by Lorin Grace
André translated their directions to the other children, and within seconds the hallway was cleared of children, only the adults remaining. Marci had talked to the matrons, apparently explaining the use of the frames. Araceli wasn’t sure if they were pleased or confused at the notion. Jade stood off in the corner talking with Ryan and Tanner.
A hand on her elbow brought Araceli’s attention back to Kyle. “How is André working out as a translator?”
“As you saw, he seems to be getting the message to the other children. What will he do after he ages out?”
“With his English skills, I would like to see him continue his education in the United States and then come back to help his country. I am working on a program to match sponsors and students who wish to further their education.”
Marci tapped Araceli on the shoulder. ‘‘Jade claims she needs me to translate for the sewing group. Do you still need me?”
Araceli couldn’t decide whether Marci was silently pleading for her to say yes.
“I could always use your help, but if Jade needs you more, I understand. Thanks for your help. I’m impressed that you guys could work from my messy sketchbooks.” Araceli turned to Kyle. “Your sister could choose art school if she wants. Marci is very talented.”
‘‘No, thanks! I want to go into special education. There is such a need here. Many children don’t have the chance to even learn the basics because even basic physical disabilities hamper their education. Anyway, I’ll be back up if Jade doesn’t really need me. EmilyAnne says she is going to keep painting.” Marci headed for the closest stairway.
Kyle took Araceli’s hand. “I really am impressed with what you accomplished today. You should have heard Martin telling me how you drove this huge nail in the wall and broke it to pieces. I am glad the director was still out. He might have had a heart attack.”
“The look on your face when you reached the top of the ramp was priceless.”
“I am finished with what I needed to do in the office today. Do you mind if I help?”
“It depends on how attached you are to this shirt.” Araceli plucked at the sleeve of his white button-down.
Kyle glanced at her hand. “I have a couple T-shirts in the office I can change into. “
“Then, sure. The more, the merrier. I think we are on track to finish by Wednesday afternoon. How long is our group staying today?”
“I’d like to leave at five thirty, when the children have dinner.”
“We can paint until a quarter till five. I want things to be dry when we leave.”
The children started to emerge from the dormitories. Araceli found André and began giving directions.
The volunteer crew looked like they could fall asleep any moment. Boyd high-fived the men and Haitian workers. Not only had they finished sealing the roof, they’d reinstalled the solar panels before the next cloudburst. Tanner had measured both kitchens twice and was telling his plans for the remodel to anyone who would give him half an ear.
They climbed into the vans. Kyle smiled when Jade chose to take the other van with Boyd and Tanner, leaving enough room for him to slide into the middle seat next to Araceli. She tried to hide a yawn. A few dots of paint marked her face, giving her an impish air. A tired imp.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize I was so tired.”
“You worked hard today. I’m not sure how comfortable my shoulder is, but Marci has managed to fall asleep on it before.”
Araceli poked his shoulder with her index finger. “I guess it will do.”
The vans bounced along the dirt road, although they slowed down for the pipe, but this time there was no scraping sound as the van cleared the dip.
The driver cheered. “You good fix hole.”
“Now if we could fill the rest of the road,” said Madison as they hit a particularly deep pothole.
Marci half turned in the front seat. “I have wondered what some FDR-style projects would do for this country. Build roads, repair the wells installed after the earthquake, and fix some of the power and uneven infrastructure. Providing jobs for so many people could help.”
Kyle didn’t answer his sister. There was no point in debating the pros and cons of such a venture when they had no control over the outcome. Araceli leaned into his arm. Before she could entirely fall asleep, he moved his arm around her shoulder and angled his body to better cushion her.
“Thanks,” she whispered without opening her eyes, her head resting above his heart. Could she hear it speed up?
The inside of the van grew silent as everyone slipped into their own thoughts or partial slumber.
Traffic was heavy but not unusual for a Monday. Moto taxis zipped between tap taps and the government cars with their flashing lights and sirens, though the latter were largely ineffectual in clearing a path. Soon the two-lane road swelled to six lanes of traffic crawling through the city. Plantain-chip sellers hawked their wares at passenger windows.
Kyle dug two dollars out of his pocket. “Marci.” When she turned, he handed her the money and pointed to a seller in front of them. Marci pulled another couple bucks out of her pack, rolled down the window, and waved down a man dressed in a blue button-down and balancing a basket on his head.
“How much?” she asked in Haitian Creole.
The man responded in English. “My mother makes the best chips in all of Haiti.”
“How much?” Marci repeated in English.
“For the pretty lady who ask in my language, one dollar.”
Marci held up the four dollars. He gave her five bags. “Extra because you are a nice lady.”
“Or because you hiked the price up,” Kyle muttered.
Marci closed the window. “Of course he hiked the price up, but his mother will be happy.”
“If he has one.”
