against her spine through the thin cotton of her sundress. She smelled wonderful.
Consuelo said something sharply and took a step toward us. I jumped.
I staggered a bit, but we were both in Sam's living room.
Alejandra gasped and staggered, too, and I steadied her– kept her from falling over. After a moment she said, "Uh, Guillermo, you can let go."
"Ah." I stepped slightly away from her, then caught her again as her knees buckled.
Sam and I helped her sit on the couch.
"Where's Consuelo?" said Sam. "Is everything all right?"
"You explain," I said to Alejandra, and jumped.
Consuelo was talking fast and furious with lots of gestures and I couldn't get one word in ten, much less meaning. Well, I didn't understand the sentences but I sure understood the sentiment.
I kept trying to calm her down but finally I just jumped behind her, like playing tag with Dad in our exercises, put my arms around her, and jumped.
We both staggered forward in Sam's living room, but Sam steadied Consuelo and Alejandra grabbed my arm.
Everyone was a little wide–eyed, even me.
Deep breaths.
"You know," I said, "I'm hungry!"
Consuelo couldn't stand for anyone to "have hunger." She didn't even need it translated.
We ate out by the spring and Alejandra marveled at the dryness of the air and the trees and the rocky brown hills.
"iDonde estd lo verde?" she asked her aunt. Where is the green?
Consuelo got a stony look on her face. 'Wo tenemos agua, ni hay verde."
I realized what she was thinking about: her husband and son. No water, no green.
Alejandra realized it, too. "/Oh, perdoneme! No pense." I didn't think.
Consuelo waved her hand. 'Wo es importante." She said something else that I couldn't understand.
Alejandra translated. "She's glad she doesn't have to spend all that time on the buses. Even if it was terrifying."
"Travel Air
Griffin
. When you absolutely have to be there today."
"Greefin? Why Greefin?"
"Uh, that's my name. My real name. Consuelo and I chose Guillermo because they know my real name, the people who killed my parents. And
Griffin
is unusual. So, it's Guillermo, okay? I mean, you can call me
Griffin
in private, I guess."
"No," said Sam. "Go on as you mean to go on. She calls you two different things, it's easy to get mixed up. She calls you one thing, then she's not likely to make a mistake in front of someone else."
Alejandra nodded. "True. But going on? Are we meaning to go on?"
Sam switched to Spanish, asking Consuelo something, and the conversation broadened to include all three of them, but I didn't follow it. I was watching Alejandra. Waiting. Hoping.
Finally, she turned to me and said, "Well, Grif–Guillermo. Do you want to live with me in La Crucesita? I have a small house behind the Hotel Villa Blanca, just across from
Chaue
Beach
. There is a small room above the carport with spider–webs." She shuddered. "But it could be cleaned out."
I nodded solemnly.
"You'd have to study hard and learn espanol because I'd be telling everyone you are a distant cousin on my mother's side, the Losadas. She's from
Mexico City
, not de el lado de mi familia de La Crucecita. And you would have to go to the beach often, to tan, so people would not call you el gringito."
I nodded more vigorously. "All right. I'll work hard and I'll keep up my home schooling. And I'll learn Span–espanol. And I can shop for you, in the
United States
if you want, or
Thailand
, or Lechlade, uh, our village back in Oxfordshire– in
England
."
"Whoa, boy," said Sam. "You are going down to
Oaxaca
to disappear, not draw more attention to yourself."
My ears got hot and I stared at the table for a moment. "Uh, right."
Alejandra reached out and touched my arm. "I'm sure you will be a big help to me. You already speak French and English. Learn Spanish and I can put you to work in my agency. Or I'll find you work as a guide. Not to worry. But school will be your main job, comprendel Guillermo Losada?"
"Claro que si!"
"Excelente!" She
Consuelo said something sharply and took a step toward us. I jumped.
I staggered a bit, but we were both in Sam's living room.
Alejandra gasped and staggered, too, and I steadied her– kept her from falling over. After a moment she said, "Uh, Guillermo, you can let go."
"Ah." I stepped slightly away from her, then caught her again as her knees buckled.
Sam and I helped her sit on the couch.
"Where's Consuelo?" said Sam. "Is everything all right?"
"You explain," I said to Alejandra, and jumped.
Consuelo was talking fast and furious with lots of gestures and I couldn't get one word in ten, much less meaning. Well, I didn't understand the sentences but I sure understood the sentiment.
I kept trying to calm her down but finally I just jumped behind her, like playing tag with Dad in our exercises, put my arms around her, and jumped.
We both staggered forward in Sam's living room, but Sam steadied Consuelo and Alejandra grabbed my arm.
Everyone was a little wide–eyed, even me.
Deep breaths.
"You know," I said, "I'm hungry!"
Consuelo couldn't stand for anyone to "have hunger." She didn't even need it translated.
We ate out by the spring and Alejandra marveled at the dryness of the air and the trees and the rocky brown hills.
"iDonde estd lo verde?" she asked her aunt. Where is the green?
Consuelo got a stony look on her face. 'Wo tenemos agua, ni hay verde."
I realized what she was thinking about: her husband and son. No water, no green.
Alejandra realized it, too. "/Oh, perdoneme! No pense." I didn't think.
Consuelo waved her hand. 'Wo es importante." She said something else that I couldn't understand.
Alejandra translated. "She's glad she doesn't have to spend all that time on the buses. Even if it was terrifying."
"Travel Air
Griffin
. When you absolutely have to be there today."
"Greefin? Why Greefin?"
"Uh, that's my name. My real name. Consuelo and I chose Guillermo because they know my real name, the people who killed my parents. And
Griffin
is unusual. So, it's Guillermo, okay? I mean, you can call me
Griffin
in private, I guess."
"No," said Sam. "Go on as you mean to go on. She calls you two different things, it's easy to get mixed up. She calls you one thing, then she's not likely to make a mistake in front of someone else."
Alejandra nodded. "True. But going on? Are we meaning to go on?"
Sam switched to Spanish, asking Consuelo something, and the conversation broadened to include all three of them, but I didn't follow it. I was watching Alejandra. Waiting. Hoping.
Finally, she turned to me and said, "Well, Grif–Guillermo. Do you want to live with me in La Crucesita? I have a small house behind the Hotel Villa Blanca, just across from
Chaue
Beach
. There is a small room above the carport with spider–webs." She shuddered. "But it could be cleaned out."
I nodded solemnly.
"You'd have to study hard and learn espanol because I'd be telling everyone you are a distant cousin on my mother's side, the Losadas. She's from
Mexico City
, not de el lado de mi familia de La Crucecita. And you would have to go to the beach often, to tan, so people would not call you el gringito."
I nodded more vigorously. "All right. I'll work hard and I'll keep up my home schooling. And I'll learn Span–espanol. And I can shop for you, in the
United States
if you want, or
Thailand
, or Lechlade, uh, our village back in Oxfordshire– in
England
."
"Whoa, boy," said Sam. "You are going down to
Oaxaca
to disappear, not draw more attention to yourself."
My ears got hot and I stared at the table for a moment. "Uh, right."
Alejandra reached out and touched my arm. "I'm sure you will be a big help to me. You already speak French and English. Learn Spanish and I can put you to work in my agency. Or I'll find you work as a guide. Not to worry. But school will be your main job, comprendel Guillermo Losada?"
"Claro que si!"
"Excelente!" She
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