion between a woman and the clerk who worked mornings. Lola soon understood that the woman was a customer who claimed that the clerk not only overcharged her, but had given her the wrong change as well. Luis gave some money to the customer, and she left. Lola started toward the counter with her purchases, but another round of shouting started. It ended with Luis telling the clerk he was fired. He reached into the cash drawer again and counted out some money as final payment to the clerk.
When the clerk left, Luis looked up and saw Lola. “Did you see that?” Lola nodded. “Then you know I need a new clerk to keep the shop in the mornings while I buy new stock and take care of personal business. If you want the job, it’s yours.”
“I promise you won’t regret it.” Lola’s heart thumped with excitement.
Lola started a new routine. She worked in the mornings, came home for lunch and to feed Estella, and looked for a place to live in the afternoons. As the days passed, Lola became painfully aware that she needed new shoes, and she was no closer to finding a new place to live than she had been the day they moved.
~ ~ ~
One morning Lola entered the shop and immediately knew something was wrong.
“Lola, you need to keep the shop open until dark. I have a personal family matter to take care of today. Of course, I’ll pay for the extra time.”
“That’s not possible because…” What could she say? She had to tell him about Estela. She couldn’t stay away from her baby all day. The baby needed milk, but if Luis couldn’t count on her when he needed her, he’d fire her for sure.
“Well? I’m waiting. You can’t stay because…what?”
No matter what the consequences she had to get back to Estela. “I have to go home and feed my baby.”
“You have a baby?”
Lola nodded. “Yellow fever widowed me before Estela was born.”
“Is your home far?” he asked. Lola shook her head. “Then hurry home and bring the baby. I have no time to find another solution. Hurry!” She ran down the street as fast as her feet would carry her.
Enriqueta and Concha were startled as Lola burst into the room. She told Concha to pack what she would need for the baby during the day, and she hurriedly explained what had occurred as she wrapped Estela for the outside.
Luis began talking as soon as she reached the door. “Javier, the barber across the street, will lock the door tonight. We’ve been friends for years. If you have any trouble, just holler, and he’ll come and help you. He’s a good man.” He smiled at Estela who peeked back from within her blanket. “I’ll come to open up for you tomorrow, but bring the baby just in case,” he said, and then he was gone.
Lola found an empty produce crate and made a place for Estela to sleep. The morning went much like all other mornings in the shop. Lola was pleased that she was able to take care of the shop and still had time to play with Estela. That was the main reason she hated working so hard—she had so little time to enjoy being a mother.
Around noon, business slowed to a standstill. Lola was beginning to regret missing the midday meal in the house, when a man came into the shop with a steaming bowl of stew and a hunk of bread. He put them down on the counter, and gave Lola a smile that showed sparkling white teeth. His face was darker than most Cholos, and he lacked the high cheekbones that Lola was accustomed to seeing. His hair was the same raven black, but waves were escaping the shiny pomade.
“Hello, Javier sent this over. His wife usually cooks for him and for Luis. Today it’s yours.” His Spanish was strangely accented, but he sounded educated.
Lola was touched by their thoughtful generosity. “Please thank them for me—and thank you, too, for bringing it.”
“It was my pleasure, Señora.” Lola felt herself blush. She’d never been called Señora before. The man looked at Estela and smiled again.
“What a beautiful baby. Is it a boy or a girl?”
“A girl. Her name is Estela.”
The man wiggled his fingers and laughed as Estela tried to grab them. “Hello, Estela, my name is Mehmet.” He made nonsense noises and laughed again as Estela gurgled at him. After a few minutes he nodded to Lola and took his leave.
There were no customers during siesta time. Lola fed and changed Estela, who went right to sleep once her tummy was full. Lola straightened and dusted, but soon felt bored. She picked up some wrapping paper and began to sketch dresses, finding different ways of designing a fashionable dress without buttons in the back. She smiled as she drew, thinking that this was the first time she had done something to amuse herself since she left home.
Customers came in fits and starts, some lingering to admire the baby. When Lola noticed the sky beginning to darken, she brought in the produce crates from the sidewalk and wrapped Estela in her blanket. Javier helped close and lock the big doors. Lola thanked him for the lunch and sent her thanks to his wife. Javier said that his wife liked to cook, and she always sent enough lunch for himself and for Luis.
“Isn’t Luis married?” Lola saw a frown appear on Javier’s face and immediately added, “I’m sorry. It’s not my place to ask. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No. It just reminded me of why I’m locking the store. Luis had to take his wife to the doctor again.”
“I’m so sorry. I hope the doctor is helpful.”
“Doctors give him hope. Without hope, a man has nothing.”
