Thirteen Senses (19 page)

He didn't know what to say or do.

“Didn't you feel a sudden calmness come to you,” she continued, “when you were in danger collecting your money?”

“Yeah, sure, after I knocked him down,” he said.

“You knocked him down?” she said.

“Well, yes,” said Salvador, realizing that he was digging himself in as he spoke. But what could he do? “He came at me with a piece of firewood and I didn't want to kill him, so I hit him to the side of the head with my gun.”

“You had a gun?” said Lupe, staring at Salvador full in the face. Oh, her heart was beginning to pound once again.

He took a big breath. He'd really dug himself in deep. Love and lies just didn't mix. “Look, Lupe,” he said, “we'll talk later, okay?”

“And when is later?” she asked.

He looked at her. He swallowed and looked at her. Why, my God, this young, innocent-looking wife of his could be a tiger. “Well, later is when— let's eat, then we'll talk. I have a lot to tell you. You see, I was raised in
los Altos de Jalisco,
and up there all men carry guns. And remember, you, yourself, just said that your
nino's
father was killed when he went to get money that was owed to him, and I'm sure he was without a gun. Guns aren't bad,
querida,
they're just another tool like, well, a saw or knife or—”

“No, Salvador,” said Lupe, smoothing out the apron on herself, “guns were made just for killing, nothing more.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I saw what guns did to our village every time soldiers came,” she added. “Now, sit down while I make you the
chiles rellenos
,” she continued, “and we'll talk later, like you said. Oh, I was so sure that I knew how to cook these darn
chiles
after eating my mother's all of my life.”

And saying this, Lupe pursed her lips together and gave that special, little look of hers, looking so cute, and yet, determined.

Salvador took a deep breath, loving her calm, respectful style. He took her in his arms and kissed her, and oh, just the taste of her was Heaven! She began to kiss him back, too. Then suddenly they were both so hungry for each other that they were BURNING once again.

THAT NIGHT
, they went to the Montana Café to eat dinner. Kenny White—who'd been eating by himself—came over to their table to say hello. With a grand feeling of abundance, Salvador asked him to join them. Little by little, Lupe got to know the white-haired, old man and appreciate his humor. Then, when they'd finished eating, Helen brought them a freshly baked apple pie that she'd just taken out of the oven.

“This pie you take home with you,” she said. “It's your honeymoon present from Hans and me.” And saying this, the big German woman then drew in close to Lupe, kissing her on the cheek. “I'd thought you were so beautiful at your wedding, Lupe, like all brides are, but oh, I never expected to see an angel when you're in just your regular street clothes. You were blessed by God, my dear!”

Lupe blushed. All her life she'd heard words like this and she'd never known what to say, because as far as she was concerned, every person was equally blessed by God and so her good looks had never really meant much to her. “Thank you,” she simply said.

“And you make sure that he takes good care of you,” added Helen. “You two have a good, happy life together. Hans and me, that's what we always make sure we do for ourselves, no matter how hard we work, we also make sure to have a good life together.” Then smiling, she turned and patted Salvador's hand. “And, Sal, no bill tonight. Hans, he told me, so no argument, because he's the boss!” she added with pride.

Salvador waved to Hans behind the counter and Hans waved back with a big, grand smile. Hans was also a drinking man. In fact, he and Helen drank together on their day off. Salvador would stop by later, in a couple of days, and give Hans and Helen a bottle of his 12-year-old.

Going home that night to their
casita
in the orchard, Lupe kept going over Helen's words inside of her head. “Have a good, happy life together,” she'd said. “That's what Hans and I always make sure we do for ourselves, no matter how hard we work.”

Lupe had never heard of such a thing in all her life.

No, all her life she'd only heard about needing to work, needing to be strong, needing to be careful, needing to have faith in God, but she'd never heard anyone ever say anything about having a good, happy life.

And not just a little happiness here and there, where chance might happen to give it to you; no, this German woman had actually said that she and her husband made sure to have a good life together, no matter how hard they worked.

Well, then, what did this mean, that happiness could actually be planned for ahead of time like one planned for work? And a celebration didn't just happen because there was a death in the family or it was some religious holiday.

Lupe's whole head was spinning as she held the warm apple pie on her lap and they drove home to their
casita.
Also, Helen had said “we make sure to have a good life together,” as if implying that a man and a woman could be together in having a good time, and not the man just going off with the men and the woman with the women.

[ 107

A whole new world was opening up for Lupe, and she was now feeling more at home here in Carlsbad than she'd ever felt in any community in all the years that she and her family had been living in the United States.

Why, tonight she'd felt welcomed and at home with Kenny and Hans and Helen, people who had roots in their community, people who weren't just passing migrants searching for work.

For the first time in all of her life, Lupe had a sense, a feeling that maybe this country of the United States could really be her homeland, after all.

THAT NIGHT
, after eating a slice of warm apple pie in the kitchen of their little
casita,
Salvador pulled out the roll of money that Carlitos Chico had paid him.

