by Ruben Soto
Jennifer and Enrique walked out the door and got into the Mercedes Benz. They then drove off and their adventure was about to start. Lupe couldn’t help herself and as soon as they drove off she started telling Alejandra everything. Alejandra couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Jennifer was going out with this stranger who she had just met a week ago. What would happen when Roberto got back? How would she be able to hide this from him? Lupe told Alejandra not to tell her mother since she was Jennifer’s friend. The nice family environment was almost gone. The Del Castillo household would never be the same.
Alejandra could hear Robert calling for his mother so she went upstairs to tell him she was there. Robert loved Alejandra as if she were his aunt. She spoiled both of the kids and she would do anything to please them. She had been with them for about a year and she grew close to Jennifer too. She respected Jennifer and couldn’t believe what Lupe had just told her about her changing behavior.
Jennifer took Enrique first to have breakfast because she knew he was hungry. She took him to Mi Tierra Restaurant that is famous for its morning breakfast tacos. They were seated at one of the restaurant’s booths and ordered their meals. They talked briefly about how the cabinets were coming along and how he planned to complete the whole project in about a month.
She talked about her kids and how much she loved them. She talked about her life in Monterrey and how her dream finally came true when she married Roberto. She told him that although she was getting accustomed to life in America she still missed the warmth of Mexico’s culture. She found life in San Antonio to be too structured and people kept to themselves. In Monterrey she knew everyone in her neighborhood and people were friendlier overall. She did most of the talking and Enrique was capturing everything she said. He was learning more about her.
They left the restaurant and headed for the River Walk. They parked at the Rivercenter mall’s parking, which is adjacent to the River Walk. Jennifer loved to stroll through the shops. Enrique was in awe seeing all of these shops and the tourists passing by. Everything looked so modern and being with Jennifer made it that more special.
Jennifer wanted him to experience the rides on the barges. She purchased their tickets and they waited in a long line until their turn came. They got on the barge and the tour guide began telling them about the river’s history and how it tied into the city’s history. Enrique looked over to glance at Jennifer. A cool breeze passed between them. She got closer to him since she was feeling chilly. He truly was enjoying this special moment. The barge passed through the outdoor restaurants and he saw many people having lunch. He didn’t realize that the River Walk was so romantic. He imagined he was in Venice. Jennifer told him that they would have lunch at one of these restaurants and it would be his choice.
After the barge ride they walked back to the restaurant area. Enrique chose a restaurant that served typical Texas food. They sat down to order a meal that consisted of Texas-sized steaks, baked potatoes, cornbread, and a salad. He loved to eat steaks so this was a special treat for him. Jennifer was treating him today so he was splurging. They sat outside by the river and they watched people go by. They saw many boats passing by full of tourists. They would wave every time one of these boats passed by. He noticed there were people from all over the world visiting the River Walk. This would become of his favorite places to hang out. He was truly having fun. Something he hadn’t done in a long time. He was finally in a nice restaurant dining with a decent woman. If only he could live this way and experience it every day.
They finished their meal and now Jennifer wanted to find out more about Enrique. She wanted to know who this mysterious man was. He was so adventurous and had such a free spirit. Surely he must have had an exciting life full of different types of experiences. She wanted to know if he had left a family behind. She wanted to know if there was a special woman in his life. She wanted to know how he became so well mannered and educated. She was about to find out more about his life.
“So, Enrique now it’s my turn. I want to find out about you. You already know a lot about me. In fact you know more about me than anybody else. First of all, where were you born?”
Enrique looked at her knowing full well that this was eventually coming. He knew she was intrigued by him and wasn’t going to stop until he told her about his life. He didn’t want to keep anything away from her. He would reveal some of his most intimate secrets to her. He knew she would be so fascinated by these that she would have no other recourse than to fall more in love with him. Was he falling in love with her? This had only happened to him once before. He didn’t believe in love again after that painful experience.
“I was born in Saltillo but I was raised in Mexico City. I never knew my father. He doesn’t even know I exist. My mother never talked to me about him at all. In fact I didn’t know my mother very well either. My mother was an alcoholic and she saw me as a burden. I reminded her of my father. She was in love with him but he didn’t feel the same way. She told me once that I looked a lot like him. I was a constant reminder of that lost love that she was trying so hard to forget.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. I can relate somewhat to that.” Jennifer thought of her own father.
“I was always a good student and the teachers recognized that. One of my teachers saw how my mother was ignoring me. In fact it probably qualified as child abuse. My clothes were always dirty and I hardly ate. I still don’t know how she got money to buy liquor, but there was none left for food. Some of the neighborhood ladies would feed me from time to time. But I just learned to live without food. I would drink lots of water and grab some fruits from the surrounding trees.”
This was painful for Enrique since he was not used to talking about his personal life. He had learned long ago to refrain from showing any emotion.