Lola nodded, thinking of her own hopes and worries. She really had to find a new place to live. “Javier, may I put a sign in your barbershop asking about a room to rent?”
“What should I write on it?”
“I’ll write it out and bring it tomorrow for you to see.”
IX. October 1908: Still age 14
“Lola, I saw your sign in Javier’s shop asking for a room to rent. I see you’ve put another one here.” Mehmet set her lunch on the counter and picked up Estela. A broad smile lit his face as Estela responded to his attentions.
“I’ve tried asking people, but I hate to bother the customers. Our living quarters are only temporary, and now that I need to work all day, I don’t have time to look. I hope the signs work.”
“It happens that
I have to go back to Turkey for a few months on business. You and your sister are welcome to stay at my place while I’m gone.”
“But what about your wife?”
“I live alone. The apartment will be empty, and it would give me pleasure to have you and your sister live there.”
“But you don’t know anything about us.”
“I know more about you than you think. I know that my friend Luis is pleased with your honesty and has trusted you with his shop in this difficult time.
“I’ll show you the place when you close the shop this evening.”
Lola shook her head, remembering the last time she’d accepted such an invitation. “No, I couldn’t.”
Mehmet looked at her for a moment and then burst into the deep warm laugh that Lola had learned to enjoy. She did not enjoy it now. She felt herself blush. He was laughing at her.
“Forgive me, Lola. I was laughing at myself. It’s been so long since I’ve been in the company of ladies that I quite forgot my manners. I’ll ask Javier’s wife to accompany us. Would that be all right?”
Lola smiled and nodded. “Where do you live? I always see you coming out of the barber shop.”
“Yes. That’s where I live.”
“In the barber shop?”
“No,” Mehmet gave a small chuckle, “I live on the third floor. Javier and his wife live over the shop, and I live above them. I rent from Javier.”
“We expect to pay rent.”
“No, you’d be doing me a favor. Empty houses attract insects and mold. Come over with Javier when he locks the store.” Mehmet smiled and gave a small bow as he left.
Lola was amazed at the size of the apartment. It was palatial. There was a central living room, a kitchen and bathroom, and three other rooms. One was Mehmet’s bedroom; another was filled with boxes that Mehmet said were trade goods he was taking with him; the third contained a desk, a chair, and cabinets.
“This is beyond our wildest hopes,” she said as she clapped her hands in excitement. “Thank you, Mehmet.” Impulsively she threw her arms around him and immediately withdrew as she realized what she had done.
“I leave in a week,” he said. “The rent is paid for a year, but I expect to return in six to eight months. I sail for San Francisco, and will take a train to New York. If I can’t find a ship going to Constantinople, I’ll go to Europe and travel home from there. I’ll stay there a few months. I can’t tell exactly how long it’ll take, but I’ll be back.”
La Señora was relieved when they told her they would be leaving; she had heard that Magdalena would be returning soon. They took Uncle to the new address and had him leave most of the uniforms there.
Lola was content. She had a comfortable home with all the modern conveniences she had dreamed of having. Between her job and their dressmaking, she felt secure. Life was not perfect, but it was certainly improving.
The morning after they moved, Lola went to work feeling happy—until she saw Luis. Her heart sank and tears sprang to her eyes. “Oh, Luis.” She didn’t know what else to say.
“The doctor says there’s nothing more he can do. He says it’s up to God now.” Luis rubbed his hand across his forehead. “Damn!” He slammed his hand on the counter. “I’m not even sure whether there’s really nothing more he can do, or if it’s just that there’s no more money to pay. He comes every day, and charges us every day, and then walks away and says there’s nothing he can do.”
“That’s terrible.” She wanted to comfort him and tell him that God would help him—she didn’t believe it, but it sounded comforting. She wanted to tell him that doctors were greedy charlatans, and they hadn’t helped her mother either. Well, maybe not all doctors were greedy charlatans.
“I know a very nice doctor. He lets patients pay him later if they don’t have money. Maybe he can do something for your wife. At the very least, he can give you another opinion.” She felt almost guilty when she saw the hope flare in Luis’ eyes. What if Doctor Hernandez couldn’t help? Was it cruel to give him hope? No, he had to know if money could have saved his wife or not. She gave him directions to the clinic.
She was happy to see Luis smiling the next morning. “Doctor Hernandez gave me some medicine. He says she’s very sick, but he thinks this new medicine will help. He also said that unless she gets worse, he only needs to see her once a week.”
Enriqueta began building fantasies again. She dreamed of buying a place of their own and made them save as much money as possible, saying they would need the money when Mehmet came home. Lola knew it was unrealistic, but she went along with Enriqueta. Concha turned out to be a good cook, and Javier’s wife visited often, helping them learn where to shop and how to deal with problems such as the trials of first teeth.
