Blue Coyote Motel (21 page)

Luisa slept fitfully for a couple of hours, waking up when her maid quietly entered her room. Suddenly she was ravenous. She said, "Luz, please, I'm starving. Make me some torresmo from the beef last night; bring me a big glass of milk and hurry!"

She spent the rest of the day tying up loose ends in preparation for the move. Late in the afternoon, she suddenly remembered that she had promised her parents she would join them at their home for dinner that night and she knew she'd better hurry if she was going to make it on time.

"Welcome, darling," her mother, Juanita, said, "Come in. I have some exciting news for you. At least I hope it's exciting for you!" Juanita was beautiful in a mature way. Tall and slender with silver hair pulled up into a bun, she was the picture of moneyed elegance. Diamond earrings and a diamond and gold necklace highlighted her bronze complexion.

Luisa's father, Diego, was as round as his wife was slender. His skin was ruddy and his hair was still as black as it had been when he was a small boy. They were an odd pair. Luisa's mother was often featured on the society and fashion pages of Brazilian magazines and newspapers, while her father looked like he should be working on the docks. Not only were they total opposites in their looks, their backgrounds had been just as opposite.

Juanita's family had been among the early settlers in Rio with a great deal of wealth and social status. Diego came from a family of dockworkers, just scraping by to put food on the table. He had made it out of the slums of Rio, going to the local university and then to law school. He began representing the unions and their injured workers, particularly those who had been hurt while working on the docks. The law firm he had founded had done extremely well, now employing well over seventy-five lawyers. As it grew, it expanded far beyond the docks to white-collar crimes and divorces, which had become rampant in Brazil. Diego worshipped Juanita. He still couldn't believe she was his wife, even after all these years. It may have been a marriage of opposites, but it worked very well for them.

He handed Luisa a glass of wine as he kissed her on each check. She normally loved a glass or two of wine, but looking at it, she could feel her stomach turn. "Thanks, Papa, but it doesn't sound good right now. Maybe later," she said. Turning to her mother, she asked, "What's the news? You're positively beaming."

"I am so excited. Your father and I have decided to move to California to be near you; first Selena and now you. We contacted the real estate agent you bought your house from and she told us about a house for sale that's only a block from yours. It's not on the water, but we've never been particularly interested in owning a boat. The house is smaller than yours, but it will be fine for us and Selena's home isn't far away. We talked to a real estate agent here and we're listing our house tomorrow. What do you think?"

Luisa could hardly believe it. She was very close to her parents and the only reservation she had about her pending move was leaving her parents.

"This is the best news I think I've ever heard. I didn't want to tell either one of you, but I've spent so many hours crying because of leaving you. And now you'll be near me. I am so happy!" She hugged each of them and couldn't wait to tell Jorge the wonderful news. His relationship with his father, Tomas, had become increasingly difficult after the death of Jorge's mother. Tomas had never really recovered from her death from breast cancer at the young age of fifty-two. Luisa's parents had loved Jorge like a son from the moment they had met him. The rest of the evening was spent talking about the move. It was new beginnings and a very exciting time for all of them.

The next morning Luz brought in Luisa's usual breakfast. Once again, Luisa took one look at it and quickly made her way into the bathroom. She slept the rest of the morning and woke up very hungry.
What is going on?
Luisa wondered.
It's almost like I am having morning sickness. Surely I couldn't be pregnant. Jorge has been so busy, but there was that magical night at that motel outside of Phoenix. What if?

She quickly dressed, called her driver, and asked him to take her to the nearest drugstore. She bought a home pregnancy testing kit. As soon as she was back in her bathroom, she peed on the stick. The result window on the home pregnancy test clearly showed a plus, indicating she was pregnant. For a long time she stood looking at it in disbelief. From the time she and Jorge had gotten married eight years ago, she had wanted a baby and now the test showed she was pregnant. When she could trust herself to speak, she dialed her gynecologist and made an appointment for the following day. She wanted to be sure before she told Jorge and he was due to return from the Amazon in three days.

