Far from Gringo Land by Edward Myers

Author:Edward Myers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

Ricardo Anda de Novia

“Oh, you’re back,” Emiliana says as Rick enters the Romeros’ courtyard. She speaks without audible annoyance, but Rick feels scolded, anyway.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“¿Quieres tu cena?” she asks loudly. Do you want your dinner?

The truth is, he’s full of the Bradshaws’ Texas beef and isn’t hungry. That’s the least of his problems, though; he can always force down another meal. But how can he explain arriving so late?

At that moment, Francisco steps out of the living room. “¿Qué tal?” Rick asks in greeting.

“Bien, Ricardo,” Francisco replies. He seems sort of——distant.

Fair enough, Rick thinks. After all, he’s delayed everyone’s meal, since the Romeros are too polite to have started without him.

Only Julio seems nonjudgmental about Rick’s late arrival. “Your camera,” he says when they all head into the kitchen. “Were you able to get it fixed?”

“Yes, I was,” Rick replies.

Dinner is once again little more than rice, beans, and tortillas—far simpler than Emiliana’s usual midday meals—but the food’s simplicity does little to ease Rick’s embarrassment for having showed up so late and for lying to his friends. He ignores his own mood and chatters about the afternoon’s work, the weather, anything else that comes to his mind.

Julio remains relaxed about the whole situation; Francisco seems less and less concerned as the meal proceeds. But something seems to be nagging at Emiliana. She eats without looking up from her food.

Is she sick? Rick wonders. Is she annoyed about the late dinner? Or is there some other reason she’s upset? He can’t tell. He hopes she isn’t feeling hurt; at the same time, he’s not a bit sorry about the time he spent with Ellen. Even though he just said goodbye to her, he already misses her a lot. He wonders what she’s doing . . . no doubt swimming with her sisters in the sun-bright water. Her image floats before him as the conversation continues.

“—so once it cools off this afternoon,” Julio is saying, “we’ll resume work on the walls we’ve already—”

“Do you miss your own country, Ricardo?” Emiliana asks abruptly.

Julio falls silent. Emiliana rarely interrupts her husband, and her tone of voice now is so emphatic that it catches everyone’s attention.

Rick isn’t sure what she’s getting at, but he knows he can’t evade the question. “Of course,” he replies. “That’s normal.”

“Déjalo, Mamacita,” says Francisco, sounding embarrassed by his mother’s interrogation. Leave him alone, Mom.

Julio offers his own comment. “Everyone has strong feelings about his country.”

Emiliana won’t be distracted. “But do you like it here, too?”

Rick is stunned. How could she think otherwise? For weeks on end, he has lived with the Romeros, worked with them, and shared their way of life. He’s amazed that Emiliana could doubt his commitment. He says, “Of course I like it here.”

“You’re content with us?”

“Of course.”

She seems unconvinced. She smiles at his words, but he can see some kind of sadness in her eyes. “You wouldn’t prefer to be somewhere else?”

Now Francisco grows exasperated. “¡Déjalo en paz!” Leave him in

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.