GRINGA (64 page)

             
I drive to a park
to think, find a solution.

             
Hours later, I’ve found none.
             
             

*
             
*
             
*

I spend a week agonising before I decide to talk to the only person I can trust, Enfermera.

             
A
rmed with “bi
g
beer” (five cases) for Juan and
five cartons of cigarettes for
Enfermera, Diablo and I drive over to
visit
them.

             
Diago irritates me with his constant jabbering in the car. ‘What if they don’t like me?’ he
asks, fidgeting with his collar.

             
‘They will,’ I say. ‘Anyway, they’re not
my parents
so chill
.’

             
He mutters in Spanish and I suddenly smile at his nervousness. If only he knew just how terrified Juan and Enfermera are of him.

             
Diago sees them and balks.

             
‘What?’ I whisper.

             
‘They are scary,’ he mutters.

             
‘
They’re
scary? You kidding me
?
They’re terrified of
you
. You’re
Dia
aaaaa
blo
, for Christ’s sakes. Everyone on
earth
is scared of you.’

             
For the fifteen minutes,
Juan sits across Dia
go and chants, a string of beads in his hands.
He shouts out to Enfermera. Enfermera rolls her eyes, then fetches him sage and
some other potion
s
normally used to ward of demons.
She isn’t
afraid of Diago anymore. Maybe it’s because of what I told her about him.

             
Dia
go
glances at me, then at Juan and shakes his head.

             
‘Giv
e him time,’ I whisper.

             
Then Diago gets up, opens two beers and places one in front of Juan.

             
Juan
studies the beer for a few minutes. After a while, he
drops the sage
and p
ick
s
up the beer. As he drinks he stop
s
chanting.

             
When I look back a little later, Juan is laughing and back-slapping Dia
go
.

             
Enfermera and I exchange smiles
over tea leaves
.

             
While Dia
go
and Juan get drunk together, Enfermera and I talk privately about the FBI and
my internal
conflict.

             
‘I worry about you, Milagro because I feel your stress.’ She places her hand on my chest and closes her eyes.

             
‘Please read the tea leaves,’ I whisper.

             
She nods. As she reads, she suddenly recoils then looks at me.

             
I start to cry quietly, turning my back so that Diago doesn’t see my tears.

             
‘Milagro,
you love him?
’

             
My answer is immediate. ‘Yes.’

             
‘
Then love him. Just love him.
’

             
My visit to Juan and Enfermera has left me feeling worse than I did before.

Around midnight, I awake to screams from Tongue’s villa
. S
ounds like
Paris
. I leap out of bed and dash over to Tongue
’
s
. ‘Diago! Come!’ I shout over my shoulder.

             
P
aris and Elaine
are en
gaged in a heated argument
.
Tongue
is relaxing
on the bed
, a
n amused look on his face.

             
Elaine is sporting
a black eye.

             
‘
Omigod
Elaine! What the hell happened to you?’

             
Elaine shifts silently and mumbles something under her breath.

             
‘Tell her!’
Paris
screams. ‘Tell her you fucking slut!’

             
‘Hey!’ I yell. ‘Don’t talk to your mother like that!’

             
  
‘Fuck you!’
Paris
says to me. ‘Stop defending her.’
             
             

             
‘What happened?’ I lower my voice, fighting for calm.

             
Paris
narrows her eyes at her mother. ‘She fucked him.’

             
Stunned, I
gape
at Elaine, then at Tongue, then at Elaine again.

             
Tongue shrugs, then sticks his tongue obscenely out at me
.

             
‘God Elaine, tell me
she’s lying.
’

             
No answer.

             
‘So that black eye ...?’

             
‘That’s right,’
Paris
sneers looking at Elaine
. ‘Fore
fucking
play, Tongue-style.
Huh? Huh?
’

             
I struggle to hide my rev
ulsion
. ‘What
… Elaine …what
about my father, your
husband
?’

             
No answer.

             
‘Yeah slut!’
Paris
says. ‘You’re married, remember?’

             
‘So are you,’ Elaine counters.

             
‘No
, I’m
not.
I’m
done with
Austin
. He loves
her
,’ she says, jerking her head in my direction. ‘
Always has
. You knew that all along, yet you forced us into marrying and now look what
’s
happened.
My life – you ruined it.
’

             
I groan and cover my face with my hands. These women are nuts.

             
At the mention of
Austin
, I look behind me and see
Diago hovering at the doorway.

             
‘Go back to bed, honey,’ I say. I don’t want him around when they talk about
Austin
. Besides, I’m
embarrassed for him to see these two
w
omen acting like hormonal teenagers.

             
He
walks away shaking his head in disgust. 

             
‘’Sides
Austin
’s ... ’

             
‘
Paris
shut up!’ I
hiss
. ‘Go to bed and tomorrow, I want both of you out of here.
I’m
sick
…
disgusted with both of you. Go back to
America
. There’s no reason for either of you to stay here.’

             
Elaine steps in front of me.
‘Look, your father ... he can’t ... he doesn’t ... I have needs and he
’
s not adventurous
...’

             
‘Uuuurrrrgh
!
Elaine, stop! I don’t wanna hear about that side of your marriage. That’s
like
my
Dad
you’re talking about. Go to a marriage counsellor
– a doctor,
someone.’ 

             
‘Okay ... ’she says. ‘Are you ...?  She
fidgets with her hair and
has
difficulty meeting my eyes. ‘
I mean
...
see,
if your father finds out about this, he might leave me, you know.’

             
I shake my head and walk away. I owe her no loyalty whatsoever - especially since she lured
Austin
away from me.

             
Do they leave Tana
-
Mera
?
No. Both of them stay, refusing to leave.

*
             
*
             
*