by Kathy Macias
Fighting tears, she nearly melted into Tyler’s embrace as he pulled her close for a last good-bye. Julia knew they planned to stop at their grandparents’ house on the way out of town, but this was it for her.
“I’ll miss you,” she whispered, choking back a sob.
“I’ll miss you too, Mom.” Tyler’s hug grew stronger. She wondered if he wrestled with begging her to change her mind. When he didn’t, she couldn’t be sure if she was relieved or disappointed.
And then there was Brittney. The lovely young woman’s eyes glistened with tears as they gazed at one another, then hugged and kissed. “We’ve gotta go, Mom,” Brittney said before pulling away and hurrying to the passenger side of the car.
Julia let her tears trickle freely down her cheeks as she watched the old blue Corolla disappear around the corner.
THE GOOD-BYES WITH HER PARENTS when they dropped her at the Los Angeles International Airport in the predawn hours had been nearly as painful as with her children. But now she was on her way, her two bulging suitcases checked in and her overnight stowed beneath the seat in front of her. She would fly into Angel Albino Corzo International Airport in Tuxtla Gutierrez and then transfer to a smaller flight to Copalar Airport in Comitan, where the Barneses would pick her up and drive her the final fifty miles to the compound. Her stomach churned as the engines droned, taking her farther and farther from the familiar, into the unknown experiences that lay ahead of her. She knew her mother had ached to beg her to reconsider, but she’d managed to hold it inside as her father held her close and prayed for her protection. And then they were gone . . . and she was alone.
It would be several hours before she connected with the Barneses. Assuming both flights were on time—and she had been informed that it might very well not be the case—she would be on her own until nearly dark that evening. She had a new novel and several snacks packed into her carry-on, plus her cell phone and charger, but she also knew that cell phone reception could be spotty in other countries. The Barneses had cautioned her that there were only two places in the compound where her phone would occasionally work and that Internet reception came and went, regardless of where you positioned your laptop. Still, she held out hope of being able to send and receive emails with her children and parents, as well as friends and co-workers. As much as she had insisted on her need for this new adventure, there was a big part of her that also needed to maintain at least some ties with home.
She leaned her aisle chair back and closed her eyes. Maybe if she caught a few winks the time would pass quicker. Before she could even hope to drift off, small feet began kicking the back of her seat.
“Stop that,” a woman’s voice hissed. “You’ll bother the lady in front of you.”
The kicking stopped for a few more moments before resuming. This time the woman issued no reprimand. Julia sighed and gave up on sleeping, choosing instead to reach under the seat in front of her to retrieve her carry-on. She pulled out her novel and stretched up to push on her reading light.
“Good book?”
The voice came from the elderly woman to her right, sandwiched in between Julia and the old man in the window seat. Julia had noticed them when she boarded the plane and nodded a greeting when she took her seat. She imagined they were married.
She smiled and turned to the woman. “I really don’t know,” she answered. “I haven’t started it yet.”
“Ah.” The woman’s faded blue eyes sparkled. “But that’s the best part, isn’t it?”
Julia frowned. “I’m . . . afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
“The beginning of a book.” She smiled, causing her already sparkling eyes to dance. “It’s like starting a brand-new adventure into the unknown. You have no idea where it will take you, but isn’t it exciting to find out?”
Julia had never thought of a new book in quite that way, but it seemed more than appropriate at the moment. She nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m Mona,” the woman said. She tilted her head slightly toward the man beside her, who stared out the window. “This is my husband, Richard. We’re flying to Mexico to visit friends in Tuxtla Gutierrez for a week. What about you?”
Julia’s heart raced, though she couldn’t imagine why. The woman had simply asked her a question. Why should that cause anxiety? “I’m actually going on from Tuxtla Gutierrez to Comitan, where some friends will be picking me up. They direct the La Paz Compound near San Juan Chamula. I’m joining them for nearly a year to help with teaching.”
The woman’s face lit up. “How wonderful! I always wanted to do something like that when I was young, but never had the opportunity. I admire you for taking the chance to do it. But . . . what about your family? How do they feel? My husband would never have dreamed of letting me do something like that.”
A lightning bolt of pain pierced her heart, but she pushed it away before it had time to force the tears to her eyes. “My . . . husband died a couple of years ago,” she explained. “And my children are both away at college, so . . .”
Her voice drifted off, and she found herself at a loss to complete her thought. Mona jumped in and rescued her.
“Well, then, of course you can do something like this. It’s the perfect time.” She sighed. “If I were twenty years younger . . .” She paused and cast a slight glance in her husband’s direction, but he was still glued to the cloud-filled scene outside the window. “If I were twenty years younger and didn’t have anything or anyone holding me back, I’d find a way to go with you.”
Julia smiled. The woman’s words eased the churning in her stomach that had accompanied her since before she’d set foot on the plane. It was just the encouragement she needed to press on through the remainder of the long day ahead.
CHAPTER 5
MARIE HAD WATCHED John go off to work after dropping Julia at the airport that morning as if nothing had changed, as if their only child hadn’t just boarded a plane and flown off to a primitive, dangerous place where she would live for almost a year. Marie shivered at the thought. Best-case scenario—she’ll actually live through the school year and come home safely at the end of it.