Over the next few weeks, Luis’s wife improved enough that he could come to work for a few hours a day while the children were in school. Lola welcomed the time to help with the sewing. She talked Enriqueta into letting her buy some material to make new dresses for all of them. Lola even bought some old hats that she snipped and clipped until they looked stylish and attractive. Enriqueta agreed it was time for them to begin looking like ladies again. Lola laughed. She would never be lady enough to satisfy Victoria and her other sisters.
Enriqueta twirled and posed in her new stylish dress declaring that she now felt that she could show her face in public. Lola enjoyed seeing her sister strut and simper just as she had before what Lola thought of as The Downfall. Concha was flushed with excitement as she modeled her modest gray dress and put on one of the three white aprons she would wear over it. She had never had anything so grand before—and the material was brand new.
The following day Lola put on her new dress and hat, polished her worn shoes, and lined the thin soles with paper and felt from the old hats. Satisfied with her appearance, she walked to the doctor’s office. She waited until the last patient left before she went in to see him.
She laughed when he asked the nature of her malady. “I came to thank you for helping my friend Luis, and to ask if you’re still willing to let me look at your books.”
He stared at her for long seconds. “Lola?” She nodded, suppressing her laughter. “I didn’t recognize you. You look...you look...” Then he started laughing. “The last time you were here, I made sure your hands were clean before I let you touch my books—and I wouldn’t let you take them to the waiting room for fear you’d walk off with them. Today you’re a different person.”
“No, I’m the same person, and I still want to learn more about medicine—especially birthing.” When she left, she had a precious medical book under her arm, a reading assignment, and an appointment to see him in two days. The next appointment lasted much longer, and she came home with another book.
As soon as the door of the apartment closed behind her, Lola threw her hat into the air and let out a whoop of glee. Enriqueta and Concha came racing to see what had happened.
“Guess what? The doctor agreed to train me, and he’ll let me work with him. Isn’t that wonderful?” She was dancing with excitement.
“Oh, Miss Lola, that’s wonderful.” Concha grabbed her hands and had a twirl around the room with her. “You’ll be a real nurse.”
Enriqueta sniffed. “I’ll admit that it’s not quite as common as being a shopkeeper, but it isn’t very ladylike.”
Lola was hurt that her sister refused to share her triumph, but then she laughed until tears came to her eyes. “Enriqueta, a few days ago we were all living in a single room in a…in a,” she was reluctant to finish the sentence. She was laughing about Enriqueta’s airs of being a lady, but she still had trouble saying words she had been brought up to consider improper.
“A whorehouse?” asked Concha.
“Where did you learn that word?” asked Enriqueta sharply, causing Lola to start laughing again.
Enriqueta tried to frown, but she soon joined Lola in laughter. “I wish you the best of luck with it—just promise not to tell me any details.”
<
br /> The next weeks were exciting for Lola. She spent her mornings with Estela in the shop and went home for the midday meal and to change clothes for her afternoon in the clinic. She had made herself a plain gray dress and carried her white aprons. Enriqueta chided her for dressing like a servant, but Lola replied that she had to wash it frequently so the plainer the better.
Rosita and Gabriela came to see them. Gabriela wanted a “day dress” to wear when she visited her family—even if she had to pay full price now. Lola said they would sew the dress for half price, ignoring Enriqueta’s nudge. Then Lola asked if they knew other “entertainers,” and if they could spread the word about their dressmaking. Other “entertainers” began coming to them as well.
Javier’s wife was impressed by the dresses the girls had made for themselves, but said that having trollops in the house all the time would discourage other customers. Lola decided that they would schedule appointments for the working women on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Enriqueta cut it to Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“When we have enough other customers, we can cut them out altogether.”
“No we can’t, Enriqueta. Remember that without them we’d still be under Uncle’s thumb.” They soon had a steady trickle of work sewing for the women of the neighborhood.
Enriqueta loosened the purse strings, and everyone got new shoes and another dress. The babies became cuter and cuter as they grew and developed their own personalities. Lola had finally become a modern woman. She and her sister were independent and comfortable. What more could they want?
Lola used the scraps from their sewing to make colorful pillows for the living room, and they embroidered a few samplers to liven up the bare walls. Lola thought that Mehmet might like the additions. Sometimes she had a feeling something was lacking in her life, but she didn’t know what it could be. Unlike Enriqueta, she did not think money was the answer. Lola chided herself for worrying over nothing, and turned back to the latest book she had borrowed from the doctor’s library. Dr. Hernandez had promised to take her with him the next time he went to a birthing. She hoped she would soon be allowed to call herself a midwife.
It's Just Lola Page 12