by JJ Flowers
“Myuzo?”
“The violin. A musician?”
Juan Pablo nodded as he took in the strange surroundings. A bright light shone over the pale blue linoleum floor and pink walls of the small cabin, roughly a quarter of the size of his bedroom in El Rosario. A bunk, a tiny desk, a closet, that was all. The cart he just climbed out of took up most of the available space.
“Okay, now listen up, kid. The old man gave me two grand to see you to San Diego and in order to do this—”
“The padre gave you two grand—two thousand pesos?”
“Huh!” BK expelled his breath in a dismissive gust. “Pesos? Geezus. No. Good ol’ greenbacks, kid. Which I was more than happy to take because one, I hate this fucking job and if we get caught I won’t mind all that much getting fired, and two, I owed the old man a favor, a big favor and this is it. Now—”
“But . . . but how did he pay you? The padre has no money.”
“A big wad of cash, kid.”
“But . . . but where did he get the money?”
“Sold his boat. To some schmuck who imagines Americans will be clamoring to climb aboard that floating piece of driftwood to get a two-minute look at some whale.”
Juan Pablo’s eyes widened. The padre sold his beloved Catori to get him to safety. “He never said . . . he . . . but, what will he do without the Catori?”
“Ah, that. He’s going to put the collar back on, kid. Head back to the war zone. Some do-gooder shit for all the kids like you. You were just his first, I guess.”
“But—”
BK cut him off. “I don’t know any more. I wasn’t really paying attention after he handed over the cash.”
BK misunderstood Juan Pablo’s stricken look. “Hey, hey. I’m good for it. I owe the man my life, for what little that’s worth.” He chuckled. “About two grand, I guess. That is provided I can, let’s just say, keep my fucking hands clean. Okay”—he rubbed his hands together—“first rule: Find me in the casino after midnight. I’ll take you back in the cart. You sleep there.” He pointed under the bunk. “Stow your things here.” He pointed to the closet. “You have free run of the ship, but for God’s sake, keep a low profile. Do not attract attention from a shirt.”
“Shirt?” Juan Pablo looked at his butterfly T-shirt.
“Officers. Anyone wearing a uniform. If anyone asks, and they won’t—we’re all so dark here, bone tired, stressed, overworked—people can’t see past their damn nose. Just say you’re in cabin 2014.”
“Cabin 2014,” Juan Pablo repeated.
“And if anyone asks, and again, they won’t, just say your mom is sleeping. Got it?”
Juan Pablo nodded.
BK sized him up. “You kind of look American, the height and those odd green eyes, so that’s good. How’s your English? The old man said you speak it very well.”
“I try to speak English as much as possible. Rocio and I only speak English to each other—”
“Still got an accent, but never mind. Just don’t get all chatty with any adults, okay? Kids don’t give a shit where you’re from, do they? What do you like to do? You like to swim? Got some trunks in there?”
Juan Pablo looked to his backpack. He did not have any swim trunks. “I love to swim, but I use my underwear.”
“Not cool here.” He went to a drawer and pulled out a pair of black and red swim trunks. “Try this. You should probably put them on now. Do you have flip-flops in there? Those sneakers look ready to fall off. You got to look like part of the tribe.”
“I don’t have any sandals, if that’s what you mean,” Juan Pablo said as he began removing his jeans. These were carefully folded and placed in his backpack. He slipped on the trunks, only to find they were several sizes too big. He tightened the string.
“Good enough,” BK said. “Okay, okay. You have any money?”
Juan Pablo nodded. “A little.”
“There’s a store onboard. Buy some flip-flops. Ditch the sneakers when you can. Take everything you need for the day, because you can’t come back until after midnight.”
Juan Pablo gathered his money and his iPad, placing them in his abuela’s shopping bag.
“You look kind of cool,” BK said, seeing the bright blue bag with a large orange butterfly on it. “Maybe a little ah, eccentric, but hey, every myuzo I know is that. Okay, let’s go. I’ll cart you topside and then, the ship is yours, kid.”