As the afternoon progressed, she scolded herself for her lack of faith, even as she mixed the ingredients for the meat loaf for that evening’s dinner. She knew she should be praying instead of fussing and fuming, but she’d already prayed for weeks that Julia would change her mind and not go. What good had it done?
Marie shook her head as she shifted the mixture from the bowl to the baking pan, using her bare hands to pat it into a loaf shape. Why was it that everyone else who claimed to be so upset about Julia’s foolish venture had gone on with their lives, while she stayed home and stewed? Tyler and Brittney were back at school, and John had abandoned her to go to work, even though he knew Marie wanted him to stay home and he could easily have done so.
“It’s not like you’re not old enough to retire,” she huffed, punching the raw meat mixture into place. “You’ve been talking about it for five years, but every time you bring it up to your boss, you let him talk you out of it. Do you really think you’re indispensable, that they can’t get along without you? You’re a good construction foreman, but you’re not the only one. And even if you’re not ready to retire yet, you could certainly take a few more days off now and then.”
She sighed as she finished her task and washed her hands in hot water. She had to face facts. She’d seen John take days off for golf tournaments more than once, but when she needed him to stay home and give her moral support? Not even a consideration.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” she ordered, wiping her hands on the towel and opening the oven door. “You’re pathetic.” She slid the meat loaf inside, shut the door, and set the timer. Though she recognized the need to break out of her self-pity and do something useful while she waited to hear that Julia had arrived safely, she couldn’t think of one thing that interested her enough to even try.
The thought of her friend Ginny Morale
s floated into her consciousness. Ginny was a good friend, someone who had been there for her through the years and was continually telling her she needed to get more involved in church activities and start volunteering her time. Marie closed her eyes and imagined Ginny giving one of her many pep talks. “Just because your kids and grandkids are grown doesn’t mean you have to sit home in a rocker and knit. For heaven’s sake, Marie, there are so many needs out there that you could fill. Get involved, girlfriend!”
Marie smiled in spite of her negative mood. Maybe Ginny was right. Maybe she did need to blast herself out of this house and find something useful to occupy her time. Wasn’t that what she was always encouraging Julia to do—before she decided to run off to the middle of nowhere, that is?
The reminder drove away all thoughts of calling Ginny and finding out how best she could help at church or maybe even at the homeless shelter where Ginny spent so much of her time. Maybe she’d do that later; for now she would stay put and wait to hear from Julia.
HERNANDO WASN’T HAPPY. That meant everyone around him wasn’t happy either. It was tough enough being banished to an area with little drug or gang activity, where he was supposed to find ways to cultivate income for his jefe, but in the rain forest? How could his boss expect him to live in such a place? Sure, he and his four compadres (close friends) had a semidecent casita (small house) in San Cristobal de las Casas, but so what? They were under strict orders to lay low except to snoop around for the rich tourists who occasionally frequented the area, and then find a way to kidnap some of them and extract ransom from their families. What kind of assignment was that for someone like him?
Nearly thirty years old, Hernando had been a successful, up-and-coming drug lord in Guadalajara before his assistant had messed up badly, causing the death of several of their gang members and the loss of more than a hundred thousand American dollars. That’s when Hernando and three of the others had been demoted and sent to Chiapas State. Hernando had tried to argue that it was his assistant, Adolfo, who had caused the loss of life and money—not him. But his jefe didn’t want to hear it. Adolfo had since met with a fatal accident, but apparently that wasn’t enough. Ultimately Hernando realized he was lucky to walk away with his life and another chance to prove himself, even if it was far away from the women and nightlife that he had so enjoyed in Guadalajara.
He sat outside on the back porch, enjoying the late afternoon sun and swatting at a persistent fly. The others were taking their siesta inside. Later that evening they would split up and wander through the tourist areas of San Cristobal, seeking possible prey. They’d been here more than a week now and hadn’t found anyone yet. Hernando was thinking they might need to head for San Juan Chamula. Though the town was smaller and the tourists fewer, they would be easier to spot and isolate—and, if all went well, easier to abduct. But he had to be sure first. He didn’t dare mess up again and grab someone whose family couldn’t produce the ransom. The last mistake had been deadly.
He had listened too much to Adolfo, who had recommended they kidnap a man Adolfo was certain had rich relatives. But as it turned out, not only did he not have wealthy family members, he was an undercover agent. The next thing the gang knew, gunfire seemed to erupt out of nowhere. The undercover agent was dirty and had brought in others like him, who murdered anyone who got in their way and stole the money they found in Hernando’s home. It was a disaster, and Hernando knew he would not survive another such mistake.
The fly landed on his whiskered cheek, and this time Hernando didn’t even bother to shoo it away. Instead he twitched his thick mustache, but the fly ignored it. Hernando cursed the heat and humidity that still hung on in the late summer afternoons but would soon disappear in the cooler temperatures of autumn.
