It's Just Lola

by Dixiane Hallaj

  “What’s wrong with the simple farmer?”

  “Tía Francisca says it’s plain we aren’t common farmers, and I should invent a better story and a name for Blanca before she gets old enough to understand.”

  “How long have they known?”

  “Since they learned you could read and write.” They walked in silence for several minutes as Lola turned that over and over in her mind. They had known their story was false for months—and they still were good friends.

  “You never said anything?” Lola asked. “Or Concha?”

  “Of course not.”

  “And no one ever asked you what really happened?”

  “Never. I thought they believed us until Tía Francesca talked to me yesterday.”

  Lola nodded slowly, then her smile reappeared and she asked Enriqueta why a blacksmith was more believable than a farmer. “Make him a city person. Maybe your husband owned a tavern. People smoke in taverns all the time.”

  “I’d never marry a tavern-keeper. That would be too uncouth.” Laughter bubbled up in Lola’s throat again. “A baker?”

  “A tobacconist!” exclaimed Enriqueta. “He was much older than I, but he was a kind man, and I cared for him deeply. Poor Miguel died from his burns. It was wonderful of my sister and her husband to take me in after I lost everything.”

  That night when the lights were out, Lola snuggled comfortably into Mehmet’s arms. “Mehmet, you said our life started the day we married.”

  “Yes, unless you want it to be different.”

  “I just want our married life to have started two years earlier so you can be Estela’s father.”

  “Lola, my love, I’m as passionately in love with you today as I was that day two years ago when we became man and wife.”

  Lola pulled his face to hers and kissed him fervently, slamming the door on Rudolfo forever.

  X. September 1909: Lola age 15

  “Don’t tell me not to worry. I’m your wife. Your problems are my problems. Tell me what’s wrong.” Lola put her hands on her hips and stared at Mehmet. She was angry for the first time since they were married.

  “All right. All right.” Mehmet raised his hands in surrender.

  “Mama, Mama, up.” Estela came running to Lola and raised her arms. Lola’s face softened as she swept Estela up in a hug.

  “Me too,” said Blanca, tugging on Lola’s skirt.

  “I can’t lift you both at once,” laughed Lola.

  “But I can,” said Mehmet, scooping Blanca up and taking Estela from Lola. He set off on a bouncing trot around the living room before heading for the kitchen with the two girls splitting the air with shrieks and giggles.

  “You were right, Lola,” came the quiet voice of Enriqueta from behind her. “He does make the house a more pleasant place to live—and the girls adore him.”

  “And I love him more than life itself.”

  “Good morning, Sister,” said Mehmet to Enriqueta. “I just told Concha that I’d like to steal my lovely wife away for the morning, if that’s all right with you.”

  Lola smiled, he was certainly doing things right to win Enriqueta’s heart.

  Enriqueta laughed. “I suppose we can spare Lola for now.”

  “I hope we’re going to the café,” said Lola as she hurried to keep up with Mehmet. “You didn’t give me time for breakfast.”

  “Your wish is my command.” Once they were seated, Mehmet began to speak quietly. “I just finished a big contract.”

  “So why are you worried? We should be celebrating.”

  “I thought I was doing a good job keeping my own business separate from Constantinople Trading Company, but I don’t remember whether this contract belongs to me or to my father-in-law.”

  Lola was appalled. “You don’t have everything documented on paper?”

  “No. Part of my training was to keep everything in my head.” He gave a lopsided grin. “It keeps it away from the tax collectors. Nothing on paper means no one knows how much money you make. I never had a problem before. My mind hasn’t been on business. Between getting married and acquiring a delightful family, I got distracted. I thought I was doing all right until I got the telegram about this contract, and I just drew a blank.”

  “Do you have any paper at all about this?”

  “I might have the receipt for my purchase of the goods, but that will only tell you where I bought it and how much I paid.”

  “It should also have the name of the company buying the goods. Either it’s your name or the name of the Turkish company. It might also have your signature, and that might have a title—owner or agent.”

  “Are you sure? Could it be that easy?”

