Two men entered, impeccably attired in expensive suits, beautifully groomed olive skin and dark hair. “Anthony Lozano,” Tony said as he extended his hand to the nearer man.
“Alfred Williams, and this is Nate Smithson.” The three shook hands in turn.
Tony waved his hand through the foyer as he turned. “Please, gentlemen, follow me. We’ll chat in my office.” He led the men into his den. “What can I offer you for refreshment?”
Alfred and Nate looked at each other, all smiles. Nate said, “Actually, we were hoping you might have a bottle of champagne on hand. This is quite a momentous occasion, is it not?” He touched his partner’s arm in an intimate gesture.
“Absolutely!” cried Tony. “And indeed I do. Kind sirs, please make yourselves comfortable, and I’ll be right back.” He headed off into his stylish kitchen, where he retrieved a chilled bottle from his wine cooler, popped the cork, wiped the neck with a fine linen napkin, placed it on a silver server, and added three of the correct stemware. He paused to rub his hands together and then picked up the tray.
“Here we are. Who’d like to pour?”
The three had chatted excitedly through three-quarters of the wine. “Do you have a photo?” asked Nate.
“Not yet. But, tomorrow morning he’ll be in your arms, anyway. Just prolongs the excitement, doesn’t it?” The gay couple exchanged fond looks. “We’ll just get the paperwork signed and out of the way, and funds transferred. The only thing I need from the two of you is to be here tomorrow morning at ten to – ah – take delivery, so to speak.”
Alfred giggled, and the three men raised their glasses in a toast.
Corazon slept on a small twin bed in the nursery with each baby she fostered. Newborns needed such constant attention! She alone cared for each infant from the moment Auggie handed them to her until Mr. Waverly took them away. Although she’d never had children of her own, the time she spent with each new life was her personal paradise. Each moment spent with the little ones was her heaven, her perfection. She never left the nursery during that time, and kept her haven secret. Lupe brought her food and drink, and the door stayed locked until Mr. Waverly was ready. She looked forward to each birth as the most wonderful gift she could ever receive.
This little one was so precious, a tiny young man, beautifully colored light brown skin and dark hair. He was well-formed and of a healthy length and weight. “Gracias a Dios,” she would say as she cuddled him in her arms in the rocking chair. “Vaya con Dios, little man. Vaya con Dios.” The little one squinted at her, tentatively grasping her finger. “Bebito bonito. Such a pretty little one.” She tucked his receiving blanket around him as he drifted back to sleep.
“Mr. Waverly make you so pretty, chiquito.”
Monday afternoon after Bry’s accident, I waited in front of our room for his school bus to arrive. The kids got out at two-thirty and were usually at the Junction at a quarter to four. I heard the yellow-orange vehicle lumbering into the parking lot and I got up and walked toward it as it came into view. Bry and Jessie and Julie piled off, Bry limping a little and carefully walking in a pair of flip-flops Julie had loaned him.
I smiled as they approached me. “How did it go?”
He grinned and said, “Mom, nobody made fun. Everyone wanted to hear about the hot dogs and the burn and the doctor.”
Jessie laughed and added, “Yeah. Now he’s a big shot.” We all laughed.
The girls went to their room, and Bry and I dropped his backpack off at ours. “Ready to go see the doctor again?”
He smiled up at me. “Sure thing, Mom. I like him.”
“I like him too, son. He’s a nice man.”
“Yeah, and some kind of giant, too.”
I laughed at my son. “Well, not really. He’s just tall, and big.” We walked down the sidewalk in front of the row and headed up the driveway.
The good doctor was sitting on his front porch steps and I felt the distinct impression he was waiting for us, as his eyes followed our progresss toward his trailer. “Good afternoon, Maddy and Bryan Brown,” he waved.
Bry limped a little faster. “Hey, careful,” I admonished.
He reached Auggie before me. “Hi, doc. I did real good at school today and I told everyone what happened.”
Auggie laughed and patted his shoulder. “You’re a celebrity, then?”
