My Fairy Godmonster (18 page)

Mr. Garcia smiles. “The troops have
arrived.”

“He watches old war movies,” laughs Jac.

“What’s going on?” I ask, opening the front
door.

Jac’s brothers and sisters, wives and
husbands stand on the porch. About twenty-five people. They smile,
say “Hi” and swarm into the house.

I gasp. “What are they doing here?”

Mrs. Garcia says, “We rebuild decoration.
Before David get home.”

I shake my head. I don’t think I hear her
right. “What? Where are the kids?”

“Angelita is watching them,” Jac says.

Angelita is Jac’s sixteen-year-old
sister.

“How many cousins do you have?”

“About forty,” she answers.

“Forty! How can she take care of them?”

Jac laughs. “Don’t worry. Some are at camp.
Besides, we all take care of each other.”

I guide the family to the hay barn. “There it
is.” I point to the broken pieces.

“Bello!” exclaims Mrs. Garcia. She turns to
her husband. “Can we fix in time?”

Jac’s Dad looks around at the leftover
supplies. “Yes. If we stay organized. I leave that to you, my
love.”

The family works hard and fast, cutting,
twisting and piecing the broken parts together like a puzzle. Her
brothers, Raoul and Jesus, skillfully weave the different vines.
Although Jac’s dad is a banker, her whole family is artistic. They
work together like a machine.

Jac and I keep out of their way. We carry
lemonade to the workers. Occasionally, Mrs. Garcia asks me a
question about what the heart looked like.

Three hours later, the last string of lights
is added.

We follow all the men as they carry the heart
to the garden and secure it to the footings. I’m surprised there is
little water on the ground after the storm. I glance over at the
tent and see it hovering like a white ghost.

My legs feel like concrete as I move one leg
in front of the other. I blink with light-headedness.

Mr. Garcia plugs in the lights.

I can hardly breathe with the beauty that
shines in the darkness. I stumble to Mrs. Garcia. “I will never be
able to thank you enough.”

“Your smile is thanks enough, Chiquita. We
get you to bed now and see you at wedding tomorrow.”

We start moving out of the garden toward the
kitchen, me in the middle of this amazing family.

Dad comes racing out of the house.

“Winifred! Winifred!”

“Here Dad.”

The family moves apart.

“I saw all the cars and panicked! Are you all
right?”

“Fine,” I whisper. I take a step toward him
and fall into blackness.

Chapter 26: Proceed With Caution

My mind swims with drifting voices.

“Why you work girl to skin and bones?” asks
Mrs. Garcia.

Weasel replies, “You didn’t tell us you hire
immigrant workers, Charles.”

Dad’s insistent voice orders, “David, call
the doctor. Winifred. Please wake up.”

I drag open heavy eyelids and see Dad’s pale
face wrinkled with worry. “Did you have a good dinner?” I
murmur.

“Thank God.” Dad instantly looks twenty years
younger. He sinks to the floor next

to the sofa I’m
lying
on. I look at the ceiling and wonder
how I got into the living room.

I sit up and a kaleidoscope of staring faces
swirl in dizziness. “Ooohhh.” I catch a glimpse of Scott. Two of
him. Whoa, he looks totally awesome in a suit.

Dad rises off the floor and gently pushes me
back onto the pillows. “Don’t move.”

“Doc’s coming,” says David, hurrying into the
room. “Just got home from delivering twins a few minutes ago.”

“I don’t need a doctor. I’m just tired and
excited.”

Claire leans over me. “Here’s a drink of
water.”

I smile. “Thanks.” I gulp down the water and
hand her the glass.

Weasel stares at the mob of Jac’s family, her
eyes tight knots of fear. She takes

Daria’s hand. “Time for bed.”

“I want to meet the black people.”

The room is instantly silent.

“Shush, Daria. These people are not black,”
whispers Weasel. She looks like she is about to faint.

“Who are they?” asks Daria.

Dad says, “They are my friends.”

Mr. Dudley propels Daria up the stairs. “Mind
your mother.”

Daria whines as she and her dad disappear,
“Daddy, I want to meet those brown people.”

I sit up, breaking the tension. “I need to
show you something, Dad.”

“You are not moving until the doctor comes,
young lady.”

“But, Dad - ”

“Absolutely not!”

I sigh. “Mrs. Garcia, would you mind showing
David and Claire the garden?”