With a sigh, Juan Pablo climbed back in and soon BK was pushing the cart down the I-95, the main corridor below deck and the most crowded space on the floating city.
Dear Rocio:
You will never guess where I am.
But first write back right away and tell me if there is any news about your uncle. I keep thinking of him, hoping he is okay. What does your mom say? Did you tell her everything?
Now, for my news. I am on a cruise ship. Sí. I feel like I am in a dream. I am sitting in a large and fine room on a ship. It is like a floating city for rich people. Yesterday I spent all day wandering the decks and swimming. There are eight decks, if you don’t count the two below. Guess what? It has two swimming pools, one with waves! Because no one notices me, I got up my courage and went in a Jacuzzi. You’ve seen them in movies. Small, hot pools of water. It felt so good! They are everywhere! Best of all, free food. All-you-can-eat ice cream, pizza, and sodas. Six restaurants in all, but the main dining hall is buffet-style with all-you-can-eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The padre arranged the whole thing. He paid a man named BK who works on the ship as a bartender, a magician, and a card dealer. He snuck me onboard in his magician’s cart. I sleep in his cabin, under his bunk. BK snores, but I don’t mind.
I will be in San Diego, California, in three days.
After BK finishes at the casino, I get back in his cart and he returns me to his cabin. Last night he let me look out as we returned to the lower deck, because no one was around. All the workers live below the decks. It is like a poorer city down there. BK says the crew just pretends to be happy for the people above, but that working on the ship is slave labor: long hours and low pay. Sometimes no pay because the workers have to pay back the people who got them the job and it takes forever.
Not like the passengers. The passengers live like kings.
The best part is I get to go topside during the day. I pretend I am someone’s kid, but BK said no one will bother asking me who I am and he was right. No one notices me. Yesterday I swam all day in the pool. Afterward I saw two movies in the theater and then I got to watch BK’s magic show, which was interesting. I don’t know how he does some of the tricks, and he won’t tell me. He says why spoil the magic? He says it is his secret, but he said only a fool would allow a magician at the card tables.
I am safe, like you Rocio. The ship is in Mexican waters, sí, but it is an American ship and the man with the red boots is far, far away now. Soon I will be in San Diego, America. I will take the train or a bus to Pacific Grove, CA. Then, when I see who is there, if anyone is there for me, I will come to Arizona and visit you.
Write back ASAP.
JP
Juan Pablo hit send and looked around. Only one lady sat at the computer, her fingers flying over the keyboard. It took him almost three hours, but he finally completed four tutorials at the Khan Academy. Long ago, his abuela made him promise to always keep up his studies. He missed his violin fiercely. Normally, he would play for hours, but he could not play now. That would attract attention.
So, his fate was to swim all afternoon.
He slipped out into the air-conditioned hall. Blue carpet with gold crowns on it. He spotted an American penny and smiled as he picked it up. It has become a cliché, but only because so many people who have lost a loved one discovers it. The Sky People set pennies or feathers in your path. Pennies for remembrance, feathers as a promise of reuniting . . . He knew the way to the wave pool by heart.
He set his shopping bag and a towel neatly on a lounge chair.
One girl played in the pool.
A boy sat on another lounge chair behind sunglasses, even though it was still early and the sun was soft. The girl dove under the waves and came out on the other side. She looked about Rocio’s age. She had a round face with giant blue eyes. There was a smattering of freckles over her nose and cheeks. Water poured off her short brown hair.
Juan Pablo dove in and thinking of the baby whale, he swam under water to the far side and back again. He popped up near the girl. “Want to dive for a penny?”
“Okay. But only if you don’t look where it goes.”
“You can throw it.”
She took the penny and turned her back to the pool. Juan Pablo did the same. She threw it and they dove. It was hard to see under water with the constant waves, and he wished he had the goggles from the Catori. Still, he spotted it on his first try and picked up the treasure.
The girl made a new rule. “Whoever finds it, the other person gets to throw it.”
“Okay,” Juan Pablo said.