“Of course he does. She just might not have seen him for years.” Marci smiled and handed him two bags. “Treats for the games tonight?”
“Of course.”
Kyle leaned back against the headrest. How different this was than fighting the traffic on the LBJ in Dallas. It would take them as long to get to where they were going, but it felt more relaxed. Araceli sighed in her sleep. Kyle brushed a hair out of her face. He couldn’t resist pulling the strand and letting it spring back. Sitting like this for another forty minutes or so was going to be a pleasure. A feeling he hadn’t felt for months filled him. Contentment. It was a nice place to be.
Araceli batted at the hand trying to wake her. The dream was too lovely to give up yet.
“Celi, ma belle, wake up.”
No, I’d rather stay right here with Kyle.
The hand on her shoulder shook her again. “Araceli.”
She opened her eyes. Or had she? She was still very much in Kyle’s arms.
He chuckled.
The pillow she had been using rumbled.
Had she drooled in her sleep? Please, no.
“We are almost there.”
The driver honked, and the guesthouse guards rolled back the gate. Araceli sat up, the rest of the passengers were at least pretending not to pay any attention to them. Relief filled her at not seeing any moisture trailing down Kyle’s shirt.
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “You picked up a crease line from my shirt.
She raised her hand, trapping his. Someone opened the van door. It may have been the light, but for a moment she could have sworn she saw something like desire in his eyes before he pulled his hand away, bringing hers with it.
Kyle adjusted his hand, linking it with hers. “Come on.”
If only reality would end the same way her dream almost had.
seventeen
Kyle stepped out of the shower, his flip-flops squeaking against the tile floor. He dried himself off an
d reapplied mosquito repellent. One of the few things he didn’t enjoy about Haiti was the constant need to wear the odious cologne, but the little pests had a peculiar affinity for him. One had managed to bite him on the palm of his hand last visit. Unlike many of the volunteers, he chose not to wear shorts most of the trip, as his pretreated pants offered him better protection.
The guesthouse did a great job of keeping the mosquitoes out, but a few unguarded seconds was all it took to be bitten. But that was not the itch bothering him now. Ever since Araceli had fallen asleep in his arms last evening on the drive back from the orphanage, he wanted to spend more time with her. Last night they’d ended up on separate teams for Pictionary, a game she should be banned from on principle. He hadn’t managed another moment alone with her all evening.
One of his old T-shirts would do for today. If Tanner didn’t need him on the remodel, he could go paint. He needed to go to the building supply with the men this morning to purchase fixtures, so he wouldn’t get to ride in the same van as Araceli, but if he were lucky, he might catch a moment or two with her before breakfast.
“Hey, guys, the vans will be here in an hour.” He knocked on the ends of the bunks as he made his way to the door. He could hear his sister and several of the other women in the dining room below. Their voices crescendoed as he descended the stairs.
“Here is Kyle. He can decide.” Jade raised her fork in his direction. “We were discussing an alternative to going to Jacmel on Thursday.”
Kyle picked up a plate and looked over the buffet. “As I explained, I need to go to Jacmel on an assignment. So we are taking all of you to the southern coast.”
“Why do we have to go with you? Why can’t one van go north to Labadee and the other down to Jacmel? Marci can go with us, and you can still go south.”
After adding one more piece of mango to his plate, Kyle sat next to his sister, as Araceli was sandwiched between Madison and Kate. “What do you think of this plan?” he asked his sister.
“I don’t care much, but I would like to show EmilyAnne Labadee. After experiencing the real Haiti, seeing the tourist version almost makes you wonder if you are in the same country. We hardly need an interpreter to go to cruise-ship town anyway.”
“Last night Tanner asked me about skipping the Jacmel excursion as he wants the time to work on the kitchen. Since the director will be around, I was going to make sure he could be available to supervise and interpret if necessary. So maybe we need to have a discussion once the rest of them get down here.”
Jade smiled triumphantly.
Kyle suppressed a sigh. More than likely, Jade would get her way. He turned his attention to Araceli and was rewarded with a smile.
“It’s a trap,” mouthed Araceli before taking a sip of her water.
“I know,” he mouthed back. It was nice to have an ally.
“All last night we listened to Jade outline the wonders of Labadee.” Madison used her fingers to number the points. “Swimming in the ocean, shopping, dining, the scenery, and a chance to relax. What do you have to say to entice us to go to Jacmel? Marci didn’t seem to know, other than what you had already told us about going to some school.”
Kyle set down his fork. “There is ocean down there too. The school is a project one of the board members has taken on. This particular board member has a huge heart but a limited pocketbook. She helped the mothers fill out an application for one of the foundation’s grants. We were somewhat surprised at how little they asked for. The school is largely funded by the mothers’ own efforts. They sell various handicrafts and do odd jobs to keep the school running. They added a small flock of chickens and are looking to expand their fold so they can not only use the eggs to feed the school children but sell them to help cover the cost of the teacher. I want to visit to determine what needs we can help with without undermining the efforts of the mothers. I was supposed to visit last month, but some other things came up. I can’t skip this.”