“Of course,” she says, glaring at Weasel. “It
will be my pleasure.”

Whoa, I guess Mrs. Garcia can speak proper
English when she wants to.

David grabs Claire’s hand and Mrs. Garcia
hustles them out of the room.

“Can I come, too?” John asks as he follows
them.

I laugh at Dad’s perplexed face. “What’s
going on, Winifred?”

“They fixed the wedding heart.”

“What!”

“It was a delightful task,” says Mr.
Garcia.

Dad shakes Mr. Garcia’s hand. “Thank you,
José. You must have been here all night.”

Mr. Garcia smiles proudly. “It doesn’t take
long when many hands work together.”

Dad looks around at the smiling faces. “I
thank all of you.”

“I speak for all of my family when I say, you
are welcome,” says Mr. Garcia. “You should be very proud of your
daughter, Charles. She did a very grown-up thing tonight. And in
the dark.” Mr. Garcia pats Dad on the back.

“The dark?” Dad frowns.

“We lost the electricity, Dad.”

“And no generator without the new part. I’m
sorry Winifred.”

Jac grabs my hand and stations herself next
to me on the sofa. “She’s a heroine, Mr. Smith.”

All of Jac’s family claps in applause. I
choke up and hold back the tears.

“What are you talking about?” asks Dad.

I grin. “Sunny needed help with her delivery.
The foal’s head was turned.”

Dad looks shocked. “You delivered a foal? You
could have been hurt with a maiden mare.”

“What else could I do? Only one foot was
showing. The electricity went off before I could call the vet.”

Scott grins. “Awesome. I can’t wait to hear
the whole story.”

I grin back. “Dad, we have another stallion
for Smith’s Paso Finos.”

Dad collapses in a chair. “A colt. Oh,
Winifred, if you hadn’t been here, we might have had two dead
horses.”

“Can I name him Storm, Dad? Please?”

“You earned that and more.” He touches my
face and gives me such a loving look that a burst of warmth spreads
through my heart. Then he hugs me fiercely. “I am so proud of
you.”

David and Claire run into the living room.
David’s smile spreads across his face. Claire wipes tears from her
face.

“Thank you, Garcia family!” shouts David. He
starts shaking hands with them and introducing Claire.

Mrs. Garcia says, “It is time to go home.”
She kisses my cheek. “You rest, Chiquita.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Garcia,” I
whisper, so full of gratitude that
I can
hardly speak.

Jac squeezes my hand and leans toward me. “Is
that Scott?”

I nod.

“When you get a boyfriend, you do it right.
See you tomorrow.”

I know I turn bright red. Somehow, it doesn’t
bother me anymore.

Wives, brothers, sisters and husbands head
for the door.

Weasel cringes and flattens herself against
the wall as they leave.

Mrs. Garcia smiles coldly at her. “Your Ralph
Lauren suit is extremely attractive. I prefer Vera Wang’s designs.
She’s infinitely more open-minded.” She stretches to her full
height of five feet and sweeps past Weasel and out the door.

Weasel can’t hide her shocked face. “I–I
think it’s time for bed. Thank you for the dinner, Charles. Good
night.” She hurries out of the room as the doorbell rings.

Dad lets the doctor in.

Dr. Waverly hustles past him and into the
house like a tall, bustling bee. “Having a party? I would have been
here five minutes ago, except for the long walk past the parked
cars. Lovely night for a walk, though. All dazzling stars after the
storm. Hi, David. Nice to see you. Who is this ravishing
woman?”

David laughs. “Claire, this is Dr. Waverly.
Dr. Waverly, my fiancée, Claire Dudley.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” says Claire,
blushing.

Dr. Waverly pumps Claire’s hand.
“Congratulations. Congratulations. Nothing like a wedding to spice
things up.”

Dad pats the doctor on the back. “Thanks for
coming, Tom. I know you must be tired.”

Dr. Waverly laughs. “Goes with the territory,
goes with the territory. Where’s the patient and what’s she done
now?”

Dad pulls up a chair for the doctor.
“Winifred fainted. I’m really worried.”

The doctor looks sternly into my face.
”Stitches would have helped that cut. Have you been eating
properly? You look like a scrawny beanpole. Tell me, what’s going
on?”

Dr. Waverly is the fastest talker in the
world. Usually, I love to be around him. Tonight, he’s
exhausting.

I cringe at the concerned faces looming over
me.

