love for her family.
Her session with Shannon had proved how desperately she needed to work through the demons in her own life. The situation looked like God had deserted all of them. But then again who else was there to turn to?
* * *
Sandra pushed her cart through the grocery store. She loved her job and her adoptive family. Cooking for Danika and Tiana and keeping their home clean—her home—filled her with satisfaction. She no longer looked for a husband, and she’d wait for her own family until Danika no longer needed her. The troubles circling her life two years ago had faded into manageable chunks. Even Lucy was handled since she believed Danika’s lawyer held the evidence implicating her traffic in illegal workers.
Danika had purchased a beautiful home right after Sandra had taken the job as Tiana’s nanny. It was a split floor plan that allowed Sandra and Danika to have their own privacy within the same house. What more could she ask for?
Tiana pushed a small cart beside her. Inside were a bunch of bananas and a box of graham crackers. The little girl tugged on Sandra’s shirt. “Cookie,” she signed, and Sandra nodded her consent.
At the end of the next aisle, the bakery offered free cookies to children. And Tiana loved the sugared treats.
The delicious aroma of hot bread teased Sandra’s nostrils, reminding her the hour moved quickly to noon. As a child, she’d often gone to bed hungry, and she made certain Tiana ate a balanced diet that ensured a healthy little girl. Sandra had pored over many books on nutrition especially for her Tiana. She did think of the little girl as her own. After all, she spent more waking hours with her than Danika. Sandra remembered how hard she’d labored to learn to read and write before accepting this job. Everything had paid off. Even Lucy’s abuse.
She picked up a loaf of marble rye bread and tortillas and helped Tiana pick out a sugar cookie. Stopping at the fresh produce, she selected four red bell peppers. She’d roast them and make a cream soup for dinner with a huge spinach salad. Danika encouraged her to watch the Food Network and prepare other dishes besides traditional Mexican foods. Right from the start, Danika had made it clear that trust was the most important factor in their relationship, and she didn’t question the food bill. So Sandra budgeted her spending and tried new recipes, and Danika was pleased.
Then Sandra remembered the morning’s call from Lucy, as if spiders were crawling inside her stomach and threatening to destroy her. The woman’s demands had increased, and although Sandra refused to comply with any of them, the threats continued. Lucy had hardened over the years, grown greedier and bolder. She despised Danika, and Sandra thought she knew why, but she didn’t want to speculate. The nagging suspicions about Lucy’s depraved mind cropped up at unexpected times, suspicions Sandra dreaded to face. Even if true, even if Lucy were involved in other things besides an illegal maid and nanny service, Sandra didn’t want to know. Lucy had means of securing falsified U.S. documents, which kept ICE off the woman’s back.
“Do you know where Cira is?” Lucy had asked.
“Cira Ramos? She’s been gone from McAllen for two years.” Sandra hoped the young woman and her baby never returned to the area.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I have no idea.” Cira had fled to Houston, where she planned to raise her child without fear of Lucy forcing her to work for free.
“If you value your life, you’ll do what I tell you,” Lucy said. “I need to find Cira. And I need Border Patrol information.”
“Forget it. As many threats as you toss my way, I have more. I’d get shipped back to Mexico, but you’d be sentenced to jail for a long time.” Her words sounded brave, and they packed enough punch to stop Lucy from sending someone to change her mind, but Sandra understood how evil Lucy could be.
Sandra no longer needed to talk
Her session with Shannon had proved how desperately she needed to work through the demons in her own life. The situation looked like God had deserted all of them. But then again who else was there to turn to?
* * *
Sandra pushed her cart through the grocery store. She loved her job and her adoptive family. Cooking for Danika and Tiana and keeping their home clean—her home—filled her with satisfaction. She no longer looked for a husband, and she’d wait for her own family until Danika no longer needed her. The troubles circling her life two years ago had faded into manageable chunks. Even Lucy was handled since she believed Danika’s lawyer held the evidence implicating her traffic in illegal workers.
Danika had purchased a beautiful home right after Sandra had taken the job as Tiana’s nanny. It was a split floor plan that allowed Sandra and Danika to have their own privacy within the same house. What more could she ask for?
Tiana pushed a small cart beside her. Inside were a bunch of bananas and a box of graham crackers. The little girl tugged on Sandra’s shirt. “Cookie,” she signed, and Sandra nodded her consent.
At the end of the next aisle, the bakery offered free cookies to children. And Tiana loved the sugared treats.
The delicious aroma of hot bread teased Sandra’s nostrils, reminding her the hour moved quickly to noon. As a child, she’d often gone to bed hungry, and she made certain Tiana ate a balanced diet that ensured a healthy little girl. Sandra had pored over many books on nutrition especially for her Tiana. She did think of the little girl as her own. After all, she spent more waking hours with her than Danika. Sandra remembered how hard she’d labored to learn to read and write before accepting this job. Everything had paid off. Even Lucy’s abuse.
She picked up a loaf of marble rye bread and tortillas and helped Tiana pick out a sugar cookie. Stopping at the fresh produce, she selected four red bell peppers. She’d roast them and make a cream soup for dinner with a huge spinach salad. Danika encouraged her to watch the Food Network and prepare other dishes besides traditional Mexican foods. Right from the start, Danika had made it clear that trust was the most important factor in their relationship, and she didn’t question the food bill. So Sandra budgeted her spending and tried new recipes, and Danika was pleased.
Then Sandra remembered the morning’s call from Lucy, as if spiders were crawling inside her stomach and threatening to destroy her. The woman’s demands had increased, and although Sandra refused to comply with any of them, the threats continued. Lucy had hardened over the years, grown greedier and bolder. She despised Danika, and Sandra thought she knew why, but she didn’t want to speculate. The nagging suspicions about Lucy’s depraved mind cropped up at unexpected times, suspicions Sandra dreaded to face. Even if true, even if Lucy were involved in other things besides an illegal maid and nanny service, Sandra didn’t want to know. Lucy had means of securing falsified U.S. documents, which kept ICE off the woman’s back.
“Do you know where Cira is?” Lucy had asked.
“Cira Ramos? She’s been gone from McAllen for two years.” Sandra hoped the young woman and her baby never returned to the area.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I have no idea.” Cira had fled to Houston, where she planned to raise her child without fear of Lucy forcing her to work for free.
“If you value your life, you’ll do what I tell you,” Lucy said. “I need to find Cira. And I need Border Patrol information.”
“Forget it. As many threats as you toss my way, I have more. I’d get shipped back to Mexico, but you’d be sentenced to jail for a long time.” Her words sounded brave, and they packed enough punch to stop Lucy from sending someone to change her mind, but Sandra understood how evil Lucy could be.
Sandra no longer needed to talk
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