The Hummingbird's Daughter: A Novel by Luis Alberto Urrea

Author:Luis Alberto Urrea
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Fiction:Historical
ISBN: 9780759567511
Publisher: Little Brown & Company
Published: 2006-06-01T10:00:00+00:00

Item H: Proper Conversation

Teresita was not to discuss midwifery, female problems, or medical details at the dinner table. These items, discussed with discretion, were permissible in Tomás’s study, where he took her after dinner and sipped brandy or cognac as he read her stories and newspapers. He was, after all, deeply fascinated by what went on under skirts the world over. Any small detail of female biology put a sparkle in his eye.

She was also expected to ask questions about the bizarre imaginings of Edgar Allan Poe. And Tomás enjoyed hearing her opinions about problems of the day.

On her second night in the house, he offered her a sip of brandy. It made her cough and splutter. He slapped her on the back. She declined a puff of his cigar.

“The issue this evening,” he told her, “is Buenaventura. I see him as a liability.”

“Why, Father?”

“He’s a rotten little bastard!”

“He has had a rough life.”

“Is that supposed to be my fault? Don’t answer that!”

“What would you do?”

“I’ll cast him out!”

“Really?”

“I want him off Cabora!” Tomás announced. “Measures must be taken!”

“Try showing mercy,” she suggested.

He puffed and regarded her.

“Mercy is your strongest feature, Father. Remember the Yaquis.”

He smiled. The Yaquis.

“Hmm.”

He took another sip. Puffed and blew smoke in the air. The grandfather clock started to chime.

“All right,” Tomás said. “But he doesn’t come in my house. To me, he is just another vaquero. He is nothing to me!”

Teresita knew this was bluster, but Huila had taught her to let men babble.

He picked up a leather volume and said, “Tonight, Poe’s tale of Arthur Gordon Pym.”

She crossed her legs under her, partly to hide her bare feet.

“Is it ghastly?” she asked.

“Oh yes! Quite.”

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.