  Lola shook her head at him and motioned for him to wait for her to finish chewing. “Don’t tell me you haven’t read enough contracts to know that. How can you stay in business without reading your contracts?” Lola heard her voice rising in volume and leaned forward to continue in a near whisper. “Mehmet, you’re a successful businessman. I’m shocked you don’t read contracts carefully.”

  “I do read them carefully. I make sure all the numbers are right, and I check the dates and things. The contracts are just so long sometimes, and it’s very difficult. My language uses a different alphabet, and we write in the other direction. I can read and write Spanish newspapers and stories, but contracts are difficult and I get impatient...“ He stared at her for a few moments. “How do you know so much about contracts?”

  “My father devised what must be the most complicated bookkeeping system in the world. None of his managers could satisfy him. When I was eleven I began sitting in his office. By the time I was thirteen he left me to work without supervision. It pleased my father to have one of his daughters take an interest in business, and I often read contracts to him when his eyes got tired. I learned a lot about business.”

  Mehmet grinned. “I knew you were a princess.”

  Lola laughed. “You make me feel like a princess. Now let’s go and buy two ledger books. You’re going to tell me everything you’ve done since you came back from Turkey, and we’ll devise a bookkeeping system for you. It won’t be difficult, I promise.”

  “No, I can’t let you do that.”

  “Why not?” Lola’s smile disappeared.

  “Because…”

  “If I can help our shared lives prosper, it’s both my duty and my pleasure to do so. You asked me to stop working to spend more time with Estela. I accepted your decision, even though I enjoyed my work. There’s no way you can convince me that I shouldn’t be helping you with your business.”

  “Very well, my clever princess, I yield to your wisdom.”

  As promised, Lola was able to help Mehmet reconstruct the necessary transactions and devise a simple system to keep track of everything. As the weeks passed Lola took great pleasure in going over contracts with Mehmet and helping him track them. Her life was finally complete.

  ~ ~ ~

  Several months later, Mehmet came home with a wide grin that announced another successful business trip. He swept Lola into a tight embrace and danced around the room followed by the two squealing little girls. After he released Lola he put one little girl on each shoulder and marched to the kitchen and back, calling a cheerful greeting to Enriqueta and Concha as they came to see what was causing all the commotion.

  “You do make a grand entrance,” laughed Enriqueta.

  “That, my dear sister, is because I’m feeling grand. I haven’t seen my beautiful wife and wonderful family in weeks, and it’s very grand indeed to be home. Can I prevail upon your good nature to release said beautiful wife in my care for a couple of hours?”

  “By all means take her away if that will restore order in the house. We have three ladies coming this afternoon to pick up their finished dresses, and I have to deliver a new design model and Lola’s new sketches to the dress shop. I’m afraid you’ve caught us on a very busy day.” Enriqueta looked anxiously at the dresses that were now spread across the liv
ing room. When Mehmet was home they confined the sewing to Enriqueta’s room, but in his absence it tended to spread out to fill the available space.

  “In that case perhaps we’ll take the girls with us and leave you to do your work in quiet solitude.”

  “Mehmet, you’re a gift. That would be perfect.” Concha took the girls off to ready them for an outing.

  Mehmet picked up his bags and moved toward the bedroom. Lola followed, dancing with anticipation to tell her own news. Mehmet began speaking before he even set his bags down.

  “Lola, I’m tremendously excited about my new idea. I’ll tell you all about it over tea. I’m taking you out for a proper tea with cakes and little sandwiches to celebrate. The girls will love it. Oh, I can’t wait to talk to you. I’ve missed you and your wonderful sense of business so much. Maybe I’ll take you with me on my next trip. Wouldn’t that be fun? We could stay in hotels and when I wasn’t in business meetings we could explore new places.” He gave her a kiss that set her heart pounding.

  Mehmet laughed at Lola’s surprise when she saw a carriage standing at the door. “I asked him to wait. My plan to take you out to celebrate was already in place. It worked out well, didn’t it?” He gave the driver directions.