The girl asked his name and he told her. “I’m Rory,” she said.
“Can I play?” The boy rose from his chair.
“That’s my twin brother, Cory. He cheats.”
“I do not!”
The brother looked like his sister with the same round face, brown hair, and blue eyes. “I don’t mind,” Juan Pablo said.
Cory dove in. He came up near Juan Pablo and said, “Are you Mexican?”
“Cory, that’s rude.”
Juan Pablo did not know why this was rude. “Yes, I am.”
“You don’t look Mexican, but you sound kind of Mexican.”
“Why don’t I look Mexican?” Juan Pablo asked.
“Your eyes are so green,” Rory said.
Juan Pablo smiled. “Your eyes are so blue.”
“We’re from California,” Rory added. “San Diego, if you want to know exactly.”
“Have you been to Disneyland?”
“Duh. Like a million times,” Cory said. “My mom said she’d buy me an Xbox if I came on this stupid cruise.”
Juan Pablo didn’t think he understood. It sounded as if Cory’s mom had to bribe him to go on this cruise, but that couldn’t be right.
They played for a half-hour, but it was too easy. They decided to add three more pennies with the goal of whoever could get the most on a first dive. That proved more challenging.
They got ice-cream cones and sodas, which Juan Pablo savored.
The cruise was like a fantastic dream.
“The ship is so . . .” Juan Pablo thought of the English word meaning huge. “Enormous.”
“Gigantic,” Cory said.
“Humongous,” Rory said.
“Wouldn’t it be great for hide-and-seek?” Juan Pablo asked dreamily.
“That would be rad.”
“Rad?” Juan Pablo didn’t know that word.
“Great,” Cory said. “Only how could you ever find anyone?”
“If you sent clues on your phone,” Rory said.
“Let’s do it.” Cory leapt at the idea.
“I know, I know.” Rory jumped up. “Give me ten minutes to hide. If you don’t find me, I will send a text message with a clue.”
Eager, even excited, Juan Pablo withdrew his iPad from his abuela’s shopping bag.
Cory watched this. “You have a girl’s purse.”
Juan Pablo shrugged. “It is all I have.”
“Weird.” Cory grimaced with a shake of his head. “Are you gay?”
Juan Pablo greeted the question with confusion. He supposed he was gay, if he didn’t think of what had happened and only thought of now. Rocio was safe in America and he was not afraid of being caught on the cruise ship. Not only did he have all the food he could eat, but a swimming pool and a theater and no school. But what did that have to do with his abuela’s shopping bag?
Rory hit her brother. “That’s not very polite.”
Yet, the two twins stared at him, waiting for an answer.
“I am having fun, yes.”
The twins exchanged glances. “But are you . . . like, gay—like, you know, queer?”
Queer? An English word meaning “not usual.” Was he queer? He loved music and even math. He grew up in a butterfly sanctuary. His abuela was a medicine woman as well as a doctor and maybe one of the wisest people on earth. That might seem odd to other kids, but he would not use the word queer. “I don’t think so. Do I seem queer to you?”
They shook their heads. “I’ve just never seen a boy with a purse.”
“It was my grandmother’s,” Juan Pablo explained. “I need it to carry my iPad. I don’t have a phone.”
They turned to establishing rules for the game.
Though Cory protested, Rory went first. “She always goes first,” Cory complained after she disappeared into the endless halls, rooms, and decks to hide. They gave her ten minutes to hide anywhere on the ship, except a cabin. She had to text hints every ten minutes.
The first hint came to Juan Pablo’s iPad and Cory’s phone:
Rory: The same thing above me is below.
The two boys stood by the poolside ice-cream stand.
“Huh?” Cory said.
Juan Pablo thought about it, but drew a blank.
JP: We need another clue.
Rory: Can’t see the ocean here.
Juan Pablo reasoned out loud: “The only places without an ocean view are the halls.”
The boys took off running. They burst from the elevator and raced down the lowest deck through the hall. Suddenly they were laughing, for no reason they knew.
