She Had No Choice (24 page)

“
I promised Mama yesterday that I would do all I could to help her get away from the old man,” Eva told Lydia. “Did you know he held a knife to her throat a few weeks ago?”

“
Ay, Diós mio! No, I didn’t know. I mean, I knew things were bad, but I had no idea.”

“
I’m afraid he’ll kill her next time if we don’t do something.”

“
But what can we do?” Lydia asked.

“
I’ve been thinking about it since I left her. I think the first thing we need to do is find her a job, something where she can live on her own and take care of herself and the younger kids. Do you have any ideas?”

Lydia thought for a moment. “You know, I’ve been working at one of the canneries in Hollister since Manuel and I got married. I wonder if they would hire Mama, too. Tomato season is starting soon, so I know they’ll be hiring more people. I could ask.”

“
And if we could find her a place to live…  Oh, Lydia, I think we can do this.” Eva’s confidence was growing.

“
I don’t know, but I’m willing to help.” Lydia said. “What do you think we should do?”

“
I’ll go back into town and see if I can find a little house for her to rent. I’ve got some money saved up, so I can put down a deposit. Maybe even pay the first month’s rent for her. Do you think you could watch Rory and Angie for me for a few hours?”

“
Sure, sure. They’ll be fine here with me. Take your time. Do what you have to do. Don’t worry about the kids, I can take care of them.”

“
Thanks, Lydia. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Bending down, Eva kissed her children good-bye as they played on the floor. She gave her sister a quick hug, picked up her purse and was out the door. She was a woman on a mission, determined that she was going to rescue her mother and her siblings.

As Eva drove back to Hollister, her mind raced with different ideas to explore – where to go, who to talk to, what to say. She kept seeing Mama’s face popping up in her thoughts, the big black bruise near her temple, her eyes full of fear. The vision only made her more resolute in her mission. She would find a house today for her mother and her brothers and sister and nothing would stand in her way.

She drove up and down the residential streets of Hollister, searching for “For Rent” signs in yards, with no luck. Stopping at a corner grocery store to pick up a newspaper, she scanned the classified ads for “Homes for Rent,” looking for homes that were $100 a month or less. There were only two, and the ads gave the addresses. Driving by the first one, she saw it was in poor condition.  That would not do.

So she decided to go on to the second one. She drove her car up in front of the house, next to the picket fence, and looked it over. She got out of the car and walked around the property. It was a decent-looking house on a hill with white painted clapboard siding that could use some sprucing up, she decided. The little house had a good-sized covered porch in front and a screened-in back porch for doing the laundry.

There was also a small two-room cottage in the back, off of the alley, that was included in the rent. The ad called it a “cottage”, but it actually looked more like a very rustic cabin with its well-worn, dark-stained wood exterior. Eva thought it would be perfect. With Richard leaving for Germany in a few weeks, she and her kids could stay in the cottage and help Mama pay the rent for a few months before they left to join him.

Eva called the phone number in the ad and made arrangements to meet the owner of the property later that afternoon. She sat on the porch and waited for him to arrive. This house, she thought, could make rescuing Mama and the children possible. Adding to that the bonus of the cottage for herself and her children, she felt giddy with excitement. This was it. It had to be.

She stood up as soon as she saw a car pull up in front of the house and a kind-looking old man got out. He was short with small wire-rimmed glasses, a round tummy and thinning, gray hair.

“
Eva?”

“
Yes, are you Mr. Jonas?”

“
Yep, that’s me. Here, let’s go inside and take a look around.” He stuck the key in the lock and jiggled the knob to get it to open. “These gal-darn old houses, looks like something else I need to fix.”  He pushed the door open and let her go in first.

He waited in the living room as Eva quickly walked from room to room.

“
Can we go down to the cottage and take a look at it, too?” She wanted to make sure it would work for them.

“
Sure, ma’am. Right through here.” He led her to the back porch and down the stairs. The yard sloped downward, toward the cottage and to the back alley.

He slipped another key into the lock and opened the door for her. Eva stepped inside and looked around. There was a living area and a bedroom, which was all she would need.

“
Will this work?” Mr. Jonas asked.

“
Yes, I’ll take it!” she announced enthusiastically. “Are those my keys?”

“
Not so fast,” he cautioned. “I’ll need to have you fill out this application and make sure you can pay the rent each month.”

“
I can pay it, sir. My husband is a soldier in the army,” she told him proudly. “He’s stationed in Germany. The government pays us like clockwork. And my mother will be living with us, and she’ll pay her part from her job.”

“
And where does your mother work?”

“
I believe she’ll be working at one of the canneries,” she replied. “They’re processing tomatoes this time of year, I think.”

“
Ya’ know, I was in the army, too, when I was a younger man,” he said. “I had a much better physique in those days,” he noted, as he patted his protruding belly. “You seem like a nice young woman, and I like to help out fellow soldiers when I can. If you can pay the deposit and first month’s rent, the house is yours.”

Eva filled out the rental agreement, signed it, and handed over a hundred and fifty dollars in cash that she had saved up. She felt very proud of herself for having done this for her mother. It was Eva’s name on the lease, not her mother’s, but she was sure it would all work out. It had to.

Being a bit lead-footed, she drove back to San Juan Bautista exhilarated and excited for what lay ahead. She couldn’t wait to pick up her children and tell Lydia the first step to helping their mother escape had been accomplished.

