you taste my food before I try it.”
“Oh, you’ll get used to her. That’s just the way she is.” She sank back into her chair and inhaled the steam from the mug, “Mm, isn’t this coffee wonderful? I forgot how good it was. Dorotea told me how she does it, but of course it doesn’t taste the same at home.” She smiled to herself and took a couple of long swallows, eyes closed. “Did you notice that Carl got a little upset there in the car?”
“It was hard not to notice. What did I say wrong, do you know?”
“You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s my fault for not telling you that Annie’s mother is a touchy subject.”
“Are you just being charitable here? It’s not just another case of insufficient attention?”
“I’m just being charitable,” Julie agreed.
Gideon smiled. “So, tell me again and I promise to pay attention. Was she ‘lost’ as in ‘died’ or ‘lost’ as in ‘divorced’?”
“Neither. ‘Lost’ as in ‘ran away and never came back.’ ”
“From her husband and her little baby? Ouch.”
“Ouch is right. She ran off with one of the hands, abandoning poor little Annie and leaving Carl to take care of her. Annie’s not even sure she has any real memories of her.”
“Probably doesn’t,” Gideon said. “She probably just remembers stories she heard.” He shook his head. “That’s tough.”
“Well, from what I can tell, she handles it just fine. But apparently Carl’s never gotten over it, gotten over Blaze. It’s been almost thirty years, but Annie thinks he’s still in love with her. Oh, what’s more, they left with a heck of a nest egg; her boyfriend Manolo robbed the ranch payroll and they took off with it.”
“Robbed the ranch payroll?” He laughed, but Julie didn’t crack a smile. “You’re serious? This is starting to sound like Butch Cassidy and the sundance Kid.”
“Well, you have to remember, this was before the place was a resort. It was an honest-to-God horse ranch, and the hands were paid in cash. And Jamie would drive to the bank in Tlacolula every month-there wasn’t one here in Teotitlan back then-to get the payroll and bring it back. And-well, Manolo robbed him. On the road. At gunpoint. Sixteen thousand dollars. A lot of money in 1979, especially down here.”
“You ain’t just whistling Dixie, kiddo,” Annie put in, having rejoined them, also armed with a mug of coffee. She sat herself down comfortably. “Filling Gideon in on the family skeletons, eh?”
Julie was embarrassed. “I was just explaining to Gideon why your father suddenly clammed up in the car.”
“Yeah, no problem. It’s sad, isn’t it? Almost thirty years and I think he’s still in love with her.”
She gazed down at the village, the mug held in front of her face in both hands. “I was really little, so I don’t really remember it. Besides, they wouldn’t talk about it in front of me; I mean, Blaze was my mother, right?-but I knew something that wasn’t kosher had happened, and later I learned all about it. Jamie was only a kid himself, fifteen years old, so losing all that money that he was responsible for practically killed him. You know what Jamie’s like, anyway-well, you do, Julie-so you can imagine.” And to Gideon, by way of explanation: “Jamie’s kind of… earnest, you know? He takes things to heart.”
“Jamie’s the worrier in the family,” Julie said, smiling.
“A good thing too. This family could use a worrier.”
Annie paused to try her coffee, found it too hot, and blew on it. It had been a while since Gideon had seen an adult do that, but somehow it seemed fitting for Annie. “Anyway, on account of that and some other things, I guess the ranch was on the edge of going bust until Tony conned the mineral people into buying most of it, and turned what was left into…” She spread her arms and gestured, palms up, at the complex of buildings, patios, and terrace around them. “Ta-daaa. And the rest is history.” She
“Oh, you’ll get used to her. That’s just the way she is.” She sank back into her chair and inhaled the steam from the mug, “Mm, isn’t this coffee wonderful? I forgot how good it was. Dorotea told me how she does it, but of course it doesn’t taste the same at home.” She smiled to herself and took a couple of long swallows, eyes closed. “Did you notice that Carl got a little upset there in the car?”
“It was hard not to notice. What did I say wrong, do you know?”
“You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s my fault for not telling you that Annie’s mother is a touchy subject.”
“Are you just being charitable here? It’s not just another case of insufficient attention?”
“I’m just being charitable,” Julie agreed.
Gideon smiled. “So, tell me again and I promise to pay attention. Was she ‘lost’ as in ‘died’ or ‘lost’ as in ‘divorced’?”
“Neither. ‘Lost’ as in ‘ran away and never came back.’ ”
“From her husband and her little baby? Ouch.”
“Ouch is right. She ran off with one of the hands, abandoning poor little Annie and leaving Carl to take care of her. Annie’s not even sure she has any real memories of her.”
“Probably doesn’t,” Gideon said. “She probably just remembers stories she heard.” He shook his head. “That’s tough.”
“Well, from what I can tell, she handles it just fine. But apparently Carl’s never gotten over it, gotten over Blaze. It’s been almost thirty years, but Annie thinks he’s still in love with her. Oh, what’s more, they left with a heck of a nest egg; her boyfriend Manolo robbed the ranch payroll and they took off with it.”
“Robbed the ranch payroll?” He laughed, but Julie didn’t crack a smile. “You’re serious? This is starting to sound like Butch Cassidy and the sundance Kid.”
“Well, you have to remember, this was before the place was a resort. It was an honest-to-God horse ranch, and the hands were paid in cash. And Jamie would drive to the bank in Tlacolula every month-there wasn’t one here in Teotitlan back then-to get the payroll and bring it back. And-well, Manolo robbed him. On the road. At gunpoint. Sixteen thousand dollars. A lot of money in 1979, especially down here.”
“You ain’t just whistling Dixie, kiddo,” Annie put in, having rejoined them, also armed with a mug of coffee. She sat herself down comfortably. “Filling Gideon in on the family skeletons, eh?”
Julie was embarrassed. “I was just explaining to Gideon why your father suddenly clammed up in the car.”
“Yeah, no problem. It’s sad, isn’t it? Almost thirty years and I think he’s still in love with her.”
She gazed down at the village, the mug held in front of her face in both hands. “I was really little, so I don’t really remember it. Besides, they wouldn’t talk about it in front of me; I mean, Blaze was my mother, right?-but I knew something that wasn’t kosher had happened, and later I learned all about it. Jamie was only a kid himself, fifteen years old, so losing all that money that he was responsible for practically killed him. You know what Jamie’s like, anyway-well, you do, Julie-so you can imagine.” And to Gideon, by way of explanation: “Jamie’s kind of… earnest, you know? He takes things to heart.”
“Jamie’s the worrier in the family,” Julie said, smiling.
“A good thing too. This family could use a worrier.”
Annie paused to try her coffee, found it too hot, and blew on it. It had been a while since Gideon had seen an adult do that, but somehow it seemed fitting for Annie. “Anyway, on account of that and some other things, I guess the ranch was on the edge of going bust until Tony conned the mineral people into buying most of it, and turned what was left into…” She spread her arms and gestured, palms up, at the complex of buildings, patios, and terrace around them. “Ta-daaa. And the rest is history.” She
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