her prickle with a bit of anger. She’d just lost everything. Why
couldn’t
it be about her, just for a minute?
“Do I really need to answer that?”
Inez tapped her chin again. “Well, no. But you ought to at least think about it. Rigo’s made mistakes, Gloria. But he’s also had to pay a price for them. He lost his best friend, and he does blame himself. But since he’s come back, he’s been a different man. He’s been commended by the city for his work on the Beach Patrol. He hasn’t even missed a week of church. And he comes home and earns his keep around here with me.”
Gloria didn’t really want to hear about all the changes in Rigo. It was easier for her to believe he was the same impulsive, self-centered man she had believed him to be since the day she listened to that message on her answering machine. It made it easier to be around him now if she knew she was getting ready to close the door on him again. She’d only called him because she was panicked and out of numbers in her phone to call. And like he said, he’d only answered because it gave him a chance to make amends.
He’d come clean about the past, and he’d helped her during the hurricane, but now that the storm had passed and they’d cleared some of the heated air between them, Gloria didn’t really want anything to do with him in the future. She’d gotten the answers she needed and she’d survived the storm.
And she knew Rigo didn’t want much of anything to do with her, either. He said it himself. His goal was for them to be okay with coexisting in the same relatively small city.
But Inez wasn’t finished. She caught Gloria’s gaze and locked on to it with her own dark eyes. “And something else—he lost the woman that he loved. Truth be told, I saw how he looked at that woman last night. I think he still loves her. And I think she’s the last piece in the puzzle of putting back together his life. You know, Gloria, forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself along with the other person. It means you can both move on without living in the past.”
Gloria shook her head. She could feel pinpricks of anger under her skin. “I understand that Rigo’s your nephew and you want to help him. But my son is in the past. My heart is in the past.”
Inez stood with purpose and without acknowledging Gloria’s words. “I’m going down to La Iglesia. Do you want to come with me?”
No.
Gloria didn’t want any opportunity to continue this pointless conversation. “To the church? How are you going to get there?”
Inez raised one foot and then the other, clad in white leather tennis shoes that clearly hadn’t seen the light of day more than once or twice. Low-heeled leather pumps were more in line with Inez’s fastidious style. “Well, I’m going to walk, of course. It’s less than six blocks.”
Six blocks of boards, nails, shingles, palm fronds, household goods and who knew what else. She couldn’t let an eighty-three-year-old woman make that walk alone. She’d just have to do her best to change the conversation.
But to what? As much as she didn’t want to talk about Rigo or forgiveness or the past, Gloria definitely didn’t want to talk about the weather, either.
“Okay, I’ll come with you.” Gloria felt almost as reluctant about this as she had about placing that prehurricane phone call to Rigo.
“Bien!”
A smile lit Inez’s face, making her cheeks stand out like small apples. “You’re probably too young to remember Hurricane Jovie too much. That was the last big storm to make landfall here. But those of us who stay always go check in at the church and start seeing what we can do to help.”
“Yeah, I was about ten when Jovie came through. I just remember cleaning up a big mess at Mamí and Papí’s restaurant. They opened back up the next day, cooking fajitas on a charcoal grill.” She’d almost forgotten those days after Hurricane Jovie. Thinking about it reminded her of how proud she was to be Mamí
couldn’t
it be about her, just for a minute?
“Do I really need to answer that?”
Inez tapped her chin again. “Well, no. But you ought to at least think about it. Rigo’s made mistakes, Gloria. But he’s also had to pay a price for them. He lost his best friend, and he does blame himself. But since he’s come back, he’s been a different man. He’s been commended by the city for his work on the Beach Patrol. He hasn’t even missed a week of church. And he comes home and earns his keep around here with me.”
Gloria didn’t really want to hear about all the changes in Rigo. It was easier for her to believe he was the same impulsive, self-centered man she had believed him to be since the day she listened to that message on her answering machine. It made it easier to be around him now if she knew she was getting ready to close the door on him again. She’d only called him because she was panicked and out of numbers in her phone to call. And like he said, he’d only answered because it gave him a chance to make amends.
He’d come clean about the past, and he’d helped her during the hurricane, but now that the storm had passed and they’d cleared some of the heated air between them, Gloria didn’t really want anything to do with him in the future. She’d gotten the answers she needed and she’d survived the storm.
And she knew Rigo didn’t want much of anything to do with her, either. He said it himself. His goal was for them to be okay with coexisting in the same relatively small city.
But Inez wasn’t finished. She caught Gloria’s gaze and locked on to it with her own dark eyes. “And something else—he lost the woman that he loved. Truth be told, I saw how he looked at that woman last night. I think he still loves her. And I think she’s the last piece in the puzzle of putting back together his life. You know, Gloria, forgiveness is a gift you give to yourself along with the other person. It means you can both move on without living in the past.”
Gloria shook her head. She could feel pinpricks of anger under her skin. “I understand that Rigo’s your nephew and you want to help him. But my son is in the past. My heart is in the past.”
Inez stood with purpose and without acknowledging Gloria’s words. “I’m going down to La Iglesia. Do you want to come with me?”
No.
Gloria didn’t want any opportunity to continue this pointless conversation. “To the church? How are you going to get there?”
Inez raised one foot and then the other, clad in white leather tennis shoes that clearly hadn’t seen the light of day more than once or twice. Low-heeled leather pumps were more in line with Inez’s fastidious style. “Well, I’m going to walk, of course. It’s less than six blocks.”
Six blocks of boards, nails, shingles, palm fronds, household goods and who knew what else. She couldn’t let an eighty-three-year-old woman make that walk alone. She’d just have to do her best to change the conversation.
But to what? As much as she didn’t want to talk about Rigo or forgiveness or the past, Gloria definitely didn’t want to talk about the weather, either.
“Okay, I’ll come with you.” Gloria felt almost as reluctant about this as she had about placing that prehurricane phone call to Rigo.
“Bien!”
A smile lit Inez’s face, making her cheeks stand out like small apples. “You’re probably too young to remember Hurricane Jovie too much. That was the last big storm to make landfall here. But those of us who stay always go check in at the church and start seeing what we can do to help.”
“Yeah, I was about ten when Jovie came through. I just remember cleaning up a big mess at Mamí and Papí’s restaurant. They opened back up the next day, cooking fajitas on a charcoal grill.” She’d almost forgotten those days after Hurricane Jovie. Thinking about it reminded her of how proud she was to be Mamí
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