Out of Bounds (19 page)

“Okay,” Avery said and signed the letter next to Charlotte.

Then they slid the letter under Miss Pierce's door.

A
N
I
MPORTANT
A
RRIVAL

Mr. Martinez was booked on the final Detroit/Boston flight of the day. As the ticket counters closed down, Elena Maria, Isabel, and Aunt Lourdes waited together. The last of the people piled off the plane, greeting loved ones as they made their way through the gate and toward the baggage claim area.

It seemed that everyone had already gotten off the plane. Even the flight attendants were rolling their luggage cases outside and getting into the city cabs that were lined up at the curb.

Isabel's heart sank.

“When did you last talk to him?” Aunt Lourdes asked.

“He e-mailed me this morning,” Isabel answered.

“Did you check your messages before we left for the airport?” Elena Maria wanted to know.

“There wasn't any time,” Isabel said, feeling stupid that she'd dragged them all the way down here when there was probably a message waiting for them at home.

“I can't believe he didn't come,” Isabel said. She was fighting tears.

“Come on,” Aunt Lourdes said as she watched them closing down the gates for the night, “let's go home.”

Aunt Lourdes put an arm around Isabel's shoulder.

But Isabel turned back. “Wait,” she said. As they turned to
go, Isabel had spotted something out of the corner of her eye.

Aunt Lourdes turned to look. “It looks like a tree,” she said, but the girls were already rushing toward their father, who was struggling to carry the largest papier-mâché tree she'd ever seen. The tree was easily twice as big as he was, and though it was light, it was incredibly awkward.

“He brought my tree!” Isabel laughed. “He knew I missed it, and he brought it as carry-on luggage!”

Aunt Lourdes knew better than to question how Mr. Martinez was able to make that happen. When you were given such a gift, you took it. No questions asked.

They were talking so much that the cabbie had to ask for the address three times.

They drove through the tunnel and up into the lights of downtown Boston. The cabbie took the scenic route down Storrow Drive and along the Charles River.

“What a beautiful city,” Mr. Martinez said to his girls.

“It really is, Dad.” Isabel sighed. Then she hugged him again and laid her head on his shoulder. She was so happy that he had come, and knowing that he was there, she knew that she didn't want him to leave…ever.

Isabel was hoping more than anything that her father would fall in love with Boston. She knew it was impractical with the family accounting business in Michigan, but she wanted him there just that badly. It was her secret wish.

Her mother was in bed when they got home. The new medication made her a little sleepy, and it was after 11 o'clock. They had told her they were going to see a movie, and she had been way too tired to go with them.

Aunt Lourdes peeked in. Isabel's mom was sitting up in bed reading. When she saw her husband standing behind her sister and daughters, her smile was worth all their efforts.

W
hen Elena Maria had heard about Avery's game being postponed until Sunday, she'd had no problem moving the brunch to Saturday. “This party is so all the Beacon Street Girls and their families can meet Dad. We can do it for Saturday.”

Isabel and her aunt had decorated Aunt Lourdes's apartment like the Mercado in Mexico City. But it was far more fanciful that any real market. There were colorful lanterns, piñatas, and lights everywhere. The papier-mâché tree that Mr. Martinez had carried all the way from Troy, Michigan, stood in the center of the room. Isabel had fastened bright papier-mâché parrots and tiny white lights to its branches, parrots that her grandparents had given her father when he was a boy.

Mrs. Martinez hugged both her girls and said they had given her the best present she had ever had in her life. And she shook her head in wonderment at how they had kept the secret of their father coming to Boston from her. When both parents saw the party and decorations, they were so overcome that they just kept shaking their heads.

“Girls, I think maybe we should just open this restaurant for you now,” Mr. Martinez said.

And when the BSG and their parents exclaimed over the decorations, the Martinez family beamed with pride. Avery's mom, who had traveled to Mexico with Avery's dad once, remembered the marketplace and was particularly delighted.

Elena Maria served Mexican coffee and hot chocolate first. The hot chocolate was a bit different than the kind they loved at Montoya's, with cinnamon and a hint of some other spice none of the girls could name.

“I've forgotten what it is,” Isabel said when Katani asked her what the spice was. “I know it's some kind of chili.”

Katani must have looked surprised because Isabel went on to say, “Just a trace though, my father swears that Elena Maria simply waves the chili over the glass and doesn't put it in at all.”

Just then, Isabel's mother and father came into the room holding hands.

Maeve thought they were the handsomest couple she had ever seen—just like Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in
Zorro
. Both of Maeve's parents agreed with her when she told them that. It was so good to see them agree on something, anything, that it didn't matter to Maeve what happened next. The rest of the day could be horrible, the show could bomb, but she would be happy because today she'd had this one moment with her parents. A little seed of hope began to grow in Maeve's heart.

Isabel introduced her parents to each person.

“Ms. Kaplan, Mr. Taylor, I'd like you to meet my parents.”