“With that teacher’s assistance I was awarded a scholarship to a Catholic boarding school for the poor in Mexico City. This special school existed because of a nun’s dream. Sister Maria knew that the country had a high rate of kids who lived in poverty. She wanted to change that. She wanted to give those kids a chance to succeed in life. It took her many years but she was able to convince the government to establish this school.”
“With Sister Maria’s efforts many wealthy families in Europe helped support the school. Each child was in turn sponsored by a family. With their money we were able to buy our clothes and books. The Brandenburg family from Germany was my sponsor throughout my years at the school. I never met them, but I named my business after them as a gratitude for what they did for me.”
Enrique’s eyes were watering as he was recalling his painful childhood.
Jennifer was getting emotional listening to his story. Now she knew why his business had that name. She was looking intently in his eyes and she wanted him to go on with the story. She could visualize everything he was telling her.
“I lived in the dorms until I graduated. My classmates became my immediate family. Some of them went to Europe after graduation to meet their sponsors. Many of them stayed there and are very successful. The school has produced many doctors, attorneys and entrepreneurs who are now helping to support it financially. We all consider Sister Maria our adopted mother. She was always very encouraging to all of us.”
“The school was up to par with all of the upper class private schools in Mexico. We studied the same materials and we were taught the proper manners and etiquette necessary to be successful in life. I loved to sing and I won the school’s talent contest one year. I was twelve years old and I sang an old romantic song. I was so happy. My prize was a brand new pair of shoes. It was the best thing that had ever happened to me.”
Tears were coming down Jennifer’s cheeks. This story was much too moving and she could not contain herself. She could not imagine what it would be like to grow up without either your mother or father.
“I always had an aptitude for working with my hands. I was artistically inclined but I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a decent livi
ng being an artist. I loved to paint and my paintings were always attracting many people’s attention. But, as you know, in Mexico it’s hard to make it in that field. It doesn’t matter how good you are. So, I had to find my niche and that’s how I got into carpentry and construction. At fifteen I helped build many of the schools’ new buildings. I designed and planned them myself. Sister Maria and the school staff were in complete amazement at my abilities. I knew she had a special place in her heart for me. I could see it by the way she treated me. You don’t know how much I love that woman. She is truly a gift from God.”
Enrique continued relaying his story. He told Jennifer how he dreamed of owning a huge construction company in Mexico. He got a taste of this when he was assigned to head the construction of some housing projects when he was only seventeen. He was paid well for this and he learned to save and invest his money. This was something Sister Maria taught all of the students. He also learned to be very independent because once he left the school he would be on his own.
Since he never had a real family, he was very indifferent towards family events and holidays. He learned not to trust anybody and to rely only on himself. He took life one day at a time. He also told her how he studied this art of cabinetmaking with a renowned cabinetmaker from Italy. He immediately knew that this was his ticket to success. He would combine both his artistic and construction skills to create beautiful cabinets.
“So what made you come to the United States?”
Enrique wanted to keep certain things to himself. He didn’t want Jennifer to know every single detail of his life. He wasn’t about to divulge certain information that she could use against him in the future. He still didn’t know how far his friendship with Jennifer would go. If they were to break off in the future and she got hurt, she could use this information against him.
“Well, as you’re well aware, Mexico’s economy hasn’t been good these last years. For a while I built cabinets for the rich in various cities. I was getting referrals left and right. The problem is that the wealthy there are very tight with their money. They don’t take my profession seriously. They see me as a laborer, not as an entrepreneur. I took the jobs because I had no other way of making a decent living. But they were getting away with murder. I don’t even want to tell you what they were paying me.”
“I had always heard that America was the land of opportunity and many of my classmates had already come here. For many of them it was hard making it, but others were able to find jobs. I decided I was going to America to make lots of money. I would then be able to return to Mexico and start my own construction company. And you know that the process for getting visas is not easy, so I came into the country with a temporary passport. It has since expired and now it’s harder to apply for the new laser visas. But now that I’m here, I don’t want to go back.”
Jennifer still had doubts about his full story. Did he have a wife or a girlfriend? Surely a handsome guy like him had to leave someone behind. She now knew why he was so well-educated and cultured. But she wanted to know more about him. What was his true motivation in life and where did he see himself in the future? What did he think about love and did he ever expect to get married? But she also wanted to know how many women he had loved.
“Have you ever been married and do you have any children?”
Enrique stared straight into her eyes knowing what kind of answer she wanted to hear. He couldn’t help smile since he found the question silly at this point.
“No, to answer both of your questions. I didn’t want to be tied down while I was pursuing my dream. I’ve had many women who I shared special relationships with. But I never let them lead into anything serious. I’m not ready for marriage just yet. I want to be able to provide my future wife and family with a decent lifestyle.”