  Lola looked around the fancy hotel tearoom in delight. As soon as they were seated in a booth, Mehmet began talking. “Do you know what an automobile is?”

  “Of course. I’ve seen them on the streets. They’re noisy and scare the horses, but I suppose they never get sick or run away, and I’m sure they’re frightfully expensive.”

  “Unfortunately, they do get sick, or at least they break down. A man in North America has produced one that sells for less than a thousand dollars, and he’s talking about bringing the price even lower. His goal is to make an automobile that everyone can afford.”

  “Everyone? That’s ridiculous. Many people can’t even afford food.” As she spoke, Lola absently moved the small vase of flowers out of the reach of the girls and gave each of them one of the shiny spoons to play with.

  “He didn’t mean everyone, he meant people like us—people who are neither poor nor rich. Now only the very wealthy have automobiles. I know this is going to change. The automobile is the transportation of the future.” He looked at her intently. “Lola, this is our chance. I’m sure that if I can be the first to import reasonably priced automobiles into Peru, we’ll make a lot of money. Think about it—if I can get a contract and bring them by ship from San Francisco to Callao, we’ll have a huge market.”

  Lola saw excitement light up his eyes. Was she silly to worry about the risk? She’d seen the sewing machine get accepted among the ladies of town. Now it was expected that a dressmaker use a machine. She’d also seen bicycles become common. At worst they’d lose their money and have to start over. That would be bad, but not a disaster. The dressmaking had a solid clientele; they were still young. They’d survive either way. Mehmet was confident and passionate about his idea. She couldn’t disappoint him.

  “Mehmet, it might be a gamble, but all life’s a gamble, isn’t it?”

  “Lola, you make me so happy. I knew I could count on your support.”

  It was much later that night when Lola put her arms around her husband and whispered in his ear that she was with child. He let out a whoop that sent Lola into gales of laughter as she tried to shush him.

  “Can we name him Yousef?” asked Mehmet. “My father’s name was Yousef.”

  “What if we have a girl?”

  “I’m sure he’s a boy—I have a feeling.”

  “Then he shall be named Yousef,” said Lola.

  ~ ~ ~

  The months flew by with the slow intercontinental correspondence negotiating the automobile contract taking place in the background of ordinary business and daily life. Mehmet felt so confident that he decided to share the contract with the Constantinople Trading Company. He would use some of their capital and share the profits proportionately.

  Mehmet brought presents for everyone when Yousef was born. He was entranced with his new son and he barely left the house for the first few weeks. When the automobile negotiations were complete, he reluctantly left for San Francisco. Lola missed him terribly, and went back to the doctor to borrow books to occupy the nights when her bed was too empty for her to sleep.

  “Yousef, let go of your sister’s hair.” Lola pried the little fist open, releasing the shiny curl. “He thinks your pretty curls are toys. If you let me tie them back with a ribbon, he won’t be able to reach them.” Lola picked her daughter up and dried her tears.

  “Tell me a story,” pleaded Estela.

  “Me too.” Blanca came running to join them.

  Lola sat on the settee with one girl on either side.

  A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. “Are we expecting anyone for a fitting?” asked Lola as she answered the knock.

  “Señora Osman?” asked the well-dressed young man.

  “Yes.”

  “I am from the Constantinople Trading Company. May I come in?”

  “You must be looking for my husband. I’m sorry, he’s still away, but I expect him soon.” The man made a choking sound and his complexion turned an unhealthy shade.

  “Are you ill?” asked Lola. The man opened his mouth as though to speak, closed it again and nodded.

  “Enriqueta, please bring a glass of water for the gentleman,” Lola said as she stepped aside for the man to enter. She rushed over to the settee and put Estela and Blanca down, telling them to go see what Concha was doing.

  The man sat down in the chair facing the settee. When Enriqueta brought the water, he drained the glass and took several deep breaths.

  “I’m sorry. They didn’t tell me…I didn’t know that you…I’m so sorry.” The man’s face looked tortured, and his hands fluttered in his lap like wounded birds.