They all shook hands in a super friendly way, the way grown-ups always do.

“Very nice to meet you,” Mr. Martinez said to Mr. Taylor and Ms. Kaplan. “You are the couple who run the theater.”

“Mr. Taylor runs the Movie House,” Ms. Kaplan said. It seemed awkward to Maeve to hear her mother refer to her dad so formally. But no one else seemed to notice.

“I've heard wonderful things about your theater,” Mr. Martinez said.

“Speaking of which,” Katani said, overhearing, “I have a very important announcement to make.” Katani's confidence had soared since she started assisting Ms. Ciara. Secretly, Maeve thought she was getting a little too confident. Like now, right in the middle of the party, she could just interrupt everyone like she was the one in charge. On the other hand, Maeve also had to admit that Katani had done a really good job getting kids to put posters around town.

Avery started to clink her glass until her mother shot her a look.

Katani cleared her throat.

“As of ten o'clock this morning, the tickets to tonight's seventh-grade talent show were officially sold out.”

Avery led everyone in a loud, “Woo-hoo!”

“So we saved the theater? We did it?” Avery asked, unable to quite believe it.

“Barring any unforeseen circumstances,” Mrs. Fields said. She turned to Mr. Taylor. “I know that this is just the beginning,” Mrs. Fields said, “But it's a heck of a start.”

“I want you all to know that I have also completed the papers for the Movie House to become a nonprofit,” Mr. Taylor added. “We can take grants and run all kinds of exciting new programs. It might take a while though. You know government regulations.” The adults laughed when he said, “Remember
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
.” Maeve had
to explain to everyone later that this was an old Jimmy Stewart movie where Jimmy takes on the Congress of the United States.

“I've worked with a lot of nonprofit organizations at my law firm,” Katani's mother said. “I think maybe I can help you fast-track this.”

Maeve's mother grabbed her hand and gave it an excited squeeze. Maeve squeezed back and put her arm around Sam's shoulder. Wow, Maeve thought, I even like Sam today.

“My mom and dad have been involved with nonprofits too,” Isabel said.

“Not in Massachusetts,” Mr. Martinez said. “But I've worked with several in the Detroit area.”

“It might be worth looking into,” Mrs. Summers said. “Especially since the kids are proving the educational value of the Movie House. And the community is certainly showing a lot of support.”

Elena Maria rang a bell to summon them to their tables. The first seats were assigned. But after each course they would switch to a new group of people. That way, Elena reasoned, everyone would have a chance to get to know each other. Everyone oohed and aahed over the way Isabel had set the table to look just like an outdoor café in Mexico City.

Suddenly, there was a big crack and all the lights went out.

Kelley shouted, “Ha!”

For a second, no one else said anything…assuming that the lights would come back on. No such luck.

Elena Maria started to panic. “My empanadas, they will be ruined.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. Her sister was beginning to sound like some diva TV chef.

“Llewelyn, can you help?” Katani's mother asked her
husband, seeing how distressed Elena Maria and Isabel were looking. Then she turned to the group. “My husband's an electrician,” she explained.

Llewelyn Summers, a big bear of a man with a can-do attitude, was happy to check things out. He followed Aunt Lourdes and all the girls plus Sam into the kitchen, where he immediately recognized the problem.

Elena Maria had things plugged in everywhere…coffee pots, electric fry pans, electric mixers.

“These old apartment houses aren't always up to code with electrical plans. The circuits are probably overloaded. Unplug everything. I'll head into the basement and see what's up,” he said.

“Will it take long?” a worried Lourdes asked. “This has never happened before.”

“If it's a circuit breaker, it won't be a problem. If it's a wiring issue…that's something else. Now,” he said with a big smile, “show me to my kingdom.” When Lourdes looked at him quizzically, with an even bigger grin, he said, “The basement! Katani, why don't you and your friends come down with me…and we'll have a lesson about circuit breakers.” He winked at Katani and she smiled knowingly.

Katani knew what the wink was about. Her father was determined that all his daughters would learn about electricity and plumbing and even a little bit about mechanics. And he never missed an opportunity to teach his girls how things worked.

The vision of a basement with dusty cobwebs and leaky ooze dripping down on her freshly washed hair did not play well with Maeve. She had on her favorite pink top and black pants, and she was about to say, “Pass.”

But, as if sensing her discomfort, Isabel's aunt said to
them all, “Don't worry girls, this basement is quite clean. The landlord keeps a washer and dryer down there for everyone. Let's go.”

All the girls and Sam, who to Maeve's consternation, kept mimicking a spider crawling along her arm, followed Lourdes and Mr. Summers out the door and down along the side of the building. The adults stayed upstairs enjoying coffee and juice and getting to know one another. Mr. Ramsey and Mrs. Madden were deep in conversation about Africa. She had never been and desperately wanted to go on safari there—a dream of hers since she was a little girl.

In the cellar, Mr. Summers showed the girls where the circuit panel was and pointed out all the switches, which each powered a certain part of the apartment. He showed the girls how all the switches were going in one direction except for three.

