“No!” Ofelia shook Amanda’s hand off of her. “Leave me alone. I’m enjoying myself for the first time since Ignacio died.”
“Fine, then I’ll go get your son!” Amanda said. She whispered onto Malena’s ear. “Keep an eye on her. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll go with you,” Joaquin said.
Ofelia gulped more aguardiente. “¡Que viva el año nuevo!”
“¡Que viva!” answered some drunken male voice from the crowd.
A cluster of townspeople mocked her stance. Sebastian and Claudia approached with Trinidad trailing along.
Sebastian snatched his mother’s arm. “Let’s go home, Madre, you don’t look well.”
“No! I’m not leaving!”
Freeing herself from his grasp, Ofelia spun, but her heel got stuck in one of the cement cracks. The woman lost her balance and landed hard on the ground. General laughter followed Ofelia’s fall. Claudia smiled briefly.
Glowering, Sebastian helped his mother up.
“¡Mierda!” Ofelia said. “I broke my shoe!”
Malena reached out for Ofelia’s free arm. “Are you okay, Doña?” She helped Sebastian pull Ofelia up and wrapped her arm around her waist.
“Let’s take her there.” He pointed at a park bench. “Trinidad, please bring a coffee for my mother.”
They headed for the bench. Claudia followed at a distance. Now that people were dispersing, the band had started playing pasillos, which added to the somber mood the evening had taken. Malena sat by Ofelia and slid her hand over the woman’s forehead.
“She’s very pale.”
“I don’t feel too good, Sebas, I’m dizzy.” Immediately following her words, Ofelia bent forward and puked, loudly, messily, in front of God and everybody.
Claudia covered her nose with her fingers while others around them expressed their disgust with groans and grimaces. Sebastian clenched his fists. Malena hoped he didn’t lose his temper again, like he did the evening of the Madreselva opening.
“Sebastian?” she called.
His features softened when he turned to her.
“She’s trembling.” Malena rubbed Ofelia’s back, doing her best to comfort the poor woman. “It’s going to be okay.” She pulled Ofelia’s hair behind her ears and removed her shawl so it wouldn’t get soiled.
Sebastian removed his jacket and placed it over his mother’s shoulders.
Amanda and Joaquin returned with Javier. An overexcited Claudia explained to them what had happened with Ofelia. Sebastian’s jaw tightened.
“I’m going to take her home,” he told Malena.
“I’ll help you,” Javier offered.
The two men helped Ofelia stand and walk away. Still with the shawl in her hand, Malena caught Claudia staring at her. This was going to be a long night.
Malena had avoided Claudia for almost twenty-four hours. Last night, while Claudia changed in the bathroom, Malena had pretended to fall asleep. In the morning, she’d waited until Claudia left for church to open her eyes. And she had practically begged Amanda to take her along on errands all day. But now, as she followed Amanda back into the Platas home, there was no more hiding.
In the living room, Claudia, Ana, and Mamá Blanca worked on the trousseau to the sounds of their favorite radionovela.
“Good evening,” Amanda said.
“Buenas noches,” Mamá Blanca responded.
Ana raised her head from her crochet and greeted her sister, but her response was barely audible. She eyed Malena before returning her attention to her needle. Claudia, on the other hand, kept her head low as she cross-stitched a leaf pattern on a towel, as though she hadn’t heard them.
“Perfect timing,” Mamá Blanca said. “I was just getting ready to go to bed. Would you help me upstairs, Amandita?”
In a panic, Malena turned to Amanda. Don’t leave. But Amanda was immune to her unspoken pleas. She crossed the living room and helped her mother stand up. Both of them headed for the staircase. Malena attempted to follow, but Ana stopped her.
“Liliana, would you stay for a moment? I need to speak to you.” Ana rested her hand on Claudia’s lap. “Hija, would you be so kind as to bring me a cup of anís tea?”
Claudia produced a thin smile and stood up. It didn’t surprise Malena that Ana had requested anís tea. She worried so much she probably suffered from all kinds of digestive problems.
With Claudia gone, Ana turned off the radio. “I understand you danced with Sebastian last night at the plaza.” Her voice was stern. “So far, I’ve been very patient with you, Liliana. I’ve overlooked certain behaviors that I know your mother would not approve of, such as going to Amanda’s … place.” She picked up her crochet work and sat down. “But this is intolerable. As you know, Sebastian is Claudia’s fiancé. That may not mean much to you being that, well, you know exactly what I mean. But in this family, we respect that.”
Sometimes Ana sounded just like La Abuela Eva.
A folded newspaper, El Heraldo, sat on the coffee table; a familiar name printed on the editorial page called Malena’s attention: Cesar Villamizar.
“I consented to have you stay with us in consideration of my long friendship with your mother, but if this sort of behavior continues, I may be forced to contact her.”
Malena raised her head.
“No, please don’t contact Ma … my mother. I promise I won’t go back to the nightclub.”
“Stop badgering her.” Amanda reentered the living room.
Blessed Amanda!