  Cold fear filled Lola’s stomach. Something was definitely wrong. She grabbed Enriqueta’s hand. “What didn’t they tell you?” she asked through lips that were suddenly frozen stiff with fear.

  “I assumed you had been informed.” His hands stopped fluttering and clasped together until his knuckles turned white.

  “I am so very sorry to have to tell you that Mister Mehmet’s ship has been lost at sea,” the words rushed out in an anguished tone.

  The world turned black and Lola heard no more.

  ~ ~ ~

  A baby was crying. The crying was so loud—it was right in her ear.

  “Lola, please. Think of your children. Yousef needs you now. Do you hear him crying? He is still too little to live without you. Your baby needs you.”

  She felt a weight on her chest and it moved. It was the crying baby…her baby. She had to get up and feed her baby.

  Enriqueta’s concerned face floated into her field of vision.

  “Oh, thank you, Mother Mary,” said Enriqueta as she helped Lola sit. “I’m so happy to see you awake. I was terrified you’d be gone for ages—like last time. Thank God and his Holy Mother, Yousef brought you back to us.” She hugged her sister. “Lola, I’m so sorry. It must be terrible for you.”

  “Yes,” Lola said in a toneless voice. “It is terrible. What happened to that poor man? He was very distraught.”

  “I sent him away. He wanted to look through Mehmet’s things, but I told him no. He’s coming back tomorrow.”

  “Very well. I’ll deal with him.”

  Enriqueta looked at her sister in disbelief. “How can you be so calm? I was sure you’d take to your bed with grief.”

  “No, dearest Enriqueta, you were quite right that my children need me. I cannot indulge myself with grief right now. Besides, he only said the ship was lost.”

  “Lola, you know it’s not possible to swim from the middle of the ocean.” Lola did not reply.

  The next day the Turk came back to the house. He was obviously relieved when Lola greeted him politely.

  “I know this is a difficult time, but I have been sent to see if Mehm
et left any papers about the business. I will just take his papers and not bother you again.”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Just business papers. If you show me where he kept them, I’ll take them all and sort them out later. That way I won’t bother you in this difficult time.”

  “You want all of his papers? Even his private papers?”

  “Surely you have no need of papers, and I have no wish to intrude upon your grief. Giving them all to me is the most efficient way to rid yourself of my presence.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s quite impossible. You must either tell me exactly what you want or you must go away empty-handed.”

  The man became agitated. “Señora, those papers are the property of the Constantinople Trading Company, and I insist you surrender them to me as legal representative of the company.”

  “Concha,” called Lola. “Would you go and get Señor Javier and Señor Luis? Tell them that there is a foreign man here trying to take things from us forcibly.”

  “Wait!”

  “Yes, Señor? Do you wish to tell me what you’re looking for?”

  “I don’t wish to upset you at this time. I never wish to speak ill of the dead.” Lola sat and stared straight into the young man’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Señora Osman, but you’re forcing me to reveal our suspicions about your husband’s financial activities concerning money that didn’t belong to him.” The man’s discomfort was so great he seemed to be near tears.

  “My husband’s an honorable man, Señor. I’m sure if you tell me what caused you to suspect otherwise I can set your mind at rest.”

  “As I said, Señora Osman, it was a business matter.”

  “Señor, I’m fully conversant with my husband’s business. If you explain what it is that you are seeking, perhaps I can help you. If you’re not forthcoming, then I must ask you to leave immediately.”

  The man’s expressive hands clasped together in his lap. “Remember, it was you who insisted that I bring up this unpleasant matter at such a delicate time.” Lola nodded. “We have a manifest of all the cargo that your husband had on the ship. He listed his employer and his cargo with our company name and the ship owners contacted us immediately upon learning of the loss of their ship. The cargo your husband loaded on the ship far exceeded his working capital.” He paused to see if Lola understood his words. “The only way he could have that much capital is if he had been…if he had…” He shrugged. “I’m sorry, my Spanish fails me, and I cannot think of a delicate way to put this. We believe your husband must have been misrepresenting his profit margins for many years to account for the accumulation of so much capital.”