“Sure am.”
“Well, senor famoso, let’s have a look inside at that wonderful wound, shall we?” He rose up with a little effort and Bry followed him inside.
I saw Auggie look back at me. “Coming too, mom?”
I smiled.
This time he had Bry sit on one of his dinette chairs while he gently removed the gauze. He was extremely careful to not pull the newly forming skin beneath the bandage. I was so proud of Bry, as he never shed a tear or made a sound, just a little wincing of his face as he watched. He’d look at his foot and then at Auggie, who was also watching Bry out of the corner of his eye. I stifled a giggle and cleared my throat.
“Looks pretty good, my man,” Auggie declared. “But I want to do just exactly what we did yesterday, if you don’t mind.” Bry nodded in agreement. Auggie rose from his crouch and retrieved the bowl he’d used yesterday, along with another bottle of antiseptic. “I washed this yesterday after you left, just in case. I thought about making a salad in it.”
“Ewww,” said Bry and broke out in a silly giggle. Auggie smiled at me.
He cleansed the wound again, and reapplied the salve from the blue jar as before. Bry was terribly stoic and I felt that he was rather more interested in Auggie then he was his own problem. “There now,” Auggie said as he’d applied fresh bandage. “You’re set for another day.”
Bryan said, “Thanks, doc. You take real good care of people, don’t you.” His beautiful blue eyes fixed the doctor’s own.
Auggie smiled and bowed. “Thank you, kind sir.” His words washed over me with a tinge of sadness to them.
“Doctor Auggie,” said Bry, “Jessie and Julie told me that you take care of the pregnant ladies who work in the gift shop. That true?”
Auggie sighed deeply. “Yes, Bryan Brown. That is what I do.”
“You don’t take care of a hospital, or something?”
“No, I don’t have to do that anymore. My life is kind of simple.”
“Oh,” said Bry, pensive.
Auggie’s face brightened a little as he looked at me. “Madeleine, could I offer you and Sir Bryan a cold drink?”
“Sure!” cried Bry, before I had a chance. I laughed and added, “sure.”
Bry said quickly, “What’cha got?”
Auggie turned to his small refrigerator. “Well, let’s see. I’ve got orange and cranberry juice, water, and oh yes – two Cokes.”
Bry quickly latched on to one of the Cokes, and I requested orange juice. Auggie winked at me solemnly. “How about a little something extra in that?”
I grinned. “Only if you are too.”
“Oh yes, absolutely. It’s after five somewhere and almost, here.” He mixed our drinks and said, “Let’s go sit out back.”
“Okay if I go back to play with the girls?” asked Bry.
There was a small wooden deck at the rear door of the trailer, unpainted and bleached by the desert sun. A small grill sat on one corner, and a metal trash can nearby held quite an assortment of bottles – mostly glass, mostly liquor. Auggie watched me as I pretended to not notice them. He quickly said, “That’s my recycling bin.”
We laughed together.
13
Guadalupe fixed Mr. Waverly a light breakfast at the House. He finished his coffee alone, sitting at the head of the dining room table, glancing through the city newspaper. His tablet computer rested nearby. He subscribed to the Wall Street Journal online, but still enjoyed the area news in real print. He folded the local paper and laid it beside his cup. “Lupe?” She appeared silently in the doorway to the kitchen. “Thank you very much. A perfect breakfast.”
Corazon was in the nursery with the baby. He entered her domain with a cheerful “Good morning, Cora.”
“Good morning sir. He’s ready to go.” The baby rested, sleeping in a new carrier, cozy in his new blankets. A small shiny diaper bag sat beside him, packed by Corazon that morning with tender care.
Waverly leaned over the baby. “By God, he’s handsome. Don’t you agree?”
“Oh, ciertamente, Senor. Certainly. Very nice.” She busied herself with changing the sheets and covers in the bassinette; a small basket of laundry sat at the far end of her work table.
