Ana of California by Andi Teran Page B

watched him make his way across the fields, and when he was safely out of sight, she kneeled down to take a closer look at the bushes. There were two types of plants growing: some that were longer, flat and narrow, and some that were more in the shape of a four-leaf clover. The longer, narrower ones seemed the flattest, more the opposite of curly, as Emmett suggested. She took a deep breath and wondered if she should double-check with Manny or one of the other workers, but everyone was busily working much farther out in the fields.
    So, Ana made an educated guess. She began pulling the clover-looking plants because they were wilder and more abundant, “taking over,” as Emmett had said. She accidentally snapped a few off at the center of their stems, not realizing you had to grip from closer to the bottom. Once she got the hang of it, she worked fast and efficiently, getting lost in the pulling and throwing of weeds, finding joy in the tossing of them all over the middle of the row. She imagined the praise she’d get from Manny, who would then tell Emmett—in front of everyone else—and how maybe she’d get a nod of respect. She envisioned Vic and Rolo high-fiving her and René giving her a gentle bow. She became so lost in the work she didn’t notice the bell ringing out across the fields. The workers began gathering at the packing truck for lunch. She continued picking, wanting to prove her enthusiasm to Manny, who walked toward her through the rows of kale.
    â€œAna!” he said cheerfully. “Working hard! Let’s take a look—”
    He stopped abruptly. Ana watched as horrified alarm swept across his face.
    â€œDid Emmett tell you to do this?”
    â€œYes, sir,” she said, her heart pounding. “He said to pick the weeds and leave the parsley. He said to leave the flat ones intact.”
    â€œ
Ay-ay-ay
,” he said, exhaling, shaking his head. “Did Emmett tell you which was which?”
    â€œWell, he said your parsley was the opposite of curly parsley, that it was flat, and that the weeds were everywhere. So I left the long flat ones and picked the other ones, which seemed to be the plants that were taking over.”
    Manny shook his head and cupped his hand over his mouth, keeping his eyes locked on the piles of green resting in the dirt.
    â€œI picked the wrong ones.”
    â€œYes,
mija
.”
    Ana didn’t know what to say. She wanted to cry but told herself not to. The thought of disappointing Manny, let alone Emmett, again made her want to turn around and sprint into the forest to embrace whatever dark fate was surely waiting for her. They both looked up, not realizing Emmett was standing behind them.
    â€œWhat is this?” he said.
    â€œIt’s not her fault,” Manny said, remaining calm and giving Ana a look that implored her not to say anything. “She didn’t know, okay? She thought she was picking the weeds.”
    â€œBut I explained everything to you,” Emmett said. “How could you not understand?”
    Ana looked from one man to the other. “I guess I don’t really know what flat-leaf parsley looks like?”
    â€œBut I was standing right here,” Emmett said, exasperated. “You could have asked me to show you.”
    â€œYou didn’t ask me if I had any questions.”
    Emmett took off his baseball cap, squeezed it in his hand, and put it back on again. He looked down at the pile of parsley and then over to Manny.
    â€œI, I’m really sorry,” Ana said. “I thought I was doing it correctly. And, to be fair, I didn’t completely understand your instructions.” She looked over at the trees and picked a spot to run to.
    â€œI should have checked on her sooner,” Manny said. “It’s my fault.”
    They stood there for a long, quiet moment, the sounds of the workers conversing across the fields in the background. Emmett bent down and picked up a