A Thunderous Whisper by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Author:Christina Diaz Gonzalez [Gonzalez, Christina Diaz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-98274-3
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2012-10-09T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FIVE

We didn’t mention the end of our deliveries to anyone except Lupe. She didn’t seem to care that much about not getting the sardines; it was the idea of not seeing us that really disappointed her.

“Mondays and Fridays just won’t be the same without the two of you,” Lupe said, not taking her eyes off the bubbling pot in front of her.

“Again, again!” demanded Carmita when Mathias stopped bouncing her on his lap.

“¿Caballito otra vez?” Mathias faked his surprise. “How many times are you going to go for a pony ride?”

“Lots and lots!” Carmita squealed as Mathias bounced her up and down on his knees again.

“I’ll still come by whenever I can.” I placed what I knew would be our final envelope on the kitchen table.

“And maybe I’ll come back in the summer to work at the Garza farm. I can—”

“You didn’t tell me that,” I said, interrupting him. “You’d really come back?”

Mathias shrugged. “Maybe.” He tickled Carmita in the ribs. “Will you remember me in a couple of months?”

Carmita giggled, then bobbed her head up and down.

“Ani, búscame. Look for me,” she commanded, jumping off Mathias’s lap. She ran over to Lupe and tried to duck behind her mother’s long skirt for a game of hide-and-seek.

“Ya, Carmita.” Lupe pulled her out by the arm. “Our friends probably have other places to go.”

“Not before I see them!” Padre Iñaki walked into the kitchen, and Carmita made a beeline for him.

He reached down and picked up the little girl.

“So, I’m guessing your father already talked to you?” he asked Mathias.

“Yes, sir. He said he’d already spoken to everyone and that you’d understand.”

“Of course. Family is hard to deny. I can understand how a sick relative would need help. We’ll certainly miss you”—he glanced over at me—“and what the two of you have been doing.”

I gave him a small smile. It was strange not to tell a priest the whole truth, but I guess there was no real way to know who the double agent was.

“Yes, these sardine deliveries have been a godsend,” Lupe said, taking Carmita from Padre Iñaki.

“Well, I wanted to talk to you about that, Ani.” Padre Iñaki put a hand on my back and guided me to the corner of the kitchen. “I’ve spoken to our benefactors, and they’d still like to donate sardines and have some delivered to their homes, just not as many. Maybe every two weeks? Starting in a couple of weeks.” Padre Iñaki gave me a look. “You can manage this on your own, right?”

Should I keep doing this even though there was a double agent? Mathias thought we were meant to fight evil.… Was this the way I’d do it? On my own?

I slowly nodded, but more doubts were creeping into my thoughts. Maybe I should follow Mathias’s other advice and just tell Mamá. Plus, who would give me the messages to deliver, and where would I pick them up?

As if reading my mind, Padre Iñaki added, “It will all work out. You’ll

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