“No, no. Té.”
Once again, she pulled out a small cotton sack full of teabags, placing it on the table. How could I forget the woman who only drinks tea? I boiled some water and then refilled my cup with the last of the coffee. I wasn’t going anywhere near her suspicious sachets. It took a whole pot of coffee to vanquish my headache.
“¿David está aquí?” Glancing around, she appeared to be looking for David.
“David isn’t here,” I replied, pausing for a moment. I pointed to the floor, shaking my head, “No in casa.”
She gave me an odd look.
“I don't know where he went… no dónde.” Throwing my hands in the air, I shrugged my shoulders, hoping she would understand what I meant by the gesture.
As we sat drinking our beverages, she gazed up at me every few seconds and gave me a half smile. She seemed nervous around me, but I couldn't figure out why. I was trying my best to converse with her and thought I gave off a friendly vibe.
For fifteen minutes, we sat in uncomfortable silence until David came waltzing through the door. Conchita immediately jumped up to greet him as a faithful dog does for his master. I waited to see if maybe she was also going to lick his face.
I watched as he enveloped her in another welcoming hug. David was a hugger and hugged everyone he met. I assumed he did it to make her feel comfortable and put her at ease. They exchanged a handful of animated words for a minute. I deciphered three of them.
David walked over to the table and bent down, giving me a half hug and a tiny peck on the cheek. “Conchita said she's here to help you unpack the boxes.”
“Okay,” slightly pulling away, my eyes darting between them. “Where have you been all morning?”
“Slim needed my help with something and then I stopped at the nursery on the way back. I picked up some new plants and flowers for the garden. Wait until you see them.” Smiling, he filled his water bottle and headed back out the door.
Conchita and I spent the next few hours unpacking most of the boxes and putting things away. One box remained closed and I set it next to the futon in the corner. Conchita had accidentally opened it and started pulling out David’s folders full of paperwork. She may not have understood the word ‘private’ scribbled on it in blue ink.
When I put the files back in the box, I couldn't help notice one of the folders labeled ‘insurance.’ It caught my eye because it had my name written on the front of it. Conchita watched closely as I paused briefly, studying it. At that moment, I had offered to make us lunch but she quickly stood up, mumbling something about an autobús and casa.
She gathered her bag, waved at me, and then showed herself out the door. I went over to the sink to rinse out the cups and gazed out the kitchen window. David was kneeling on the ground with an array of flowering plants by his side. Conchita walked over to him and he immediately jumped to his feet, brushing himself off.
She pointed to the plants and he motioned toward the garden. They continued chatting for a few minutes. She reached out and gave him a hug and then proceeded to walk down the driveway toward the main road.
David glanced over his shoulder and saw me through the kitchen window. He stood for a moment, glaring at me, and then turned back to tending the garden. I wondered what they had spoken about. It wasn't the first time I felt that David already knew Conchita, the way they looked at each other, the way they conversed as if they were long-lost friends. If they already knew each other, why wouldn’t he have told me? Could he be hiding something?
The door opened and David popped in, grabbing his keys off the counter.
“I'll be back in an hour,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
“Where are you off to now?”
“Conchita just texted me. She missed the bus, so I offered to give her a ride home.”
“What would she do without you?” The words spilling out of my mouth in a sarcastic tone.
“Seriously, Val?” He shot me a look and then slammed the door behind him.
That confirmed my suspicion. They did know each other. They had to have swapped phone numbers to be texting each other. What else were they keeping from me?
I waited until I heard David's truck roll along the gravel driveway and down toward the road. I marched over to the box next to the futon in the corner. Undoing the flaps, I reached in and pulled out the folder marked insurance—the one with my name on it.
I rifled through the papers but found most of them were written in Spanish. I had no clue about what they said. Tossing the file aside, I sat on the floor and gazed out the window. I stared at the trees, watching their leaves sway in the wind. The bright sun from the morning had disappeared as thick clouds were rolling in. It amazed me that the weather changed so quickly but it was the rainy season after all.
My mind wandered in a million directions as a chill crept over me. I somehow convinced myself that David had taken an insurance policy out on me. Why else would my name be on a folder marked insurance? I’ve heard stories before, read about them in the news, and watched them on TV—stories about a person who takes out an insurance plan on someone.
Someone they plan to kill.
24
David
I can’t concentrate. I’m irritated. I am trying to connect the security camera to my phone but I don’t have the head for it today. My thoughts keep drifting to Val.
I thought she was different, unlike the others. I thought she was more self-confident and secure.