The next morning was a repetition of the past two days. Fortunately, by early afternoon she felt better and rode to her doctor's appointment in high spirits. The waiting room was filled with expectant mothers-to-be. In the past when she had waited for the nurse to call her name for her annual female exam, she resented every pregnant woman in the room. Why were all these women pregnant when she couldn't conceive? It just didn't seem fair. Every year she was more disappointed than the year before.

This time, however, she felt like an insider. She knew at a very deep level that at long last, she was pregnant. The exam and the test that followed confirmed it. Her doctor gave her a long list of things to do and not do. Her only question was about traveling. Could she fly in a couple of weeks? The doctor assured Luisa that as long as she rested before and after, she would be fine.

She left the doctor's office resolved to do everything she could to make her body the best vehicle any baby could ever have. She instructed her driver to take her to the Galleria, where the most exclusive shops in Rio were located. She knew there was a very elegant maternity shop there and several thousand dollars later, she returned to her car, arms loaded down with bags.

Luisa could hardly wait to tell Jorge and her parents. She decided to ask them to have dinner with Jorge and her the night he returned from the Amazon. She would tell all of them at the same time. When she returned home, she asked her cook, Manny, to come to her room. She wanted to give him instructions about preparing a special dinner for her parents and Jorge when he returned home in two days.

Luisa was familiar now with the routine of her morning sickness. The thing that got her through the first couple of hours was knowing that she would be fine by noon. She was sure she was beginning to gain weight from the huge amounts of food she was putting away at lunch and dinner. Manny and Luz took notice and privately had many conversations about Luisa. They were pretty sure she was pregnant and they wondered if she knew, but they knew better than to ask her. Luisa had a fiery temper and was a very private person. She would tell them when she was ready.

Two days later, promptly at 6:00 p.m., Jorge arrived home, driven by his chauffeur in the red Ferrari. He walked into the large entry hall, dropped his suitcase, and wrapped his arms around Luisa. "I'm so glad to be home. I missed you so much. How are you?" he asked.

She didn't tell him just how great she was. That would come later. "I'm fine, just glad you're home. Luz is fixing you a drink. Go upstairs, wash up, and change into some comfortable clothes. Mom and Dad are joining us for dinner and Manny has prepared all of your favorites: stuffed sirloin steak, scalloped potatoes, Caesar salad, green beans with slivered almonds, fresh baked bread, and for dessert, a chocolate mousse."

Jorge pulled back and looked at her, "What's the occasion? You know we've always reserved that meal for special occasions. Are you keeping something from me?"

"Of course not. I just want you to be glad you're home. And it is a special occasion; you're home." Luisa playfully pushed him up the stairs and went into the kitchen to see how Manny was doing with the preparations.

"Manny, what am I going to do without you?" Luisa said. "I depend on you. Are you sure you won't reconsider and come with us to California?"

"I'll miss you for sure, Miss Luisa, but my family is here. Everything I know is here. I have to stay, but it sure won't be the same without you and Senhor Ortega." Manny looked like he would cry and with Luisa's raised hormone levels, she knew she would for sure. She quickly walked out of the kitchen into the dining room and busied herself lighting candles and rearranging the table flowers.

She heard her parents drive up. Even though her father was now "of counsel" at the law firm he had founded, a fancy name law firms used when a wealthy partner semi-retired, he had kept his driver and much of their household staff. Like Manny and Luz, they, too, would not be accompanying her parents to California. Luisa knew that the move meant lots of changes, but the loss of their trusted household staffs might be the hardest.

She greeted her parents as Luz handed each of them a glass of wine. Jorge came down the stairs and warmly embraced them. They talked of Jorge's most recent adventures in the Amazon, the move to California, and news of friends and family until it was time to sit down for dinner. Luisa had refrigerated some champagne, and just as they were being seated, she asked Manny to put it in an ice bucket, letting him in on her secret.