“If there’s someone to blame here, it’s me,” Amanda said. “I’m the one who asked her to dance with Sebastian. Lili was helping me promote the Madreselva.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” Ana said. “You know María Teresa entrusted me with the care of her daughter. In her absence, I’m Liliana’s guardian, whether you like it or not.”
“Lili is already an adult. She can do whatever she pleases.”
“Not while she’s under this roof!”
Malena wished she could disappear so she wouldn’t have to see the sisters fighting because of her.
Ana tossed her tablecloth aside. “I knew it was a bad idea for you to take over that restaurant. I always knew something like this would happen!”
“What did you expect me to do? Let that damn Enzo destroy whatever was left of Nicolas’s business?”
“Stop blaming Enzo! That poor man had to run the business for twenty years, sell your house, and manage Nicolas’s fortune. He did everything while you sat here moping over your bad luck!”
Amanda’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t believe you’re siding with that bastard.”
“I’m not siding with him. I just think you should take some responsibility for the business’s failure.”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“You could have done it without disgracing this family, or without causing a problem between Claudia and Sebastian!”
“It was just a dance, Ana! It’s not like I’m throwing Liliana into Sebastian’s bed!”
“You practically are!”
Malena picked up the newspaper and fanned her cheeks with it. This was what she got for pretending to be the mistress of a married man. Now Ana thought her capable of anything. However, posing as Liliana didn’t mean Malena had to sit through insults or a morality lecture every day; especially not one coming from someone who might not be entirely honest herself. Ana had crossed the line.
Both sisters turned to her, but neither one said a word.
With the newspaper still in her hands, Malena left the living room. She needed to put as much distance between herself and Ana as possible.
Chapter 30
Ana, 1941
No, this couldn’t be happening. Not now. Ana sat on the edge of her living room couch to grasp the news Rafael was telling her. He had a radiant smile on his face and a spark in his otherwise dull eyes.
“So what do you think?” he said. “Isn’
t it wonderful?”
“Your uncle just died and you think it’s wonderful?”
“No, tontita. It’s not that. You know what this means for us?”
She knew. She just didn’t want to think about it.
“Tío Román left us his ranch. That means I won’t have to work for your father anymore.” His brow furrowed. “Stop biting your nails, Ana. It’s such an ugly habit.”
Ana dropped her hand.
He leaned against the oak cupboard. “We’ll finally be free.”
“Yes, but it also means we’ll be moving away from San Isidro.”
“Which is the best part.” He opened a bottle of whiskey, the one he’d been saving for the long-awaited promotion at Joyería Platas that never came. “I can’t wait to leave this filthy town.”
“But the country, Rafael? I didn’t think you liked it.”
He poured half a glass of whiskey and watered it down. “I don’t. But at this point I don’t care, as long as it takes me away from here.” He extended the glass to her. “Besides, how hard can it be? Raise a few cows, produce some milk and butter here and there. Anyone can do it.”
Ana eyed her drink. She rarely drank, but today was one of those days when she needed it. She took a sip—it was hideous. “Where exactly is the ranch?”
“In Tabacundo, north of Quito, on the way to Ibarra.”
Goodness. That was so far away, at least a six-hour bus ride. She couldn’t go that far, not now that she had the love she’d longed for all her life.
“I can’t wait to see your father’s face when I tell him I’m leaving, or that good-for-nothing cousin of yours!” He chuckled. “I’m a free man, Ana.”
The liquid burned Ana’s throat. Through watery eyes, she could see that Rafael was adding whiskey to his glass.
“The only problem is the house,” he said. “According to Tío Román’s executor, it’s in bad condition. The plumbing needs to be redone and there are problems with the roofing. But the house is big enough for all of us.”
Ana studied her husband as he gulped his drink. This might not be such a bad idea after all.
“No plumbing? Rafael, how can you even think of taking your family to a house without plumbing?”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do but be patient. The renovations won’t take long, a few months at the most.”
A few months? Ana got excited as the idea took shape in her mind. “How many months?”
“I don’t know. Maybe six, maybe more. You know how slow people are here.”
Perfect.
She took the glass from Rafael’s hands and set it on the end table. Then, she held his hands in hers. “How about this? You go first. Work on the renovations, get the house ready for us, and then we’ll meet you there. That way you don’t have to worry about us living in those conditions.”
“And I’m supposed to be there by myself for all those months?”
“You won’t be alone. Tío Román had a foreman, right? And the workers and their families, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on.” She gave him back his whiskey. “You know this is the best solution. You can’t subject us to such miserable conditions.”
Rafael ran his fingers through Ana’s wavy hair and stopped at her cheek. “You know that motherhood has set well with you?”
Ana faked a smile, disgusted by his liquor-tainted breath and the touch of his cold hands. She undid the top button of her collar blouse. It was the price she had to pay, the price for her freedom.
As the bus taking Rafael north faded in the distance, the pressure in Ana’s chest released, as though the chains of marriage had been miraculously unlocked. For the first time in her life she was free. And the feeling was exhilarating.
“Isn’t this a beautiful day?” she told the woman standing beside her. The woman lowered a handkerchief from her tearful eyes.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” What a horrible person she was. In her excitement, it hadn’t crossed her mind that someone might be having a sad farewell.