“Well, we’re off. Your new daddy and daddy are waiting,” Waverly said as he picked up the baby and his luggage. Corazon did not watch them leave.
Tony peered through his front living room window as Waverly pulled up in the circular driveway. He glanced at his Rolex, which read nine o’clock. He out his front door and walked to the car.
Waverly got out of his Lexus. Tony opened the rear door behind the passenger seat and stuck his head in the car. “Man, he is just gorgeous. The guys will be thrilled.” He reached in to unstrap the carrier and lifted it gently. Waverly reached for the diaper bag and the three went into the house.
Back in the den, Tony sat the carrier on the floor, mindful to not wake the sleeping child. Waverly set the bag on Tony’s desk and said, “How about a small libation to celebrate?”
“Help yourself, Richard.” Tony waved vaguely toward his well-stocked wet bar. “I’ll pass, as the new parents will be expecting hugs of congratulations from me and alcohol is the last thing I want them to smell.”
“Good thinking,” said Richard. He reached inside a cabinet and got a plastic cup instead of his usual crystal. “I’ll make this a traveler.” He always left before the new parents arrived. His real interest always lay in the bank balances.
Nate and Alfred arrived at exactly ten o’clock. Tony answered the door, and smiled at the excitement of the two who were absolutely electrified. “Is he here?” whispered Nate, as he and Alfred held hands.
“He sure is. I know you can’t wait.” Tony led them back to the den.
The baby was sound asleep in his carrier. Nate and Alfred approached him cautiously, arms around each other, bursting into tears when they saw him. Nate reached down and picked up the bundle; he and Alfred nestled the baby between them. The little one opened his eyes and saw his new daddies for the very first time.
Tony feigned a damp eye and wiped the side of his face with his hand. “You three look wonderful together. A custom made angel just for you.”
Mr. Waverly spent the rest of the afternoon and night at his house in the city, pleasantly occupied with the company of two ladies from his favorite escort service. This had become his regular and unyielding routine following each parental delivery. He never returned to the Junction until close to noon the next day.
The routine was well-known by the women who lived in the House. They celebrated Waverly’s absence by gathering for a late supper, when all of them were finished with work in the gift shop. Lupe would treat them to fine dining at the fancy table on the main floor of the House.
They helped her set the table with crisp linen and the best china. She cooked them authentic Mexican dishes, saving her best for their delight alone, relaxed and happy while she prepared her specialties, reliving memories of she and her own grandmother working together in her ancestral home. It was reprieve for them all. Lupe also had a standing arrangement with Manny unknown to Waverly, and set him up with the attractive and willing daughter of one of her friends from town for the evening.
Earlier, Lupe had extorted one of the two keys to the basement bedroom from Manny with a specially cooked treat; the other never left Waverly’s pocket. Estrella, released from her pre-pregnancy captivity, beamed in the company of those who were her new sisters, solemnly promising Lupe to return to the dungeon willingly at the appointed time.
Hispanic ladies of varying roundness of belly graced the dining room with their beauty that night. Juanita, Alicia, Miranda, Nadia, Estrella, Elisa, Dolores, Teresa, Graciela, Susana, and Veronica. They missed their sister Leticia and wished her well in their thoughts and prayers, blessing her for surviving and overcoming her ordeal and moving forward with her new life, her abuela by her side. All of them looked forward to their own adventures away from this horrible place, once they had given birth and their trials were over.
Lupe stayed in the dining room, happily serving her coveted cooking. The ladies thanked and praised her efforts over and over again, and she beamed and smiled. The less encumbered girls helped her with dishes of food and later with cleaning, and the air was full of happy laughter and a freshness that helped cleanse the House. As Lupe served Mexican fried ice cream for her final course, the girls all sat round the table. Lupe joined them when she finished serving. Juanita, one of the oldest present, tapped with her dessert spoon on her water glass; the water within sparkled in the candlelight. The lively chatter died quickly as the ladies gave their full attention to her.