He was thrilled for her and it made his decision to stay in Rio even harder. As Luz served the salad to the four of them, he carried in the champagne bucket and placed it next to Luisa.

"Manny, would you please pour some champagne into each of our glasses?" Luisa said.

Jorge turned and looked at her. "What's going on? Not only is this a special occasion dinner, but now, champagne? Luisa, is there something we need to know?"

Luisa lifted up her glass. "Please, all of you lift your glasses. Let's toast the future father, Jorge, and the new grandparents, Diego and Juanita. I'm pregnant!" Luisa touched the rim of the glass to her lips, but following her vow to make her body the best environment she could for her baby, she traded the champagne for Perrier.

Juanita and Jorge both started to cry and Diego was just about to when Luisa stopped them all. "Please, no tears, even if they're tears of joy. I want smiles and laughter."

It was by far the happiest day of Luisa and Jorge's life.

CHAPTER 21

Maria and Jeffrey located a contractor in Blythe who gave them what they felt was a fair estimate for the work they couldn't personally do: tiling the floors, redoing the bathrooms, kitchen electrical work, lighting, upgrading the air-conditioning and heating, fixing the fence, installing solar panels, and partitioning and building out the basement. The price went up as they discovered other things that needed doing, but that was to be expected and the contractor, whose name was Jim Sullivan, seemed to be honest. He and his crew began working on the motel a few days after Maria and Jeffrey hired him.

Maria made a couple of trips to Phoenix for paint, bedding, towels, furniture, window coverings, and kitchen and serving items. On one of her trips to Phoenix, she took a break and wandered into a Native American art gallery. Her attention was immediately drawn to a 5' x 7' painting of a blue coyote on the far side of the gallery. She and Jeffrey had spent many hours throwing motel names back and forth and they were still undecided as to what to call their newly acquired motel. When she saw the painting, she knew. They would name it the "Blue Coyote Motel.” The painting would be perfect for the office.

"Excuse me," Maria said to the handsome young Native American man sitting at the desk. "I'm interested in that painting. Can you tell me something about it?" Jet black hair hung to his shoulders and his complexion was the color of mahogany. Sparkling white teeth shone when he smiled. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt, blue jeans, and the most beautiful turquoise and silver belt Maria had ever seen.

"Oh, that's the Blue Coyote," the young man said. "In my tribe it translates to 'turning in the darkness.' It's part of the creation myth and we consider it sacred. It was painted by a tribal member whose reservation is not too far from here."

How
perfect
for
a
motel
, Maria thought, "
turning
in
the
darkness
"
and
isn't
that
just
what
travelers
will
be
doing
when
they
stop to
stay
at
the
motel
? She could hardly contain her excitement. "How much do you want for it and do you have any other paintings of the Blue Coyote?" Maria asked.

"It's listed at $500.00, but I think the artist would take $450.00. And yes, I have several other paintings of the Blue Coyote by the same artist in our storage area," the young man said, realizing that this might be a very good day for the gallery.

"I'll take it and I'd like to see the others. I need eight paintings in all, if you have them."

"Give me a few minutes to find the others. May I get you some water or coffee?" the young man asked.

"No, thanks. I'm fine. I'll wait here and look around. You have so many wonderful things," Maria said, walking slowly through the gallery.

She found a number of Native American art pieces which spoke to her. On an oval wooden pedestal, there was a marble carving of a woman with her hair pulled back in the traditional Navajo style. She found brightly colored geometric rugs that would be beautiful on the tiled floors of the motel, Navajo wedding baskets, squash blossom necklaces, and other pieces she thought were incredibly beautiful. Maria wanted to buy a number of them, particularly the rugs. She promised herself that she would return when she had more time and a better idea of what she could use at the motel. For now, the Blue Coyote paintings would be perfect. She knew Jeffrey would be pleased, although he had left most of the decorating to her, preferring to supervise the work in his soon-to-be lab.