Fernanda let her go, and then climbed into bed. Mrs. Garcia could only stand there dumbly, unable to move, just ponder the consequences of the secret that had been taken from her.
The air conditioner clanked and wheezed, blowing semi-cold air. The sound made the workday seem even longer. You would think with all the frozen drinks we sold they could afford a new unit; then again, they were paying a premium for the water needed to make all that frozen shit. I drank my fill for free, my lips so red from wild cherry slush I didn’t even need lipstick.
Mrs. Garcia came in a wet oily mess just like me. I hoped she had looked in the mirror. Without a greeting, she spoke:
“I am afraid of Fernanda and am more afraid for her than ever. She attacked me last night.”
Mrs. Garcia melted before my eyes. I had seen my mother like that so many times, even though she did her best to hide it. Suddenly, I felt sorry for her despite the fact that she had never shown an ounce of compassion for me.
It wasn’t right, but I took one small jab to let her know not to fuck with me today, not at work, not when I was being watched by my boss for any reason to fire my ass.
“Did you do something to deserve being attacked? Like having another priest try to exorcise her?”
She looked wounded.
“Lourdes, break time!” my manager shouted from the kitchen.
“I will give you five minutes, Mrs. Garcia.”
She nodded, and I poured her a large lime slushy because it tasted like a non-alcoholic margarita. If only there was tequila.
“Tell me.” I slid the drink to her and walked to the other side of the counter.
“It was about two or three in the morning when I heard noises and went to check on Fernanda. When I switched on the light, she hissed at me. I could see a cut on her leg, so I went to help her. Well, she grabbed my face like she was going to kiss or bite me. I felt my insides twist until something broke. She took something from me, something that has been buried for a long time. I’m ashamed to say it felt good to be rid of it.”
Mrs. Garcia clutched the neck of her sweat-soaked blouse and the cross that lay beneath as she drank the slush. “Fernanda might know that she isn’t my child. She is Yolanda’s. Yolanda was only fifteen when she got pregnant. She was always the smart one with dreams. I offered to take the baby. We didn’t have the same options as you girls today. I was married and settled. Pete had a good job with the post office already. The deal was I had full control of raising Fernanda without interference. As time went on, I took it as a blessing from Jesus because Yolanda went on to have more children and a career. Pete and I were never blessed with a child of our own. I will never have another one. She is all I have.
“What do you think we should do? You have been friends for a long time now and probably know her better than me.”
All I could do was stare at her dumbly, not knowing if I’d heard her right. This was a bomb of information. My first instinct was to call Fernanda. Had the inhabitant even allowed her this life-altering information? First the possession and now this strange extraction that Fernanda seemed capable of. This was more of a puzzle every day. Without a box cover to reference, we would build in the dark.
“What did she do after?”
Mrs. Garcia sucked down on the slush, flinching at the tartness. “She just kissed me on my forehead and said it was okay with these eyes I can’t forget. Reptile eyes! Dios! Then she got into her bed. She is sleeping, I suppose. Her father is at home watching over her. I had to come here to speak to you.”
I looked at the clock. What was left of my break would not be long enough to talk to the girls. Should I even tell them? My mind was a hurricane of questions. I needed time to think.
“If anything changes, call me straight away.”
Mrs. Garcia smiled and nodded.
“Thank you for the drink. Even though I’m scared for my daughter, I am glad she will know the truth. How to tell her has weighed on me for so long. Yolanda and I have fought over it. Also . . . I know I haven’t always been nice to you. I’m sorry. Having this weight off me has made me think about many things.”
No one had ever apologized to me for anything in my life. This stunned me as much as her intimate revelation had. “Thank you, Mrs. Garcia. But know I won’t take any more abuse again. No more slandering me for no reason. Stop fighting me and listen. Really listen. That is all I want.”
She nodded her head and shuffled out. I had a double shift to get through and wouldn’t go to Fernanda until the morning.
As if Ana could sense I was about to call her, her name popped up on my phone when I switched it back on after work.
“Hey. I was thinking about you. You will never guess . . . ”
“Lourdes! I think I have an idea.”
“Tell me!” First Mrs. Garcia apologizing and now an idea from Ana. Either hell was freezing over or our luck was changing.
“I don’t know why we didn’t do it before, but we need to find someone who speaks Nahuatl. Take them to see Fernanda. I was thinking about that dream of yours. I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. It felt real.”
It was what I had been trying to do on my own, but I was so out of my depth. There had to be someone. This was Texas. “I’m on
