Chapter Fifteen
Thursday morning I walked into the church’s community hall at ten, the time Trixie Lynn had given me. A number of people bustled around, and it took a few moments to find her. She was walking from group to group, clipboard and pen in hand. She was as put together as ever, in cute pink Bermuda shorts, matching slip-ons, and a blouse festooned with Hello Kitty images.
With her pink headband and frosted hair, she pulled off the look, something I would never even attempt.
She spotted me and came rushing over. “You’re finally here!”
“This is the time you told me to be here,” I said.
“Are you sure? I believe I told you nine. Most of these people have been here since eight, eager to help.”
I let her implication that I was lacking slide, but noted it. There would be time before we left to extract a suitable revenge for the put-downs she’d dished out. She’d never see it coming.
I smiled at her politely. “What would you like me to do?”
“Well, since you’re so late, I’ve put you with the washing crew.” She pointed to a far door. “There’s a big outdoor sink and hose around the corner there. Things have already stacked up. There’s also a few rugs that need to be beaten before they can be vacuumed. You do know how to beat a rug, don’t you?”
“Do squirrels have a climbing gear?” I responded. How hard could beating a rug be?
“Huh?” Frown lines appeared on her forehead.
“Leave it to me,” I said.
As I walked outside, I realized the washing crew consisted of one person: me.
Revenge was going to be so sweet.
The image of all that pinkness dumped into a manure pile made me smile.
But I was here to help the church, so I’d best get to it.
Taking the old-fashioned rug beater someone had thoughtfully provided, I took aim at one of the rugs hung over a temporarily strung clothesline and hit it solidly.
Dust immediately covered me and puffed into the air. I felt like Pigpen in the old Peanuts comic strip.
I started coughing, and my eyes teared up.
Someone ran toward me, speaking rapid Spanish as she handed me a bottle of water. She tugged me away from the cloud of dust.
Uncapping the bottle, I took a good swig and the coughing subsided.
With a smile, she led me to the sink and gestured to my face.
I had a good idea of what she meant, so I ran the water and washed off the dirt. It was dripping, and I looked around for a towel.
She shrugged and said something in Spanish.
“Air dry, huh?” I said, waving my hands around my face.
She nodded and grinned.
She was a beautiful woman, somewhere in her late forties or fifties if I had to guess. Her hair was a glossy black, and she’d taken time with her makeup, including bright red lipstick on her still-full lips.
“Gracias,” I said.
“De nada.”
Then we stood for a few moments in that hopeless stance of people who’d really like to communicate but can’t because of a language barrier.
I wondered what her story was.
“There you are!” An older woman, her black hair graying, and her life etched on her face came rushing from the church. She switched to Spanish and exchanged a volume of words and gestures with the woman who’d come to my rescue.
Eventually, she stopped and took a good look at me.
Then she shook her head and held her hand out to my rescuer.
The young woman shook her head and said a word even I could understand: “No!” She turned to me. “I want to help.” She pointed to the rugs and the pile of things that needed cleaning.
More Spanish.
This was getting old. They’d have to sort it out themselves. There was work to do.
I picked up the rug beater and took another swing, far less vigorously this time.
A few moments later the older woman was standing in front of me, impeding my progress.
I gave her a once over. I didn’t know what her problem was with me, but I figured she had one.
“You need to stay away from Rodrigo,” she said.
“That’s up to him,” I said .
“No.” A finger jabbed in my direction. “He is not meant for you.”
I wanted to tell her I already knew that, but I wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction.
Instead I shrugged and took a step to the side. Without giving her a chance to move, I slapped the rug again.
She coughed and gave me the evil eye, something that translated in any language.
I eyed her right back.
She glared.
I swung back the beater and took another shot.
This time she had the good sense to take a step away, although a good bit of dust still landed on her shoulders and ample bosom.
“I am his wife’s sister. That is her cousin.”
I glanced at the young woman who was scrubbing at a cut glass vase.
“Her husband died last year in a scaffolding accident. Someone cut corners, and he died.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“If you are sorry, then you will clear the way for Rodrigo to do his duty and marry her so she is cared for. As you can tell, she speaks practically no English. But she is a hard worker and will make him a good wife, just like my sister did.”
“None of that is up to me. It is up to your cousin and Rodrigo.”
She shook her head. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Do the right thing. Leave him alone. He needs to marry within his people. There are enough gringos.”
I laughed. “What are you thinking? We’re going to have kids? The time is long gone for that.” I held up the rug beater. “This is none of your business. If you want to help your cousin, help her learn English and get a job. And let her live her own life. Now go find someone else to bother. I’ve got work to do.”
