Delia’s Gift (7 page)

“What about our trip to my Mexican village to visit my family’s graves?”

“I discussed it with Dr. Denardo, and he thinks we should wait until after you give birth. It’s a very emotional journey for you. I promise you, the day after you can get up and leave, I’ll have you delivered first class to your village. How’s that?”

“I don’t know,” I said, all sorts of worry rising to the surface of my thoughts.

“It’s not really all that much to ask of you, and everything I ask is for our baby’s benefit, Delia. Look at how simple your sacrifice, if you want to call it that, is, compared to your friend’s difficult and unpleasant situation in prison. Don’t you want to do something about it?”

I looked up at him.

He smiled and turned his palms up. “What do you say?”

“How long will it take you to help the Davilas?”

“It’s not something I can manage overnight, Delia. There are favors to call in, officials to convince, but it can be done.” He smiled. “It’s been done before, believe me. However, you must not speak of it. That could compromise my efforts, understand? Mr. Whit
field, the father of the boy killed, is also a man of some means, with influential friends. I don’t want you to tell anyone anything, especially your aunt Isabela.”

I had to laugh at that. “You have no worry there,
señor.
I doubt that she and I will be speaking again.”

“
Bien.
So, we have a bargain?”

Again, I envisioned Ignacio’s father’s face and the pain in his eyes.

“
Sí,
” I said. “We have a bargain.”

He smiled. “Good. Now, please go and rest. Take a warm bath, perhaps. All of the toiletries in the bathroom are fresh. I’ve restocked them for you, and they are all my wife’s favorites. She was very concerned about her skin, her hair. You have it all up there. And,” he said, rising, “just to put some icing on the cake, I’m going to have my wife’s beautician and manicurist come to the
hacienda
tomorrow. I’ll make sure you are pampered and more than comfortable. How’s that?”

“I don’t know what to say, Señor Bovio.”

“Say nothing. Enjoy whatever I can do for you, and let me see about your friend’s problem. I don’t want anything weighing on your conscience and bringing you stress and unhappiness.”

He came around the desk and offered his hand. I stood up and took it.

“We have a real bargain, then, Delia,” he said, fixing his eyes on mine.

“
Sí.
”

“Good. You have made the right decisions for both yourself and little Adan or little Adriana.”

I raised my eyebrows. Was he dictating the name I was to give to my own baby?

He smiled at my surprise. “Oh, of course, you will
choose whatever name you want. I’m sure you will make the right choice, as you have just made.”

“
Sí, gracias,
” I said.

It felt good to know I finally was doing something real for the Davilas, but when I left Señor Bovio’s office, I wasn’t sure if I had made a bargain with a powerful man, concerned for his grandchild, or the devil, concerned with winning another soul.

I imagined it wouldn’t be long before I knew.

E
arly in the afternoon two days later, I was on my way to the pool to take my first swim, when I saw what I felt certain was my cousin Edward’s car approach the main gate. When the driver rolled down his window and leaned out to speak to the security guard, I saw that it was indeed Edward.

A surge of excitement seized my heart. Finally, we would see each other again. I waved and shouted, but he wasn’t looking my way, and the brisk breeze carried away the sound of my voice. The guard picked up the phone instead of opening the gate to let Edward onto the property. Seconds later, he hung up the phone and spoke to him again. Too impatient and too excited to wait for him to drive up and park, I had started down the driveway, when suddenly I saw him back up and drive off.

I stopped, stunned.

“Edward!” I shouted, even though his car was gone from sight.

Why hadn’t he come in? I continued down the driveway, hoping he had merely, for some reason, parked outside the gate, perhaps just to the side, but when I got there, his car was nowhere in sight.

“Where is my cousin Edward?” I asked the guard. I did not know his name. He and another two men split the shifts, and I had never spoken to any of them.

“Who?”

“That was my cousin Edward who just drove up to the gate. What happened?”

“Oh. Yeah, Edward Dallas. He didn’t call ahead, so I called up to the house and was told not to let him enter.”

“Not to let him enter? Why not?”

“I don’t know, Miss.”

“Who told you that?”

“Mr. Bovio.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Open the gate,” I ordered. He hesitated. “Open it!”

“I have to call up to the house first, Miss. I don’t open the gate unless I have permission or unless I’m told in advance that someone is coming or leaving. That’s my job. Just a minute, please.”

I stood there with my hands on my hips, steaming. I was in a robe and a pair of sandals. The new maternity outfits and shoes had been delivered as promised. Everything was stylish and fit well. There was already even a pair of specially designed walking shoes, but I favored the clothes in Señora Bovio’s closet. As Señor Bovio had predicted, I found beautiful bathing suits that fit, and the sandals looked unused.

Impatient, I went to the gate and looked up and down through the bars, hoping that Edward would either come back or still be within close enough range to see or hear me. The distance between the bars was quite narrow, so I couldn’t see too far down the street, but what I saw was quiet and empty. There was no sign of him. He had probably been very annoyed at being turned away and had rushed off.

