“I was working at the party where she and Adelmo crossed paths. I warned her not to get involved with him. But it was useless. They were careful not to be seen together, but Montañita is a small town, and rumors began circulating. Señor Wilcott was too indebted to Adelmo to make much of a fuss. Besides, he was drunk most of the time. But Adelmo was terrified people would see the depth of his feelings for Stella. You must understand, the Balsuto family is both feared and respected, and there are many who wish them harm. He knew all too well the dangers of being part of his family. When he was twelve years old, a rival family kidnapped and killed his younger sister.”
Eva paused, looked at her son, then continued.
“He encouraged her to leave her troubled marriage, to return to her home, and forget about him. And I think she was ready to do as he wished. But a few weeks before last Easter, she became ill, only she was not sick. She was with child.”
“Pregnant? Are you saying she was expecting a baby?” That explained her letters about coming home around that time.
She nodded. But the idea of Stella with a baby was incomprehensible to me.
“She was very frightened. She did not think her husband could be the father, but it was not impossible. And if the child was Adelmo’s, he could never acknowledge it. She made me promise not to tell anyone, and I kept that promise.”
She succeeded in getting Stella to a doctor who told her she was six weeks pregnant. Ecuador not only prohibits abortion but also punishes women who get illegal procedures with up to two years in prison. If she decided not to keep the baby, she would need to return to the United States. Somewhere in the middle of her dilemma, my sister realized she wanted the child.
She and Eva came up with a plan to convince Ben he was the father. Once the baby arrived, Stella would take the infant back to the States and file for divorce. She hoped Adelmo would be a part of her life but was realistic about the situation. And she wanted what was best for their little one. So, she broached the subject of fatherhood with Ben.
“That’s when that pig of a husband of hers laughed in her face. He told her he had no intention of having children. To be sure, he’d had the vasectomy.” Eva pronounced each syllable with great care and contempt. “He had this done before he and Stella married. Almost a year before they eloped.”
A year before they eloped, Ben and I were engaged. We had discussed children and agreed we both wanted them. I wondered if he’d already had his tubes clipped when we talked about filling a house with babies. Nausea hit me and I feared I might be sick, but I took a deep breath and encouraged Eva to resume her story.
At least now she was certain who the father was, but the women were not in agreement about the next step. Eva wanted my sister to go to Adelmo for help, but she didn’t want to burden him with the information. She was afraid it would only worry him, so she stayed silent about the baby until she could find a time to escape Ben and come home.
But Adelmo was no fool. He realized she was pregnant and demanded she reveal the child’s father. When she told him the truth, happiness overcame him.
“I cannot remember a time when I have seen him like that. It was as if she had given him the chance to throw off his past and start a new life.” Eva smiled, then sighed. “But there was so much that he could never leave it all behind.”
So, he helped Stella plan her escape. But he became increasingly unpredictable when they were together. He told her he could not let her leave until he met his child. He spoke with Luis and came up with the idea to hide Stella in Ibarra. Once the baby was born, he would get them both out of the country.
Unfortunately, she experienced serious complications and went into labor almost seven weeks early. They made it to a hospital in Quito, where she delivered a little girl weighing less than three pounds.
Luis explained she had put Ben’s name on the birth certificate to protect the child from the danger of being a Balsuto. Adelmo met Stella’s daughter and promised he would join my sister in America. She believed he would. The plan was to get her and the baby out of the country and when they were safe, she would keep up the pretense Ben was the father. This would allow him to save face as long as he would agree to a quick divorce and give her sole custody.
Before leaving the hospital in Quito, she met with Luis to draw up a will, making me the baby’s guardian. My sister’s death complicated matters. If Ben found out about the baby, he could claim her as his for spite. Torn between letting us in on their secret and keeping the child himself, he took the letters to find out how much Stella had told me. He needed to meet me to make sure my anger toward her wouldn’t have a negative impact on his tiny daughter.
After our meeting, he told Eva he wanted me to take the baby home, but first he would have to deal with Ben. So, that day at the trailer, Adelmo had never intended to let him go. It wasn’t a simple matter of wanting revenge. Ben’s death ensured safety and security for Adelmo’s daughter.
Luis had been working with the government to process Stella’s will and bring the child to her rightful guardian. He feared I would come to Ecuador in a frenzy if I’d known what was going on. Having me there would have
