hadn’t
believed him, declaring his foolish pranks often got him into
trouble.
Gaby had sensed the boy’s fright; he
trembled with it. He had pleaded with huge, sobbing tears that Lupe
had insisted were false, not to tell Don Rafael. In the end, Lupe
had relented, sending the boy off with a whack to the back of his
head and strict orders to tend to his chores or else.
The second incident had occurred in the
orchard, but had been her fault. She had spied a fat orange high up
on the tree and thought the juice would be plentiful and sweet for
Dona Maria’s breakfast. She had climbed the small wooden ladder
kept in the orchards. When she had been ready to climb down, a rung
on the ladder cracked and she fell to the ground. One ankle had
been the only part of her to suffer. It held a bruise as a reminder
of her carelessness. She should have checked the ladder’s condition
as her father had often taught her.
The third incident troubled her the most.
She had been sure it was meant as a prank. That she hadn’t been the
target, the tomato had been. She had been in the vegetable garden
leaning over to pick a ripe tomato from the lush plant. Suddenly,
her arm had felt as if it was on fire and the tomato had shattered
to pieces before her eyes. When she had looked at her arm, it had
been bleeding. She had assumed the weapon had been a sharp rock,
being the vegetable had burst.
Glancing once again at the abrasion, she
made a vow to find the culprit and give him a sound tongue-lashing,
certain it had been one of the mischievous children working around
the hacienda.
She opened the door and made to step outside
when her bare feet connected with a short stack of logs. She lost
her balance and fell to her knees. She heard children giggle and
swore this would be the end of it. She refused to put up with
anymore nonsense. She picked herself up, brushing at her clothes
and checking her knees. A scrape and blood marred one. She shook
her head and moved the logs away from the doorstep before going off
to the cookhouse.
“You should speak to Don Rafael,” Lupe
insisted for the third time. “He would put a stop to this
foolishness.”
“I will handle it,” Gaby said, wiping the
small abrasion with a warm wet cloth. “The children are testing
me.”
Lupe shook her head. “Testing you for what?
To see how much pain you can bear?”
“They are mischievous boys like my
brothers.” Gaby laughed recalling all the tricks and jokes her
brothers had played on her.
“And your papa never scolded them for
leaving bruises on you?”
“I suffered a bruise only once and my
father...”
“See,” Lupe said as Gaby’s words trailed
off. “Your father then left bruises on them.”
“ Si , he did.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of? That Don
Rafael will have the boys whipped?”
“Won’t he?” she asked the thought having
crossed her mind.
Lupe wrapped a thick cloth around the handle
of the iron skillet on the cook stove and moved it to rest on an
iron trivet on the table. “It is not his way. He does not punish
unfairly.”
Gaby helped remove the hot biscuits from the
pan onto a plate. “I don’t always find that to be true.”
Lupe looked at her and pushed a lone strand
of hair from the young girl’s forehead. “ Si , with you he
does not play fair. This puzzles me.”
It didn’t puzzle Gaby, but she didn’t wish
to involve Lupe in her problem. “Already?” she asked, anxious to
serve breakfast.
Lupe smiled and handed Gaby the serving tray
filled with hot scrambled eggs, peppers, potatoes, sausages,
biscuits, muffins, and fruits.
Gaby entered the room her usual way,
backside first. Dona Maria was chattering away to Rafael and paused
to bid her good morning. Rafael was so engrossed with reading
papers resting in his lap and followed his mother’s greeting with
one of his own, that he did not bother to look up.
Gaby cheerfully went about her task, wanting
to complete it as fast as possible. She had many other
believed him, declaring his foolish pranks often got him into
trouble.
Gaby had sensed the boy’s fright; he
trembled with it. He had pleaded with huge, sobbing tears that Lupe
had insisted were false, not to tell Don Rafael. In the end, Lupe
had relented, sending the boy off with a whack to the back of his
head and strict orders to tend to his chores or else.
The second incident had occurred in the
orchard, but had been her fault. She had spied a fat orange high up
on the tree and thought the juice would be plentiful and sweet for
Dona Maria’s breakfast. She had climbed the small wooden ladder
kept in the orchards. When she had been ready to climb down, a rung
on the ladder cracked and she fell to the ground. One ankle had
been the only part of her to suffer. It held a bruise as a reminder
of her carelessness. She should have checked the ladder’s condition
as her father had often taught her.
The third incident troubled her the most.
She had been sure it was meant as a prank. That she hadn’t been the
target, the tomato had been. She had been in the vegetable garden
leaning over to pick a ripe tomato from the lush plant. Suddenly,
her arm had felt as if it was on fire and the tomato had shattered
to pieces before her eyes. When she had looked at her arm, it had
been bleeding. She had assumed the weapon had been a sharp rock,
being the vegetable had burst.
Glancing once again at the abrasion, she
made a vow to find the culprit and give him a sound tongue-lashing,
certain it had been one of the mischievous children working around
the hacienda.
She opened the door and made to step outside
when her bare feet connected with a short stack of logs. She lost
her balance and fell to her knees. She heard children giggle and
swore this would be the end of it. She refused to put up with
anymore nonsense. She picked herself up, brushing at her clothes
and checking her knees. A scrape and blood marred one. She shook
her head and moved the logs away from the doorstep before going off
to the cookhouse.
“You should speak to Don Rafael,” Lupe
insisted for the third time. “He would put a stop to this
foolishness.”
“I will handle it,” Gaby said, wiping the
small abrasion with a warm wet cloth. “The children are testing
me.”
Lupe shook her head. “Testing you for what?
To see how much pain you can bear?”
“They are mischievous boys like my
brothers.” Gaby laughed recalling all the tricks and jokes her
brothers had played on her.
“And your papa never scolded them for
leaving bruises on you?”
“I suffered a bruise only once and my
father...”
“See,” Lupe said as Gaby’s words trailed
off. “Your father then left bruises on them.”
“ Si , he did.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of? That Don
Rafael will have the boys whipped?”
“Won’t he?” she asked the thought having
crossed her mind.
Lupe wrapped a thick cloth around the handle
of the iron skillet on the cook stove and moved it to rest on an
iron trivet on the table. “It is not his way. He does not punish
unfairly.”
Gaby helped remove the hot biscuits from the
pan onto a plate. “I don’t always find that to be true.”
Lupe looked at her and pushed a lone strand
of hair from the young girl’s forehead. “ Si , with you he
does not play fair. This puzzles me.”
It didn’t puzzle Gaby, but she didn’t wish
to involve Lupe in her problem. “Already?” she asked, anxious to
serve breakfast.
Lupe smiled and handed Gaby the serving tray
filled with hot scrambled eggs, peppers, potatoes, sausages,
biscuits, muffins, and fruits.
Gaby entered the room her usual way,
backside first. Dona Maria was chattering away to Rafael and paused
to bid her good morning. Rafael was so engrossed with reading
papers resting in his lap and followed his mother’s greeting with
one of his own, that he did not bother to look up.
Gaby cheerfully went about her task, wanting
to complete it as fast as possible. She had many other
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