I turned quickly when I heard the guard step out of the little guard house.

“I’m sorry, Miss, but I was told not to open the gate,” he said.

“What?”

“I’m just following orders, Miss. Sorry. You’ll have to speak to Mr. Bovio.”

“This is ridiculous,” I said, and charged back up the driveway, my heart pounding, the sandals clacking. I practically lunged at the front door and ran down the marble corridor to Señor Bovio’s office. He was on the phone but waved me in when he saw me in the doorway.

“I know. I’m sorry, too,” he told whomever he was speaking to on the phone. “I’ll call you later. I did what you asked. Calm down,” he added, and hung up. Then he shook his head. “What a mess. Sorry about all that,” he said.

“What mess? Why was my cousin Edward not permitted to enter the property? Why wasn’t I permitted out?” I demanded. “Why did you give such orders?”

He sat back. “Those weren’t my orders, Delia.”

“What do you mean, they weren’t your orders? I just spoke with the gate guard. He said he called up here, and you said not to let Edward enter and not to open the gate for me.”

“Yes, but those aren’t my orders. They’re his mother’s standing orders. Apparently, and you probably know more about it than I do, Edward still has some agreement with her not to see you or speak with you. Nothing has changed in that regard. She said you were well aware of this, so it should not come as any surprise. I remember that she had informed me of the agreement between Edward and her a while back, when this whole Mexican mess started. When she was here the other day, she reminded me of it and made me promise that I would enforce the agreement should Edward come around. She asked that I inform her if her son tried to violate the agreement.

“That was Isabela on the phone just now,” he continued, sitting forward. “I had to let her know he had come here. I don’t want her troubling you.”

“You don’t want her troubling me? It’s far too late for that,
señor.
”

“I understand. She’s beside herself. She almost burned my ear through the phone,” he said. Smiling, he added, “I wouldn’t want to be in Edward’s shoes right now when he gets home.”

“This isn’t right. I won’t permit her to—”

“Relax, Delia. This is a very, very sensitive time for all of us. You asked me to look into the Mexican boy’s situation and do something about it, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but what does that—”

“Well, if Isabela starts rattling cages, it will complicate everything. Besides, this is between Isabela and her son now. You have enough on your mind without bringing in someone else’s problems.”

“It’s not someone else’s problems, Señor Bovio.
Edward is my cousin. He has always been a good friend to me.”

“I understand, but nevertheless, you can’t interfere between him and his mother,” he said sternly. “Let it be for now. And I wouldn’t go planning on some secret meeting with him somewhere, either,” he warned. “That could be even worse. You’ve already seen what a secret meeting can do.”

“This isn’t what I expected when I agreed to come here,” I said, flopping into one of the cushioned chairs. I was angry but not sure if I should be angry at him or at Tía Isabela.

“Look at you. All flushed. Did you run all the way up the driveway?”

I pouted and didn’t answer.

“Listen to me, Delia. It wouldn’t have been any easier if you had been sent back to Mexico, would it? Edward couldn’t go there to find you.”

“Why not?”

“It was part of my deal with the Mexican authorities when I got them to release both of you,” he said. “Actually, Isabela insisted on that.”

“Of course, she would insist on that. She always expected I would go back, and she didn’t want him following me.”

“Whatever. You know you and he and his friend were actually arrested, and you were being charged. I don’t think you would have liked being in a Mexican jail. It was very serious. Your aunt saved all three of you from a terrible time when she called me. I repeat, let it alone for now, Delia. What you do afterward with yourself is your own business.”

“Afterward?”

“After you give birth. You don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that, now, do you?”

The frustration washed over me. Would this be the way every argument or discussion we had would end? Would I always have to give in for the sake of my baby? And I didn’t like the way he said “afterward with yourself.” We had had a discussion about “afterward” when he came to the clinic. I had told him I would never desert my baby. I could see he still thought I might, that I might think more about myself and my future.

“It’s all ridiculous,” I said, not hiding my anger at him now. “I do feel as if I’m locked away here. I was standing there looking out that gate like some prisoner looking through bars. I won’t be locked in like this!”

I stood up and stamped my foot, well aware that I was behaving just the way my cousin Sophia behaved when she was frustrated or told she couldn’t do something.

“Take it easy. You’re getting overwrought for nothing. It was an incident. It’s over. No one is keeping you locked in. I had my driver take you to the Davilas’, didn’t I?”

“It’s not over! Don’t say this is over just because
mi tía
Isabela got what she wanted.”

He saw the rage building in me, and his expression quickly softened. “All right, all right. Look, I tell you what. I’ll speak with Isabela about it again. Give me some time to calm her. I’ll explain why it would make you happy to be able to have your cousin visit from time to time. She’s very upset right now, but I’ll get back to her. That’s a promise,” he said. “She usually
listens to me after a while. Just don’t expect any miracles overnight. She’s not the easiest mountain to move.” He smiled.