“What's that?” asked Lupe, never having seen such a large roll of money in all her life.

“The money the man owed me,” he said. “Would you count it for me? I know you're good at numbers.”

“Well, yes, of course,” said Lupe, licking her lips with a sudden nervousness. And she didn't know why, but she actually felt like she was seeing a rattlesnake lying alongside the uneaten portion of apple pie as she now looked at this roll of money on their kitchen table.

Salvador saw her look.
“Querida,
it won't hurt you,” he said.

“I know that,” said Lupe. “But it's so much. I mean, I've never seen that much money in all my life. How could this be? Did he owe you for a whole year or something?”

“No, not exactly,” said Salvador. “You see, I do favors for people now and then, too.”

“What kind of favors?” she asked.

He took a deep breath. Once again he'd put his foot in his mouth. If he wasn't careful, he was going to lose her. “Why don't you just count the money first,” he said, “so we can put it safely away, then we can talk, okay?”

“Well, all right, but my God, Salvador, my family is working all the time, and they never bring home money like this.”

He nodded. “Yes, I know. My family, too. Just count it, Lupe, so you can put it away in a safe place for us.”

“Me?” she said. “Me, put it away?”

“Yes,” he said. “You.”

She swallowed. She'd never been given such responsibility. Why, in most Mexican homes, the woman wasn't even allowed to touch the money. In fact, this was one of the points that her mother and father had constantly argued about in their home, until their father had finally left.

“All right,” said Lupe, reaching across the table and taking hold of the big roll of money.

She unrolled it, smoothed out the pile of green bills, and began to count, putting the ones in one pile, the fives in another pile, and the tens in a third pile. Twenties, they were unheard of back in these days. And a fifty or a hundred-dollar bill, these were only tales that the working people heard of that maybe existed among the rich.

It scared Lupe to handle all this money, but, also, in a strange way, it felt exciting.

Salvador never once took his eyes off of her, watching her every move. His young bride didn't know it, but she'd been completely right, when she'd said that money did crazy things to people's minds.

He continued watching her. He well knew that he was being the lead horse in their marriage right now, guiding them through a needle's eye where there would be no return.

The die was cast.

The Devil had, indeed, been welcomed into their Garden, but Salvador had no fear. After all, it was he who'd opened their door wide for
el Diablo.

The monies Lupe counted that night came to $137, including the money Salvador had had in his pocket before he'd collected his money from Carlitos. Salvador thanked Lupe for counting it, then he told her to give him twenty for himself, take what she needed for groceries and housekeeping, then to put the rest away for safekeeping.

At first Lupe didn't know what to do. Never in her life had she ever heard of a husband asking his wife to do this.

“Go on, Lupe,” said Salvador, “give me the twenty I need and take what you need.”

“But I don't know how much I need,” she said.

“What did our groceries cost the other day? Almost a dollar, right?” he said.

She nodded in agreement.

“Well, then, Lupe, take ten dollars,” he said, “and keep it in your purse.”

“Ten dollars!” she said. “Salvador, that's what my parents pay for a whole month's rent!”

“It's okay, Lupe,” said Salvador calmly. “Money doesn't spoil like tomatoes or get smelly like meat going bad. Money is paper, just paper, so it keeps very well. Take ten,” he repeated, giving her a little wink of the eye for reassurance.

She saw his wink and breathed. “Okay,” she said, taking five ones, then a five dollar bill. She put them in her purse. “But now what will we do with the rest?” she asked.

“You figure it out,
querida,”
he said, giving her lots of free rein so she could find her head. After all, a good lead horse didn't want the horses that followed him to have no mind of their own, especially if the terrain was as rocky and broken as the ground Lupe and he were traveling. “Remember, this is your
casa
,” he added.

Hearing this, Lupe's whole chest swelled up with pride. “
Casa
,” the word had never sounded so good to her! Why, she could now see that a woman's home was so much more than she'd ever dreamed. It wasn't just a private place for a young couple to make love, it was also a place that took thinking and planning, a place in which their dreams could take root and grow to . . . the Heavens!

Lupe got up, glanced around, then went over to the cupboards below the kitchen sink to search for a place to put away their money.

Salvador watched, never taking his eyes off of her. His mother had well explained to him—time and again—that on a honeymoon, it wasn't just a time for a man and woman to make love, but to give each other wings!

Finding an empty can under the sink, Lupe washed the can, dried it, then put the money in the can and covered the can with a dry dishrag.

Salvador smiled. Yes, Lupe was innocent, but she was also very, very brave. Everything was going to work out, if he just kept calm and let his good friend, the Devil, do his work.

After all, fear of the unknown was always very scary ... at first.

Part Four

SUNTALKING

September 1929

6

And so their mothers had, indeed, taught them both about Love and God, but it was now Life, la Vida, that was to teach them the lessons of el Diablo!

T
HE WHEELS WERE TURNING.
The huge iron wheels of the train were turning slower and slower, and Juan Salvador was staring at the huge iron wheels and trying to figure out what to do.