The next step, Eva thought, would be to get Sofía a job, hopefully at one of the canneries in town. She had just told their new landlord she believed Mama would be working at one of the canneries, and she didn’t want to be a liar. With a place to live and a job to support herself and her younger children, Mama could finally be out from under Carlos’s control.

Eva drove up in front of her sister’s house and turned the engine off. She was barely out of the car before Rory and Angie came running out, Lydia trailing behind. Eva crouched down and spread her arms out wide. The kids eagerly ran into them and gave her hugs.

“
I hope they’ve been good for you, Lydia,” Eva said as she stood up.

“
We’ve been having a great time, haven’t we, kids?” The children nodded and laughed. “Come in, Eva, and tell me what happened today.” Eva had been gone for several hours, and Lydia was anxious to hear. Eva and the kids followed her into the house.

“
I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long, but I did find Mama a house.” Eva was bursting to tell her all about it. She eagerly described the house and the cottage and how perfect it was. Then she gave Lydia a detailed narration of how she got the landlord to let her rent the house.

“
What about furniture?” Lydia asked.

“
Oh, no. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Eva couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought about furniture for Mama’s house. She was certain Sofía could not take any of the furnishings with her when she left. It was up to Eva and Lydia to find the necessary pieces for her. Lydia told her sister about a church in Hollister that had a thrift store ministry, she thought it was on 5
th
Street, just off of Main. Eva said it sounded like the perfect place to look.

Lydia had to work the next few days at the cannery, so she wasn’t able to babysit the kids while her sister went furniture hunting. Eva took them with her while she visited the thrift store. She hoped the store could provide her with the beds, sofa and dinette set she needed for the family at a price she could afford.

Eva parked the car in front of the thrift store and took Rory and Angie inside with her.

“
Don’t touch anything,” she warned her little children. “Stay close to me, and don’t touch anything,” she repeated for emphasis. She couldn’t afford to spend money on something that accidentally got broken.

“
Hi, there! Can I help you?” a woman called out from behind the big brass cash register. The thrift store was run by a sweet, elderly woman named Alice, with short, white curly hair, rosy cheeks, and a round, full figure.

“
Yes, I want to talk to someone about some furniture.”

“
Oh, what sweet little kids. They’re real cuties!” Alice was enamored by the children and came out from behind the counter. “Do you think your mommy would let you have a sucker?”

The children both nodded fervently.

“
Okay, but just one,” Eva said.

Alice plucked a couple of suckers out of the jar on the counter and peeled the wrappers off. She handed one to each of them.

“
What do you say?” Eva asked her children.

“
Thank you,” they told Alice, in unison.

While the children enjoyed their candy, Eva discreetly explained to Alice the abusive circumstances that Sofía and her brothers and sister were living in. She went on to tell Alice how she felt responsible to rescue her mother and her siblings from this dangerous situation. Alice’s big, soft heart was touched by Eva’s love for her family, and she was eager to help.

She took Eva and the kids to the rear of the store and introduced them to her husband, George, who was working in the back shop repairing some of the donations, getting them ready to put out in the store. He was sitting at his workbench with a hammer in his hand, repairing a drawer from a used dresser.

George was tall and thin with his gray hair worn in a short crew cut. With dark horn-rimmed glasses, he wore a pair of old weathered jeans and a red plaid flannel shirt. He turned and stood up when he heard their footsteps.

“
George, dear, this is Eva and her children. Can you show her where some of the larger items are kept, please?

“
Sure, honey pie,” he said to Alice, trying to get a rise out of her. He winked at her, then he turned his attention to helping Eva. “Right this way, ma’am. I have some nice things you might be interested in right over here.”

George led the way. Immediately, Eva caught sight of a dinette set that would be just right for the family.

“
You’re in good hands now, Eva. You go on ahead and keep shopping. I’ll just take these little cuties to the toy section and let them play. I’m sure we can find something they’ll like,” Alice offered.

She led Angie and Rory to an area stocked with used toys near the checkout counter. Then, while keeping an eye on them, Alice made a few phone calls to members of her church and rounded up more of the furnishings she knew they’d need.

Once Eva had examined all the larger pieces of furniture she could use, she walked up to the front of the store to talk with Alice. Together they made of list of the things she needed, including the ones Alice had made phone calls about.

“
How much will all of this come to?” Eva asked, looking in her purse to see how much cash she had left.

“
Under the circumstances, let’s just say it’s our gift to your mother. We’re happy we can help out.”

“
But, but, I…” Eva couldn’t find the words to thank her.

“
Just give me the address,” Alice interrupted, “and I’ll have George and his buddies deliver all the things to you tomorrow. Will that be soon enough?”

“
Tomorrow? Really?” Eva was astounded and extremely grateful. “Thank you so much! God bless you, Alice!” she said, wiping her tears, giving Alice a big hug. She was overwhelmed by how much this woman and her husband cared about people they had never met.

Eva wrote the address down for Alice and agreed to meet George and his friends at the house the next day at noon. She still couldn’t believe how much these people were going out of their way for total strangers – locating all the things they needed and then delivering them for nothing on top of that. She was completely amazed.

The next morning, while Lydia watched Rory and Angie once more, Eva drove out to Tres Pinos. She remembered Mama saying that Carlos left early for work, around seven o’clock in the morning. Then, about thirty minutes later the school bus usually came to pick up the children. She knew she had a very slim window of opportunity.