Juanita cleared her throat. “Gracias a Dios that we are all here together once more.” Each girl smiled, several murmured blessings. “Time goes by quickly here, no?” She paused to draw her napkin from her lap, fold it and lay it beside her dessert plate. “Time goes by quickly, yes. Those friends we have made who are not here are the proof we need that we will eventually escape from this place.”
The girls nodded assent. Alicia added, “Did any of you know where Leticia was going?”
Nadia spoke up. “She used to talk about California a lot – she especially wanted to take her Abuela to someplace called Eureka.” A couple of the women made murmurs of recognition.
“Bueno,” continued Juanita. “I know we all hope she will be happy, wherever they end up. All of us are here in this horrible place for the same reason. We all want a new life. And we made a deal with El Diablo to do it.”
Nods and words of solace darted between the candelabra.
“There is one thing I know we have all wondered about,” Juanita added. “The new white woman, the gringa, that has come to the Junction to work for Mrs. Waverly.” She looked around the table. “We’ve all met her, I think? If you haven’t, there are only three gringas in the oficina with Mrs. Evelyn – and two of them are the old hens that live close by and drive in to work. We all know THEM.” Several of the girls giggled.
“Yes. Well,” she continued, “the gringa who is new is the pretty young woman. The one with the little blonde boy.”
Dolores commented, “He’s a cute little guy.”
Teresa added, “He and Julie and Jessie are good friends, too.”
Juanita went on. “Yes. He is precioso. She is lucky to have him – he seems muy intelligente, very smart. He is always so polite when he comes into the shop.” Nods of assent.
“I think we will all agree that there is something very different about this woman. I see that she has had a hard life, just like us. You can see it in her eyes and sometimes in the way she moves. I have wanted to speak with her many, many times, but they always keep her so busy in the oficina and then you know how busy the Mr. keeps us in the shop. Always watching.” All of the ladies began speaking at once, the illness of being overworked a shared malady.
Juanita raised her hands to quiet them. “Yes. On this we all agree. But, back to the woman – Susana, what is her name? You’ve talked to her a few times.”
Susana leaned forward in her chair. “I hear Mrs. Evelyn call her Maddy. I think to myself it is a funny name, and wonder if she is mad a lot.” Several ladies giggled.
“No, no.” Juanita resumed command. “It has nada to do with being mad. I know that this is a short name for another – Lupe, you have heard this longer name.”
Lupe spoke up. “It is short, I believe, for Mad-e-line.” The ladies nodded, happy to know the difference.
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“Yes. That is it. Mad-e-line. What I want all of you to know, is that she is different. She is special in some way that I don’t comprende but that I believe with my whole heart. Leticia told me that she had touched her hand when she first came here, and Leticia believed that she came here to help us.”
At this, conversation rose and would not be quelled. The women chattered excitedly for many minutes, ripe with their own fullness and pregnant with expectation. Speculation was rampant and many of the beautiful brown eyes were happy with anticipation for the first time in days, weeks, or months.
Lupe listened carefully to the excited chatter and vibrant hopes bouncing around the table.
14
Estrella sat on one of the side benches as Auggie sat on another, looking down at the little bar of plastic in his hand. “Pregnant,” he announced cheerfully. She sighed with relief and stood up.
“This means I can move out of here, yes, Doctor?”
Auggie stood up and smiled. “Yes, love, it sure does. Come on, I’ll take you upstairs to Lupe. She’ll get you into your new room, and you’ll probably spend the rest of the day with her as she shows you all around the House and tells you about your responsibilities.” He led her out into the hallway, shutting off the light and closing the door behind them. He pulled the key out of the lock to give back to Richard.
They climbed the back stairs, and found Lupe in the kitchen. “Good morning dear Guadalupe,” said Auggie cheerfully.
“Buenas dias, Doctor Auggie. Como estas?” A rare smile brightened her face.
“Muy bien, gracias querida.” He put his big hand on Estrella’s shoulder. “Good news, she can move in up here today. Do you have time to take care of her?”
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