wealthy?” I realized suddenly that I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn Rivera had lied to me. What did that say of our relationship?
“Wealthy?” He shook his head. “Not in the usual manner. But she had all the makings of greatness. Strength, beauty, ambition.” He tapped the side of his head, not disturbing a single hair. “Brains.” He sighed. “Her mother died when she was yet young. Luis, he was beside himself with grief. I thought it best that he leave Mexico, put the memories behind him. I finally convinced him to come to California. I did not have much influence at that time, but I managed to secure him a job on a ranch—the Mañana Estrella. It was no more than manual labor, but he did well there. And Salina…” He sighed. “She looked much like her mother.” He shook his head. “Perhaps the pain was too great. Perhaps that is why Luis could not seem to appreciate her as he…” His voice trailed off. “I’ve no wish to speak poor of the dead. Luis was a good man, a fine man. He did the best he could. And Salina, she loved the horses. Took to them like a bee to honey. I can see her still, black braids bouncing as she rode. Bareback. Always bareback, and fast as the south wind. She was fearless. Even then. It was something my son did not understand.”
“Her fearlessness?”
“
Sí.
I believe he thought he must protect her.”
“From what?”
He looked into my eyes. “From me. But he was wrong. I had no interest in her. Not in that manner. Not even when she first worked on my campaign. I thought for a time that she would have been good for my son, that they would wed, but Salina…” He drew a deep breath through his nostrils, leaning back slightly. I could imagine him smoking a Cuban cigar and playing poker with the heads of state. “She was not one to take a backseat to another.”
“A backseat?”
“Gerald…Well…” He lifted a hand as if in resignation. “He will always be a Rivera, whether he wishes to admit it or not. And he was young.”
“How young?”
“Young enough to look at others.” Ageless, then. “And Salina…” He smiled fondly. “She did not take any slight lightly.”
“He cheated on her?”
“Cheated?” He made a surprised expression, as if he did not quite understand the word. “No.”
Maybe there was no such thing as cheating in his world. Maybe it was flirting or loitering, or tripping into someone’s bed. “He was forthright with her. Said that he thought they should see others.”
“You know that for a fact?”
“If you are wondering if Gerald told me, the answer is no. But I worked very closely with my volunteers, Ms. McMullen. And Salina was the daughter of a special friend. I knew she was troubled even before she came to speak to me of her concerns.”
“And that’s when you started seeing her?”
“Oh, no.” He gave me a paternal smile. “My wife and I had our problems even then, but Salina was far too young.”
Unlike two days ago when she was in her dotage. I remembered the baby-soft skin, the whiskey-bright eyes.
“It was some years later that my affection for her became interest in her as a woman. Some years after the death of her father. After Gerald’s marriage, in fact. You see, regardless of what my son has told you, I never intended to hurt him.”
“So you didn’t know he would be upset if you married his ex-girlfriend…who happens to be half your age?”
He watched me in silence for a moment. His eyes wrinkled a little, an older version of the younger Rivera, no less appealing, perhaps, certainly no less powerful, but craftier. “You are not one to mince words, I see. I should have known that would be the case. My son would not cohabitate well with a woman of weak resolve.”
I felt an almost overwhelming need to inform him that I wasn’t cohabitating with his son. In fact, we might not even be speaking. But after a moment of silent reflection I had a strong suspicion the senator already knew.
“Wealthy?” He shook his head. “Not in the usual manner. But she had all the makings of greatness. Strength, beauty, ambition.” He tapped the side of his head, not disturbing a single hair. “Brains.” He sighed. “Her mother died when she was yet young. Luis, he was beside himself with grief. I thought it best that he leave Mexico, put the memories behind him. I finally convinced him to come to California. I did not have much influence at that time, but I managed to secure him a job on a ranch—the Mañana Estrella. It was no more than manual labor, but he did well there. And Salina…” He sighed. “She looked much like her mother.” He shook his head. “Perhaps the pain was too great. Perhaps that is why Luis could not seem to appreciate her as he…” His voice trailed off. “I’ve no wish to speak poor of the dead. Luis was a good man, a fine man. He did the best he could. And Salina, she loved the horses. Took to them like a bee to honey. I can see her still, black braids bouncing as she rode. Bareback. Always bareback, and fast as the south wind. She was fearless. Even then. It was something my son did not understand.”
“Her fearlessness?”
“
Sí.
I believe he thought he must protect her.”
“From what?”
He looked into my eyes. “From me. But he was wrong. I had no interest in her. Not in that manner. Not even when she first worked on my campaign. I thought for a time that she would have been good for my son, that they would wed, but Salina…” He drew a deep breath through his nostrils, leaning back slightly. I could imagine him smoking a Cuban cigar and playing poker with the heads of state. “She was not one to take a backseat to another.”
“A backseat?”
“Gerald…Well…” He lifted a hand as if in resignation. “He will always be a Rivera, whether he wishes to admit it or not. And he was young.”
“How young?”
“Young enough to look at others.” Ageless, then. “And Salina…” He smiled fondly. “She did not take any slight lightly.”
“He cheated on her?”
“Cheated?” He made a surprised expression, as if he did not quite understand the word. “No.”
Maybe there was no such thing as cheating in his world. Maybe it was flirting or loitering, or tripping into someone’s bed. “He was forthright with her. Said that he thought they should see others.”
“You know that for a fact?”
“If you are wondering if Gerald told me, the answer is no. But I worked very closely with my volunteers, Ms. McMullen. And Salina was the daughter of a special friend. I knew she was troubled even before she came to speak to me of her concerns.”
“And that’s when you started seeing her?”
“Oh, no.” He gave me a paternal smile. “My wife and I had our problems even then, but Salina was far too young.”
Unlike two days ago when she was in her dotage. I remembered the baby-soft skin, the whiskey-bright eyes.
“It was some years later that my affection for her became interest in her as a woman. Some years after the death of her father. After Gerald’s marriage, in fact. You see, regardless of what my son has told you, I never intended to hurt him.”
“So you didn’t know he would be upset if you married his ex-girlfriend…who happens to be half your age?”
He watched me in silence for a moment. His eyes wrinkled a little, an older version of the younger Rivera, no less appealing, perhaps, certainly no less powerful, but craftier. “You are not one to mince words, I see. I should have known that would be the case. My son would not cohabitate well with a woman of weak resolve.”
I felt an almost overwhelming need to inform him that I wasn’t cohabitating with his son. In fact, we might not even be speaking. But after a moment of silent reflection I had a strong suspicion the senator already knew.
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