“Is this one of those delicate-line issues you were discussing between giving a hand up and a handout?” asked Chelsea.
“I think so. The mothers are going to a lot of work to keep their children in school. We want to help them to do that, as the alternative is—” To be blunt or not? Kyle always struggled with this part of the conversation. “Children who are not educated end up working. Many times, they end up being a restavek—a type of houseslave that is almost always over worked, underfed, and often abused. The mother may believe she has found a job for her son or daughter, or she may even know to some extent as she may have been a restavek herself. It is estimated more than one in fifteen Haitian children live in slavery.”
Araceli set her spoon down. “How can the mothers let that happen?”
“When it comes down to a choice between putting food in your children’s mouths and sending an older child off to live with an ‘uncle’ to work and be fed, desperation takes over. I imagine they try not to think too hard about what could happen.”
Marci joined the conversation. “The sad thing is so many mothers believe the lie that their children are better off in an orphanage than with them. The cycle perpetuates itself. And you end up with three and four generations of children being raised by orphanages. And no matter how hard we try, in the end an employee’s love will never be the same as a mother’s.”
All the men had arrived during the conversation. The women remained around the table. “As soon as y’all get your food, we will have a short meeting,” Kyle instructed them all.
Most of the women cleared their dishes while they waited.
“A proposal has been made that on Thursday we divide into two groups so y’all can visit the resort town of Labadee. Tanner asked last night if he could continue to work on the kitchens as he is afraid that taking a day off will put him behind. I told him I would talk with the director today. I still need to go to Jacmel. So, I would like to know what y’all want to do.”
Brandon raised his hand. “If Tanner needs help, I would rather help him.”
“I already told Tanner I’d work with him,” said Boyd.
“I’ll second that. Although it would be nice to do some sightseeing, I want to leave on Saturday knowing everything is finished,” said Ryan.
“So, we have six seats in the van. Though it’s likely they won’t, Marci needs to go with the resort group in case they need an interpreter. EmilyAnne, would you rather go with Marci?”
EmilyAnne gave an affirmative nod.
“That leaves four seats. Who wants to go north?”
Jade, Chelsea, and Kate raised their hands immediately.
“Madison and Araceli, do you want to go to Jacmel, then?”
Madison answered first. “I am torn. I want to go to both.”
“I have been looking forward to seeing how the school runs. Your mother mentioned it when we talked.” Araceli gave a little smile.
Kyle thought Madison had poked Araceli under the table. “I’ll talk with the drivers and the director today and let you know tonight if the plan is going to work.” He looked at his watch. “The vans should be here in fifteen minutes. My van will be going to the lumber supply, Marci’s straight to the orphanage. Araceli, do you need any more supplies?”
“I could use some sponge brushes.”
“Then come with us. Anything else?”
There were a few head shakes.
“Okay, fifteen minutes.”
Kyle grabbed a bottle of water to brush his teeth before following the others upstairs. He couldn’t recall looking forward to the lumber store quite so much. Even with the guys, he would get a bit of time with Araceli.
The handprint animals had looked easier to create on Pinterest. Even with Marci and Kyle explaining to the workers and children and with the pictures she’d printed, the elephant and the giraffe resembled aardvarks more than they did
their own species. If it wasn’t for the giggles of the children as they finger painted spots on lions and stripes on bears, Araceli might have given up in frustration. The morning was carefully coordinated so that after each child finished their animal, they were whisked away for their bath. The baby gates at the end of the hallway kept freshly bathed children from returning for another round.
“I think Darwin missed this one.” Kyle pointed to an animal that may have been an octopus more than any mammal known to roam the seven continents.
Marci painted an eye on the animal. “You mean the octopotomus? Really, brother, you need to watch more Animal Planet. Last week they featured it after the elusive spotted ape.”
“Don’t forget the pandaroo,” called Madison.
“Or the zebrino.” Kate pressed a child’s hand to the wall and received a squeal of laughter as thanks.
Hands on her hips, the head nursery matron spoke with Kyle. Araceli watched as his words defused the woman’s anger.
After she left, Kyle turned to the group. “She says no more. The paint is too hard to get off, and the children are trying to paint the other walls with water.”
“Oops. I didn’t see that one coming. But then, I tested the idea with my nephew over Skype.” Araceli cleaned her hand with a baby wipe.
Madison looked up from where she was adding eyes to her animal. “We could finish them ourselves. We might even get an elephant with a trunk.”
“I was going to let the older children help, but if it is hard to clean off . . .”
Kyle stretched as he stood. Araceli’s heart gave an extra couple of beats of appreciation for the muscle tone the old T-shirt showed off. “Have you promised the older children they could make animals, or even mentioned it?”