Turning my back on her, I gave the rug another thwack, once again delivering more dust than I’d intended.
Frustration had a way of making me forget how strong I am.
“Bravo!” a familiar voice said.
I whipped around to see Rodrigo striding toward me, and in spite of all my resolutions, my heart gave a hop of happiness. The sister-in-law was no longer in sight.
“You are just the person to beat that rug into submission,” he said, then surprised me by kissing my dusty cheek. “I see you have met the dragon lady, my sister-in-law. ”
“Ah, yes, I did.”
“And I suppose she has told you all about my duty to marry my wife’s cousin.”
“Um … yes.”
“Not to worry. The lady doesn’t want to marry me,” Rodrigo said.
“She doesn’t?”
Rodrigo called in Spanish to the woman who was working at the sink.
She answered him and shook her head.
“See?” he asked.
“You could have asked her anything,” I pointed out. “You could have asked her if it was raining.”
Rodrigo sighed and shouted over to the woman.
She turned back. With her soapy hands waving in the air, even I could see she was giving him what for.
When she got to me, she pointed at the man. “Him?” Then she laughed and shook her finger. “No marry.”
Her expression turned hopeful. “You marry?”
“Oh, no,” I said, shaking my head, then mimicked her shaking finger as I said, “No marry.”
She laughed and went back to the sink.
“I’m deeply offended,” he said. “It seems no one wants to marry me.”
“I thought marrying you was a big deal. That it was important so the cousin would be kept out of poverty,” I said.
“She keeps telling them she has a good job at a restaurant and a boyfriend. They don’t think working in a restaurant is good enough for her, and the boyfriend is Black.”
“Oh, dear. The dragon lady must be really disappointed.”
“Oh, she is. But you have nothing to worry about. The cousin and her boyfriend are planning a small wedding next Christmas, so that will be the end of that.”
“Sounds like you had a narrow escape.” Then I spied someone else emerging from the community room.
“Is that all you’re going to do?” Trixie Lynn demanded. “Stand around talking while another person does your work?” She gestured to my new friend.
“I’ve been rug beating.” I took my stance and swung backwards.
Rodrigo had the good sense to step back.
Trixie Lynn wasn’t so bright.
“You did that on purpose!” she said wiping dust from her pink shorts, getting them even dirtier in the process.
I didn’t have to look over to know Rodrigo was stifling a laugh.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You did say it was dirty work.” I gave her the same innocent smile I used to give my parents when I was blaming Liz for something I’d done wrong.
“Why you …” Trixie Lynn sputtered. Then she turned on Rodrigo. “Why are you out here bothering my workers?” She must have realized how harsh she sounded because she injected her next words with sweet honey. “Come back inside, and I’ll show you some of the treasures people have donated. I so appreciated your gift of the Lladró figurines. That was quite a collection.”
“It was my wife’s,” he said.
“How could you bear to part with it?” Trixie Lynn touched her hand to her heart.
She was good. Very good.
“It was time,” he said.
“Well, it was very generous.” She hooked her arm in the crook of his elbow and urged him toward the center. “And Antonia did a great job cleaning them, unlike some people. You have no idea how much work it is to organize …”
They drifted out of sight, and I went back to the rugs.
After some time had passed, I was done and went to help the woman at the sink. We introduced ourselves using a lot of pointing and laughing. I was polishing glassware to a shine when Rodrigo came back out.
“You escaped,” I said.
“It took longer than I’d hoped. She kept going on and on about the collection. I’ve always hated it by the way. Collectables seemed like a long con game.”
“They meant something to our parents,” I said. “And even to us.” I thought about the Gaelsong figurines I’d inherited from my mother. Michael added to the collection when he couldn’t think of anything else to get me for Christmas or my birthday.
“I suppose,” he said. “But none of this is why I came here.”
“Why did you come then?” I hated the flirt in my tone, but he seemed to bring it out in me.
“I’d like to take you to a movie and dinner.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes. I’ve missed you.”
I debated. Miniature golf was one thing. A movie and dinner sounded like a much more serious date .
“Go,” my new friend said with a poke in my back.
“See?” Rodrigo said with a smile. “She knows I’m good for you.”
“But …” I gestured at my filthy self.
“There will be plenty of time for you to go home and get cleaned up.” He moved closer. “I’d like to take you out. Please come with me.”
I couldn’t turn him down.
“Yes,” I said, my aging heart once again going into its aerobic exercises at the thought of spending more time with him.