Page 118 of Sombra
My mother turns to him, a quizzical look on her face. “Sonia told me that if we did not make the balloon payment by the due date that you would foreclose.”
He jerks his headback and shakes it. Then he turns to Sonia. “My daughter, why did you tell María Luisa that?”
This is a spotlight that Sonia does not enjoy. She stares down at the ground and twists her finger in her mouth. “Because it’s true.”
“It is not true.” He addresses everyone. “I wouldneverthreaten foreclosure on your family. Our families have a partnership that goes back generations. Wework with each other. Why would we want to jeopardize that?”
“But you told my mother that if I married Sonia you’d forgive the debt.”
“That’s because I thought that you and she were affectionate to each each other. She told me you liked her.” Realization dawns on his face and he turns to me. “Gustavo, I apologize. My daughter manipulated you. And me. I did not know it was a manipulation.I thought you wanted to marry her, and I thought I was doing you a favor.”
“Then why would my mother say that you were going to foreclose?”
“Because Sonia told me that,” my madre says.
“Querida, I’m so sorry,” he says to her. Then he addresses me and my siblings. “Your mother has been so tense and worried lately, but she would not tell me what for. She did not want to talkabout it. Was this it?” he asks her.
She nods.
“Why did you never bring it up?”
“Because I was so scared. Sonia made me think that you would not listen to a negotiation. And our relationship felt so fragile. After all these years, finally …” She trails off.
“I apologize for my daughter. Growing up without a mother has made her spoiled. She is my princess and used togetting what she wants. But this is too much.”
“I’m not spoiled.” Sonia reaches toward her father then drops her hand.
“Sonia, why would you want to hurt this family? You did not tell me that Tavo did not want you.”
“I’m sorry,Papi.”
He faces us. “I must have mentioned it to Sonia, and she used it for her advantage. I would never call your loan. In fact, I can tearit up if you like. I will cancel it.”
My mother’s eyes widen. “You would? Why would you do that?”
“Because I am in love with you.”
Electricity zings about.
Now the attention has turned from me to my mother and Señor Molinero. “Wait, what?”
“We need to tell you something,” he says. “Long ago, your mother and I were sweethearts. Our feelings grew strong. But myparents prohibited me from seeing her. In rebellion, I dated a lot of women, and I ended up getting Sonia’s mother pregnant. While she lost that baby, the damage had been done. Your mother found your father, and married him. So meanwhile, I lived next door to my love, who was married to another. I had to watch as she gave birth to a daughter, then a son. Then another son. And finally my wife hada daughter, but my wife died in childbirth. Meanwhile, your mother had another son.”
“This is true,” says abuelo.
“I respected your father very much. I never reminded your mother of what we had. And I stayed away after he died, because I did not want to hurt her. But when she came over to talk about you and Sonia, we started reminiscing about old times. It is only recently that wereunited. And one thing lead to another, and we are in love.” He turns to her. “I wish you would have talked to me about the loan, though.”
“I did not know,” she whispers, and then she lifts her chin up. Pride through and through.
“My fault has been spoiling Sonia too much.” Sonia’s eyes fly wide open. “Without a mother, she was my only companion. She needs to pay for this.”
“¡Papi!”
“You will spend the next year working for free for the de la Guerra family. You will do all of the orchard work. You will pay for the harm that you did to our neighbors.”
“Papi, I don’t know the first thing about it,” says Sonia.
“I’ll show her around,” says Guillermo.