She scurried away from the Terminal Terrestre. She couldn’t believe Rafael had agreed to leave without his family. Tío Román’s ranch must have been in really bad shape. But she couldn’t be too confident, not until she was far away from here, far from Rafael’s reach. She took longer steps. She had to hurry lest Rafael changed his mind and returned.
The walk home seemed endless. The apartment still smelled of Rafael, of the unfinished cigarette he’d discarded in the metal ashtray before heading for the bus station, of the black coffee he’d had for breakfast and left on the table. The bathroom still held the humidity from his shower—perhaps the last shower he would take in a long time—and the pine scent of his soap. The facial hair he’d shaved was still stuck on the basin. She rinsed the hairs off, smiling. After today, she wouldn’t have to clean up his mess ever again.
She scrambled to the bedroom and removed her valise from under the bed. She neatly folded every one of her blouses and skirts and put them inside, one by one, while whistling “Volver,” one of her sister’s favorite tangos.
She was going to miss Amanda. And she didn’t even want to think about her mother. Who knew when—if ever—she would see her family again.
The ring of the doorbell vibrated all the way to her spine. Rafael! He was back! How would she explain the valise on the bed, the messy kitchen? But no, it couldn’t be him; he had a key. Or had he left it behind? The doorbell rang again.
“Ana!” a female voice called out.
Ana’s shoulders relaxed a bit. She shut her bedroom door and crossed the tiny living room. Through the peephole, she recognized Abigail.
Her sister was pale and her locks wilder than usual.
Ana opened the door. “What’s wrong?”
Abigail chewed on her cracked lips.
“May I come in?”
Abigail sat on the sofa and fumbled inside her purse until she found a cigarette.
“Since when do you smoke?”
Abigail lit the cigarette. “I don’t know, a few weeks.” After inhaling a drag of smoke, she coughed.
Ana eyed her wristwatch. “What happened, Abi?”
Abigail looked at her through the waves of smoke. “I have something very important to talk to you about.”
Chapter 31
Malena pressed the fine silk shawl against her chest as she walked down the street. One name stuck in her mind: Cesar Villamizar, the man from her father’s checks. According to the newspaper she’d found in the living room the previous night, he was also the managing editor of El Heraldo de San Isidro. It could be the same man her father knew, but it could also be a coincidence. Cesar was not an uncommon name; neither was Villamizar. But still, she had to find out as much information as she could about him. And Sebastian was the only person who could help her.
As she turned the corner, she recognized his two-story house. The black metal fence was unlocked, the water fountain running. She took a deep breath before knocking.
Sebastian opened the door, his tie loose and his sleeves rolled up. His eyes widened.
She smiled. “Hello.”
Apparently he was too surprised to answer.
“Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to drop off your mother’s shawl.” She extended her hand, offering the clean wrap.
He took the garment from her hand and their fingertips touched for a second.
“Thank you,” he said. “You shouldn’t have bothered. I could have picked it up.”
“That’s all right. I wanted to take a walk.”
He opened the door wider. “Please come in. I could really use some company right now.”
“Your mother is not home?”
He sighed. “She’s taking a nap. She’s not feeling well.”
She walked in. An overwhelming scent of antique furniture reminded her of the university library.
“Careful.” Sebastian grasped her arm with his fingers to prevent her from bumping into a bronze statue of
a demon in the foyer.
Goose bumps rose on the back of her neck in response to his touch. Sebastian showed her to the living room, where the smell of polished pine became stronger. Though the room was large, furniture pieces jammed next to one another made it appear small. Enormous paintings of hands, feet, wide-eyed people, and a collection of crosses in wood, metal, and glass covered the walls.
“Please, have a seat. Wherever you’d like,” he said.
There were certainly lots of choices. Four chairs, an ochre couch, and a rocking chair were available. Malena picked a beautifully-crafted but uncomfortable chair across from the couch where he sat.
“Has the doctor seen your mother?” she asked.
“I’m afraid doctors don’t pay house visits for hangovers.”
She let his words sink in. Ofelia had been drinking again.
“Cebiche de camarones is good for that,” she said. “Or so I’ve heard.”
“Unfortunately, shrimp is beyond my cooking abilities.”
His cooking abilities? It didn’t make sense that as affluent as the Rivas appeared to be, they didn’t have a maid to cook for them. Everything here looked so expensive. But Mamá Blanca and Claudia had mentioned Ofelia’s outrageous spending habits.
“You have a beautiful home,” she said.
He shrugged. “I would prefer something simpler.”
As her eyes gravitated toward the dusty coffee table, he spoke again. “It’s hard to keep up. Especially now that we don’t have a maid. My mother is very hard to please, and she changes maids as often as she changes shoes. If I hadn’t been so busy at work, I would have hired someone myself.”
He stared at her so intensely she almost forgot what she was doing there.
“Would you like something to eat?” he said. “I was just going to see if there was something edible in the refrigerator. Last time I checked, there was a piece of fish that hadn’t rotted yet.”
“Fish is my specialty,” she said. “Particularly corvina. If you’d like, I can prepare it for you.”
Sebastian’s eyes brightened. “Sure.”
The Sisters of Alameda Street Page 20