“Girls, we are in luck. This is a simple matter of pushing this switch back to go in the same direction as the others and I think our problem is solved.” He pointed to Isabel and said, “Why don't you do the honors.”

Isabel reached up and pressed each switch back. They could hear clapping upstairs.

“Thanks, Dad,” said Katani.

Her dad smiled and said, “I'm hungry—let's go eat empanadas.”

Suddenly, everyone heard a squeak.

“Omigosh,” grimaced Isabel. “I think it's a mouse.”

Squeak…Squeak…

There was a rush for the door. Not even Mr. Summers, who was over six feet two, wanted to meet a mouse. There was something about rodents that made even grown men squeamish. Mr. Summers was no exception.

 

Upstairs, Elena Maria, with her father's help, had laid out the first course of empanadas. They were a Martinez family favorite, small pastries with chicken or beef as filling. Elena Maria served them with a cilantro salsa she had made.

Avery and her mother found themselves seated at the same table with Charlotte and her dad.

“This is quite a special event,” Mrs. Madden said, looking around. “I understand that Isabel did all the decorating and that Elena Maria is doing the catering.”

Avery thought her mother sounded strange, as if this were some fund-raising event she was attending, and not simply a brunch for some friends.

Mr. Ramsey bit into his empanada. “These are fantastic. You all have to take a bite.

“Charlotte told me that Elena Maria and Isabel dream of opening a restaurant someday,” Mr. Ramsey added. “Judging from this feast, I'm sure it would be a success.” Everyone chatted for awhile about their favorite foods. Mr. Ramsey made them laugh when he told them about his visit to a rain forest, where he ate something that he thought was fish, but later turned out to be some kind of rodent.

“Have you ever
been
to the Rainforest Café?” Mrs. Madden asked, “Out at the Burlington Mall? It's got a rain forest theme—I quite enjoy it.”

Mr. Ramsey had to admit he never had been there.

Avery was surprised to think of her mother going to a mall at all, much less outside of Boston. Avery's mother was strictly Newbury Street, with the occasional side trip to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

“What?” Avery's mother said when she noticed the look her daughter was giving her.

“I just didn't know you had ever been to the Burlington Mall,” Avery said.

“I have a whole life you know nothing about.” The words were formal, but her voice was playful.

Mr. Ramsey laughed.

Avery looked at Charlotte.

“In which rain forest was it that you ate the rodent?” Mrs. Madden asked. There had been a lull in the conversation so the rest of the room heard the question.

“You ate a rodent!” Sam said with enthusiasm. “That's so awesome.” Everyone cracked up.

“Charlotte and her father have been to a real rain forest,” Avery said. “When they lived in Australia.”

“I wasn't aware that there were rain forests in Australia,” Mr. Taylor said.

“Oh yes,” Mr. Ramsey said, and he was off. He loved talking about travel. Every once in a while, someone would comment on how interesting it all was. Charlotte was getting nervous that her dad was acting like a teacher and everyone would get bored. But, just as she was going to nudge him under the table, Elena Maria said it was time to change tables.

It was like a big game of musical chairs. In fact, that's exactly what it was. The guests milled around, weaving in and out of tables while Elena Maria played music. When the music stopped, everyone sat at the table closest to them.

The second course Elena Maria served was huevos rancheros.

This time, Charlotte found herself at a table with Mr. Taylor and Mr. and Mrs. Martinez and Isabel. The adults hit it off immediately. Mr. Martinez was a bit of a movie buff; he
had taken a film course while in college at Michigan. They talked about Cocteau's
Beauty and the Beast
, which Charlotte had seen when she was living in Paris. Everyone at the table thought it was brilliant, even Charlotte.

“Not that there's anything wrong with the Disney version,” Mr. Martinez said. “It's terrific, actually. And you know that I am, of course, a big fan of animation.” Isabel loved daily cartoons, and she often entertained her family and friends with her own cartooning skills.

“You could show some of the old cartoons in the Movie House,” Mr. Martinez suggested to Mr. Taylor. “As a nonprofit, that would be a logical way to go. There are good film schools in Boston, you might be able to come to some kind of arrangement to show those movies to their students.”

“Boy, that's an interesting idea,” Mr. Taylor remarked.

All of a sudden, Sam started coughing violently and had to drink a glass of water. Elena had mistakenly given Sam her father's rancheros, which were heavily spiced. He spewed his eggs and salsa half way across the table at Maeve, who stood up and yelled, “Gross.” Her mother gave her a look and told her to go to the kitchen and wipe her top off with a wet paper towel and club soda. Katani said she would help her. That was all Avery, Isabel, and Charlotte needed to hear. They leapt out of their seats and started to rush after their friends.

“Isabel, bring Sam some ice cream. Ice cream is the best way to cool off from too spicy a dinner. People think they should drink water, but they should really drink milk products,” said Mrs. Martinez.