“No, she’s not. But move she will,” I told him. “Or else.”

“Threatening Isabela is the wrong approach to take,” Señor Bovio said, shaking his head. “I know something about politics, diplomacy. She would only dig her heels in deeper and make even more trouble for you both, Delia. Don’t forget that you and your cousin and his friend were involved in what amounted to an international incident. This isn’t some parlor game we’re playing. If somehow she got wind of what we’re trying to do for that Mexican boy who was at the center of it all, she would really explode.”

He was right. I felt myself calm down. “I know,” I said in a voice of defeat.

“Besides, this is exactly the sort of thing I am trying to keep away from you while you are pregnant,” he continued softly. “Let me use all that I have at my disposal to make your life easier, comfortable, and healthy, especially healthy, during these months. If Adan were here with us, he’d be asking you the same thing.”

I raised my gaze quickly. He was looking to the side and smiling, as if he could see Adan standing there, agreeing. Then he turned back to me.

“I’m a grandfather who has to think like a father, too. I didn’t ask for this,” he said, sounding a little cold. “Fate imposed this on me, but I am not the sort of man who shirks his responsibilities. I am determined that this baby will be born healthy and strong.”

“I am not arguing about that. I, too, want nothing else, Señor Bovio.”

“Good. Good,” he said, relaxing. “Now, let me change the subject. I have some good news for you. This afternoon, a teacher, James McCarthy, will be bringing you books, manuals, whatever you need to finish your high school diploma requirements. He will supervise your work, leave you the assignments to complete, and then, when the time comes, administer your exams. If you get busy with it, you should be able to graduate about the same time as the students attending the school.

“In the meantime, I have spoken to my friends at the education offices, and we will receive a list of the best schools of nursing to which you can apply. I’ll get you all of the information on all of the schools, and you can spend time thinking about each one and deciding. When you are able to attend such a school, the tuition and living expenses at whatever school you choose will be taken care of, so you will have absolutely no worries in that regard.

“After you give birth, I’ll see to it that you have an automobile of your own, clothes, whatever you need or want, for as long as you want.”

“How long do you expect my baby and me to live here, Señor Bovio?”

“You can live here as long as you wish, Delia. I am willing to do anything to make you happy. There’s no reason to worry about all that now, anyway.” He waved the air as if he could wave away the words and thoughts.

“I’ll try not to worry about it, but I’m sure I’ll think about it,
señor.
”

“Of course, of course. So,” he said, pressing his hands together, “as you see, in the meantime, your
days will soon be filled. Mrs. Newell is, in fact, at this very moment working out a schedule for you that will include exercise as well. All of your physical examinations, evaluations, whatever tests are needed, will be scheduled.

“Now, please, do me a favor. Go up to your room and rest, and get yourself in a calmer mood. I’ll have you called the moment Mr. McCarthy arrives with your school materials.”

He smiled. It was difficult for me to hold on to any indignation in light of all that he was doing and promising. And when I thought about it, it was true that Tía Isabela was really responsible for this. She was just trying to get back at me. I could just imagine how Sophia was teasing and tormenting her about Señor Bovio stopping her from getting her satisfaction.

“I’m all right,” I told him. “I was in the middle of going to the pool to get some exercise and air. I’ll go back to that. It relaxes me.”

“Good. If it relaxes you, please continue,” he said. “Swimming is an approved exercise, but don’t overdo it.”

His phone rang, so I nodded and left when I could hear that it was business and not Tía Isabela again.

I could see his logic. Everything he was saying sounded reasonable, but nevertheless, I was terribly disappointed. It had been quite a long time since Edward and I had had an opportunity to talk. There was so much more I wanted to say to him, to explain more about what had happened in Mexico. I was sure he was curious about all that was happening to me now, and I needed him. I desperately needed someone to talk to, someone I could trust. For as long as I had
been in America, he had been that someone. He and his companion, Jesse, had been my knights in shining armor.

Everything was set up at the pool as usual, so I chose a lounge, slipped off the robe, and went into the water. I began to do some laps, enjoying the water and losing myself in the exercise. When I reached the side of the pool after my fifth lap, I looked up at the polished toenails and shapely legs of Fani Cordova. She was standing in a pretty yellow skirt and blouse and smiling down at me. She wore a pair of designer sunglasses that were studded with jewels. Her hair was pinned up. I thought she looked more beautiful than ever.

“I see you’ve adjusted to your new life pretty quickly,” she said.

I pulled myself up and out of the pool. “Hi, Fani.”

“My cousin called me to come see you, but I already knew you were here. Sophia didn’t waste a second getting out the news about you all over the community.”

“I expected that.”

“Yes, well, you don’t look pregnant to me. Is this another scam you’re pulling?”

“What?”

She sat on a lounge and watched me take my towel. “Another scam, like that whole charade you created with what’s his name, the Mexican boyfriend.”

“It wasn’t a charade, Fani, and it wasn’t a scam. I couldn’t talk about it at the time. There was too much danger for him and his family.”