Barefoot Bay: Dancing on the Sand (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Marilyn Baxter

Author:Marilyn Baxter [Baxter, Marilyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary Romance, literacy, barefoot bay, kindle world
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Published: 2017-12-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Amara rapped on the front door of her parents’ house on the mainland, then opened it and stepped into the cozy living room. “Guess who?” she announced.

“Amara!” her grandmother exclaimed. “It’s about time you finally decided to join your family for dinner again.” Isabel Perez was the undisputed queen of the kitchen and matriarch of the Perez family. Her graying hair had been pulled back into a bun, and a brightly colored apron covered her plain blue dress. She had pushed her red-framed reading glasses onto the top of her head, and silver and turquoise earrings dangled from her earlobes.

Before Amara could reply, her mother, Carmen, rushed to hug her daughter. “Mama,” she scolded the older woman. “Amara told us why she hasn’t been here.” She took Amara’s purse and sweater and hung them on a wrought iron coat rack. “What a pleasant surprise, though. Did you get finished with your dance practice early?”

Amara explained about the cancellation without going into details. "I hope there’s enough for an extra person at the table.”

“There’s always enough for one more,” her grandmother replied. “Always enough, especially for family, because what’s more important than family?” Her brows raised inquiringly.

“Mama,” Carmen warned again, drawing out the word.

“I know,” Isabel said, holding her hands out in a defensive posture. “But I still don’t like it.”

Amara moved to her grandmother’s side and hugged the woman. “Abuelita, nothing is more important to me than my family. But if I win the contest I’ll get money I can donate to the literacy program. Do you have any idea how much good that money would do? It’s five thousand dollars.” She emphasized the amount.

Isabel wiped her hands on her apron, mumbled something about a pot needing to be stirred and left the room.

“Don’t worry. She understands.” Amara’s father, Julio, sat on a moss green upholstered sofa, the daily newspaper strewn around him and his nose buried in the sports section. “She just doesn’t want to admit it. She’s a stubborn old woman.”

That stubbornness had paid off, especially when Isabel, her late husband and their son, Julio, had boarded a broken-down boat in their native Cuba and endured five days of terror to arrive on the shores of America and begin a new life. When others had given up, Isabel had refused to give in. Her family would survive. They would make it to America. And they would do whatever it took to succeed in their new home.

Isabel had taken in ironing and eventually built a reputation as a talented seamstress. She and her husband both struggled with learning the language of their new homeland, and eventually both had enrolled in a class similar to the one Amara taught.

Twelve-year-old Julio had been enrolled in school as soon as they settled in Naples, and he picked up the language quickly from the other students. He soon became his parents’ translator until their language skills improved.

Amara’s grandfather had been a doctor in Cuba, but had to settle for work as a janitor once they were settled on the west coast of Florida.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.