JULIA THOUGHT THE DAY would never end. She had endured the first half of her journey into Angel Albino Corzo International Airport in Tuxtla Gutierrez, managed to board her connecting flight to Copalar Airport in Comitan, and was now nearing the end of that final leg of her air journey. As rickety as this puddle jumper is, I hope they can land it safely.
At last the plane was on the ground. Exhausted but grateful to have made it safely this far, she deplaned onto the tarmac and managed to locate her luggage. Now if I can just find the Barneses. They said they’d be here.
She stood in front of the relatively small airport, trying to appear more confident than she felt, wishing she had remembered to ask what sort of car they would be driving. The level of heat and humidity surprised her, as she had imagined it would cool off a bit more now that the sun was nearly down. Beginning to feel uncomfortable, she glanced around for a place to sit and wait. She had just spotted an empty bench when she heard a horn honk and someone call her name.
“Julia! Julia, over here!”
She turned to see a very old, very beat up, once-blue Jeep pull up and stop just in front of her. A familiar round face, framed with short gray curls, smiled at her from the open window.
“Sorry we’re late,” Carolyn explained, opening the door and climbing out as her husband did the same on the driver’s side. “Nothing ever seems to run on time around here—including planes. Looks like yours was pretty much on schedule.”
Before Julia could respond, Carolyn Barnes had pulled her into a warm hug, patting her back and kissing her on the cheek. “We’re so glad you’re here.” She laughed. “I can’t begin to tell you just how glad!”
Frank, who had come around the back of the Jeep, joined them. “Now, Carolyn, don’t scare her off before we even get her home. Let her ease into this a bit, will you?”
Carolyn laughed again and Frank, who stood nearly a foot taller than both his wife and Julia, joined her as he added his own welcoming embrace. Julia laughed with them, hoping they didn’t hear the nervous note in her voice.
In moments they had piled Julia’s luggage in the back, and Julia found herself sitting up front with Frank. “I insist,” Carolyn had said when Julia protested, explaining she could sit in the back. “You can see better up there. We want you to enjoy the scenery.” Carolyn chuckled again. “Though it’s nearly dark, so you may not see much. It’s not like we have many street lights between here and home.”
Julia did her best to peer through the near darkness and take in the sights as they drove along, the road getting bumpier by the mile. Before long she gave up and concentrated on holding on for dear life, praying she wouldn’t knock herself out when her head hit the roof—which happened with alarming regularity.
It wasn’t the first time and most certainly would not be the last that Julia Lawson Bennington would ask herself, What in the world have I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 6
BRITTNEY LOVED FALL. It seemed everywhere she looked she was engulfed in a brilliant profusion of rich colors—reds, gold, browns. Even her red-gold curls blended in. Yet this year wasn’t the same. Though she did her best to throw herself into her studies and extracurricular activities, she struggled to concentrate.
Mom, you’ve been gone two weeks now. What are you doing today? Are you enjoying yourself? Are you safe?
She scuffed a small pile of fallen leaves as she trudged across the campus to her next class. The autumn sun was warm overhead but she scarcely felt it. Since voicing her thoughts regarding her mom’s trip and despite the fact that she knew she had been right to do so, she’d had serious second thoughts. Why hadn’t she simply kept those thoughts to herself instead of sharing them with her brother and grandparents? Tyler certainly hadn’t agreed with her, and even her grandmother had looked at her in what appeared to be dismay at her betrayal. But her grandfather’s solemn gaze and curt nod confirmed that she was right. None of them had heartily endorsed her mother’s trip at that point, but at least John Lawson had eased off on his campaign to stop it.
Was I wrong? Brittney shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other as she neared the doorway to her classroom. She knew her mom had arrived safely, as she’d emailed that information to them during one of
the rare times the compound had Internet service. But they’d had no word since then. And that’s what bothered her the most—the inability to communicate with her mother regularly.
Please take care of her, God, Brittney prayed silently as she pulled the door open and stepped inside. She realized then that ever since her mother had announced her intentions of going to Mexico, praying had once again become a regular part of her life.
Maybe that’s a good thing, she thought, as she shrugged out of her backpack and took her seat. I just hope it makes a difference.
JULIA THOUGHT SHE’D never seen anything so lovely. True, the surrounding countryside, especially the rain forest, was breathtaking. But it was the children’s faces—some glowing with excitement and anticipation, some closed off with shyness and mistrust, but all young and impressionable—that qualified as the loveliest sight of all.
She’d been teaching for nearly two weeks now, almost since the moment her feet hit the ground at La Paz Compound. Her hosts had graciously allowed her to unpack and retire early the first night, but after that it had been a sort of “baptism by fire” as she was thrust into the classroom the very next morning.
The challenges had been immediate and complicated. Her students consisted of eleven children, between the ages of six and eleven, five of which were boys and six girls. All spoke Spanish better than she, but she quickly found herself becoming more fluent by the day.
She smiled now, as she stood in front of her eleven charges, heads bent over their papers as they worked on their mathematics test. She’d always said she was more comfortable with older students and didn’t feel qualified to teach the younger grades. It had never occurred to her that she might one day teach not only at an elementary level, but with students who varied in age by five years and who struggled to learn English as a second language.