No sign of Rory.
They popped back onto the elevator and went up to the next floor. They were racing down the hall, searching, when Juan Pablo thought of the other clue. “Wait.” He stopped. “The same thing above as below?”
“The third and fourth decks are the same.”
They raced back to the elevator and went to the third deck.
The returned to the elevator and rose to the fourth deck. They searched the halls, but they found nothing. Juan Pablo swung his iPad to see the next clue appear.
Rory: No lazy people here.
Cory blurted, “The gym.”
“No, no,” Juan Pablo said. “I have been there. The gym has an ocean view to pretend you are riding a bike into the ocean. It is very cool. I wanted to try, but it didn’t look like it was for kids.” He had always wanted a bike, but they were not practical in El Rosario with its steep hills.
It hit him. “The stairs. She is hiding in the stairs.”
They played the game all afternoon and it was a blast.
Rory and Cory’s parents were happy they were entertaining themselves, having fun and not bothering them, and so the three friends had dinner that night together. Afterward, they went to see the new movie, but all they could talk about was the game and the app they were going to make for everyone to play hide-and-seek with their phones. They would soon be rich.
Juan Pablo imagined paying Leonardo’s medical school tuition, giving Rocio and her mom a new car and maybe even an American house. He could go to college and study music and entomology, which was his favorite dream besides playing first violin in a big-city symphony.
After the movie, and saying goodbye to Rory and Cory, he made his way to the casino to wait for BK to get off work. He peered inside the spacious room on the third deck. The wood paneling and red carpet kept it dark. Hanging lights cast the room in a dim glow. Only one couple sat at the bar. The roulette table, the slot machines, and poker and craps tables stood empty.
“Take a seat, kid. I just have to finish cleaning up.”
Juan Pablo sat at a small corner table.
BK was talking to another crewman who was wiping down all the tables.
He withdrew his iPad to see an email from Rocio:
My mom is still in shock. My mom can’t believe I am here. She keeps looking at the passport and birth certificate. She makes me tell her the story over and over. She keeps hugging me and crying. She is
sad about her father but also happy I am finally with her in America; it is a miracle, she says. She thinks Elena arranged the whole thing from heaven.
My uncle heard about the murders at the cantina. It is all over the news. He left for El Rosario to get me immediately. He just got back. He is okay, so grateful I am safe.
Everyone is worried about you. I told them you were with the padre and he will take care of you until he finds a way to help you get to America, too. My mom wants you to call her as soon as possible. So call. I didn’t tell her about the cruise ship because I didn’t know if I should or not. I hate keeping a secret from her, but I don’t want her to worry about you, too, especially if you’re on a cruise.
Butterflies forever,
Rocio
PS: I have always dreamed of going on a cruise.
“Hey. Do I know you from somewhere?”
Relieved in the extreme that Rocio’s uncle was okay after all, Juan Pablo looked up to see the young crewman staring at him. He was medium height and pudgy—one of Rocio’s favorite English words, meaning not quite fat but almost fat.
Do I look pudgy, Juan Pablo? she would always ask, teasing, because she was so thin, which Mario always blamed on Elena’s insistence that they never eat animals.
The man wore the same white coat and black bow tie of the evening dining crew. He had short dark hair and golden skin, but looked unfamiliar. His name tag said Julio. His small, round eyes stared at him with a strange intensity.
Juan Pablo shook his head. “I don’t think so.” His heart kicked in. The strange warning buzz sounded an alarm in his mind. He managed to shrug and pretended to work his iPad.
“Where are you from?”
“California. San Diego.”
The man considered this before shaking his head. “I swear I know you from somewhere.”
Juan Pablo forced a smile and added a shrug.
“Are you waiting for your parents or something?”
Juan Pablo started to answer, but BK suddenly appeared at his side. He put his hand on Juan Pablo’s shoulder. “All done here. Let’s go, kid.” To Julio, he said, “I said I’d show him some magic tricks after my shift.”
Julio laughed at this. “Show him the card tricks. That’s worth something.”