His answer was to the point but Jennifer still thought that he was a Don Juan. She didn’t really think he was ever going to get married. He was enjoying this stage in his life since he was good looking and charming. He would probably remain this way for several years. She didn’t think he’d be able to be loyal to just one woman. He must have many other secrets that he wasn’t going to disclose to her? But she would eventually bring them out of him.
They continued talking for a while and then Jennifer suggested they visit other attractions that were close by. She didn’t want to ask too many questions today. She would slowly find out more about this mysterious man who had come unexpectedly into her life.
They visited the Alamo, which is a shrine commemorating a famous war between Texas and Mexico. They went up to the Tower of the Americas and then walked through the city’s historic downtown area. Enrique noticed that it was getting late and he told her it was too late to look for an apartment. She told him not to worry since she had already leased an apartment in her name. He was startled by her revelation. When did she do this and what did she have in mind?
They headed back to the house since she didn’t want the kids to worry. She also wanted to know if anyone had called. Her cell phone didn’t ring once throughout the day. She didn’t want to call the house either. This was going to be a special day for her and she was going to enjoy it.
Jennifer and Enrique arrived at the mansion and Lupe and Alejandra were in the living room talking. They got up as soon as they saw them walking in. They noticed how tanned they both were from spending the day out in the sun. Enrique gave Lupe a sarcastic smile since he knew what she was thinking. Alejandra was very polite as usual.
She told Jennifer that no one called and the kids were in the family room watching television. Lupe and Alejandra were wondering what else had happened between Jennifer and Enrique. What a scandal this would cause if it ever leaked out to Roberto.
Enrique went into his room to take a shower and then he was going to take a nap. He was planning on dining in a fine restaurant and then maybe heading out to a club. He had never been to a nice club in the city. He always went with his friends to cheap bars and he got bored since he didn’t drink. Those places didn’t attract the type of people he wanted to be with. He was a health nut and made his own natural fruit drinks. He believed this was one way of maintaining his healthy appearance. It was a good habit that Sister Maria taught him.
Jennifer asked if Roberto had called and they said he hadn’t. She found it strange because he knew how much she worried. She knew Chicago was a very large city. She could picture him walking through the streets and getting mugged. She didn’t call him for fear he may be in the middle of a conference. She was always accustomed to having him call her whenever he traveled.
***
Roberto was walking down Michigan Avenue together with his new mistress. Her name was Lisa, a petite with bleached blonde hair. It was almost as if she was his temporary replacement for Jennifer. Lisa was in her early thirties and she had been a topless dancer in her younger years. Her only goal now was to give momentary pleasure to wealthy men like Roberto. She was somewhat attractive and they made an elegant couple as they walked together. She understood that her relationship with Roberto was purely business. Many times she would wonder what it would feel like to be loved. This was not love. Roberto could drop her at any time and she would have to find someone new.
They walked inside Marshall Fields and he bought her new clothes and shoes. She was ecstatic since she had never been to any other place besides San Antonio and other nearby cities. They then stopped by the store’s bakery to have some coffee and pastries. Many thoughts were going through Roberto’s mind. He was cheating on Jennifer for the first time. He didn’t know whether he was feeling guilty or enjoying himself so much for doing something out of the ordinary. Whatever it was he knew he would be able to go back to Jennifer and give their marriage another try. But first he needed to do this.
***
Jennifer saw Enrique getting ready to leave and she asked him where he was going. He told her what his plans were for the evening. She told him to pack his belongings since she was taking him to his new apartment in
the morning. She didn’t want Roberto to know that he had spent the last few days in their house. Enrique was delighted to hear her say that. He assured her he would be ready tomorrow. She kept wondering where he was going. She still didn’t completely trust him but she started feeling as if he already belonged to her.
***
Enrique went to eat at a popular seafood restaurant near the house. He happened to notice it one day as he was driving by. He looked around and the crowd was very diverse but trendy. How he wished that Jennifer was sitting across from him. But he knew they couldn’t spend the whole day together. It could be risky, since someone Jennifer knew may see them. He started wondering what the apartment looked like and where it was located. Was Jennifer planning on making him her lover? The idea didn’t faze him since being with her would be like being in heaven.
After dinner he decided to head out to a large bookstore. He wanted to glance through some books and see what was new in music. He got there and it was crowded since it was a Saturday night. He decided to get a smoothie drink at the café and he sat down to enjoy it. He picked up a book and started reading it and stayed until the bookstore closed. He decided to forgo the idea to go to a club. He really didn’t know which club to go to anyhow.
When he got home he noticed that Jennifer’s car was outside. He went inside expecting to see her but he figured she was already in her room. He walked to the kitchen and saw how he was progressing in completing the cabinets. He stared at them and started to think about Jennifer. How wonderful fate had been to have introduced her to him. He went inside his room and listened to the radio until he fell asleep.