“Not here,” I say.

“Everybody out, except for her father. Out,
out, out.” Dr. Waverly dismisses them with a flick of his
wrist.

After thirty seconds of ‘goodnights, get
betters,’ and a wink from Scott that tingles my toes, the room
clears.

Dr. Waverly is finished a half-an-hour later.
My eyelids are as heavy as horseshoes.

“I don’t think there’s anything major wrong
with you that a few meals and a good night’s sleep won’t cure,” the
doctor says. “To be sure, I want you to stay in bed until the
wedding. If you’re not feeling better by then, I’ll see you in my
office Monday morning.”

“But I need to finish the cleaning, help with
the wedding, check on the colt - ”

“No, no, and no. Bed rest until the wedding.
That’s an order. Understand?” Dr. Waverly looks like all adults
when they expect you to obey them.

“Yes, Sir,” I mumble.

Dad laughs. “I’ll lock her in her room if
necessary.”

I can’t bear to be alone without Fairy
Godmonster. “Can Kong stay with me?”

Dad says, “Of course. I’ll get him after I
help you up.”

“I’m not an invalid.”

“I know. You just want breakfast in bed.” He
smiles.

The world gets better, for a little
while.

Chapter 27: Pedestrian Crossing

I crawl into bed. The room is empty without
Fairy Godmonster. My throat is so closed up, I can hardly
swallow.

Kong bounds into the room and jumps on the
bed.

Dad goes to close my window.

“Please, leave it open, Dad.” I still hope
Fairy Godmonster will come back.

“Goodnight, Win.” Dad kisses my cheek. “I am
so proud of you.” He quietly tiptoes out and closes the door.

“
Goodbye, Faro,” I whisper
to myself. I’m asleep as soon as I put my arms around
Kong.

It seems like a minute when a knock on the
door brings me swimming up from a foggy dream. I check the clock.
It’s already ten o’clock.

“I bring food,” says Dad, knocking on the
door.

I put on my robe. “Come in.”

My stomach growls when I smell breakfast.

“Good morning!” Dad sets the tray on my
bed.

“Umm, smells yummy.” Maple syrup runs off
golden brown waffles surrounded by fried eggs and bacon.

“How do you feel?” he asks.

“Starving.”

“Thank goodness, you have a little more color
in your face today. You really had me worried.”

Dad sits on the edge of the bed. “I’ve got a
pretty good idea of what went on around here while I was gone. How
will you ever be able to forgive me for leaving you here to cope
with everything by yourself? For doubting you? I have no excuse for
the way I treated you. That female scrambled my brain.”

“Which one? I ask.

“Mrs. Dudley.”

I lick the sweet, sticky syrup dripping off
my fork. “Let’s call her Weasel.”

The corners of Dad’s mouth twitch.

I stare into his face. He laughs. Like a big
bass drum. I sigh. It’s nice to have Dad back.

“I have never met such an annoying,
exasperating, infuriating woman. Your mother was never like that.
Will you forgive me?”

“I’m working on it.”

He winces and then I remember and ask, “How
is the colt?”

“Son and Mom are fine. He’s going to be a
beauty. Thanks to your decisiveness. This ranch would have been in
big trouble losing two horses.”

Kong slobbers on Dad and makes for the
door.

“I want to see the foal.”

Dad says, “Plenty of time for that. After
all, I expect you to train him.”

“Really? Me train a stallion?”

“You earned it.”

“That’s awesome! I can’t wait to get my hands
on him. You know you have to imprint a foal right away. Maybe I can
- ”

“Not so fast. You’re staying in bed. If
you’re feeling better tomorrow, we’ll see. Right now, I’m taking
Kong outside and bringing him back. I want him out of the way
because the Dudley’s rich friends are wandering in and out of the
barn to see the horses. I’ll send up a late lunch since the wedding
dinner isn’t until nine tonight.”

“Nine? What time is the wedding?” I ask.

“Dusk,” he answers. “David said something
about the light in the garden.”

“Leave it to my brother to insist on
perfection.”

“Get some more rest.”

“I will,” I say. Especially after our guests
leave.”

Dad gives me a half-smile. “That’s what you
think. Remember we have a foal and a new stallion.”

I finish my breakfast and wander to the
window. The storm left a bright sunny day. Lots of strangers are
running around. Climbing back into bed, I don’t even hear Dad when
he brings Kong back.