Must Wait (2 page)

Driving like a crazy man over the rocky roads, I keep
thinking that we are not ready for the baby to be born yet.
Then I come to the realization that the baby coming early
would be better for us. Cyntia has been so miserable
throughout the entire pregnancy. She has not allowed me
to touch her in months. She would tell me that everything
hurts. Now I look forward to us getting back to normal
and having intimacy back in our lives.

The sun has set and the dark sky is making it hard for
me to see the jungle roads. I stop the truck. I run up the
stairs of the Cantina,
spinning around until I locate
Rosalie.

“Rosalie, I need your help. Something is wrong with
Cyntia and the baby. I do not know what to do and she
will not get back in the truck to go to the clinic.”

Rosalie yells out, “I am not that type of doctor, Pedro,
but I do my best. Parker and I will drive up in my jeep
once we close up the Cantina. Please go back home and
stay with her.”

I nod running off back to my truck.
I make my way back home to see my brother, Lasaro,
pacing outside the door. He is walking to meet me.
“Pedro, the baby is coming early, but Cyntia is having a
really hard time. Rosalie is on her way, right?”
I look over his shoulder at the door. “Yes, soon. I
must go to her.”
I enter into the house seeing Galiana sitting next to
Cyntia who is lying on the bed. Galiana has a distressed
look about her, “I have stopped Cyntia from trying to
push. Her body is not ready yet, maybe soon.”
I take Cyntia’s hand, caressing it while lifting it to my
lips and placing little kisses all about. “Rosalie will be here
soon and she will help you.”
Cyntia looks over at me with tear stained yellowing
eyes. “Pedro, I am so sorry, but…”
Her words are cut off as she starts screaming again.
I panic yelling at Galiana, “Help her, please.”
Galiana shakes her head no to me. Then the door
opens with Rosalie and Parker coming to my side. Rosalie
begins examining Cyntia including her teeth. I jerk my
head back staring at Cyntia who has stopped screaming.
She has her eyes closed and appears to be resting.
Rosalie turns to look at me. “Parker, please take Pedro
out of here. You and Lasaro are going to have to keep
him back.”
I look around at the saddened faces. I am confused.
Parker pulls me away from Cyntia out the door. Lasaro
takes my other arm as both men drag me down to my
fields. I hear Cyntia screaming again as I fight trying to
get out of Parker and Lasaro’s grip on my arms. After a
few minutes her screams stop with an eerie silence.

Ten more minutes pass, then the front door opens
with Galiana stepping outside with a small bundle in her
arms. We three men walk towards her meeting her half
way from the house. Her face is wet from tears as she
hands the bundle to me. “Pedro, you have a son.”

I take my son in my arms as I smile looking at his large
features. I smile up to Lasaro. “He is really a big boy.
Kind of stocky.”

Lasaro and Parker laugh, but not Galiana. She is still
crying.
“I am going to back to the house now to see Cyntia.”
Galiana reaches out for my baby speaking sternly.
“Give me the baby first, Pedro.” I am a little shocked, but
I hand her my son.
I walk back up to the house alone. Odd that the other
three kept their distance. I enter into the house and I see
Rosalie cleaning blood from herself. I look over to Cyntia
to see blood all around her. I walk over to her side and
speak to her. Her eyes are closed and she is not
responding to me. I reach over to her, taking her hand. I
feel the coldness in her fingertips.
Rosalie comes to my side placing her hand on my
shoulder. “I am sorry, Pedro. Her liver shut down. She
begged me to save the baby.
I stare at Cyntia not understanding what Rosalie is
saying me. “Cyntia, we need to name the baby. Wake up,
sweetie, please.”
Rosalie squeezes my shoulder. “Pedro, she is gone.
She wants you to take care of your son. He needs to be
held and loved.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “No, I do not want him
without Cyntia. I need her.” I feel the tears run down my
face.
“I will give you some time with her while I speak with
Lasaro,” she says, as she leaves me alone leaving through
the door and closing it behind her.

Some time goes by as I sit holding my wife’s hand. I
brush her hair back from her face watching her color
fade. She never wakes, but she continues to get colder to
my touch.

Lasaro walks back in to the house. “Pedro, you must
go with Galiana back to my farm. We will handle things
here. Cyntia’s family has refused to come. They claim that
she chose this curse and they want nothing to do with
you or the baby. We will take care of her. Go, Pedro.” He
lifts me from the side of my bed pushing me out the door
of the house. I leave with Galiana in Rosalie’s jeep.
Rosalie brings us back to Lasaro’s farm. Galiana runs into
the house with my son, as Rosalie places me in to a
rocking chair outside the door.

“Pedro, we are all here to help you. Anything, please
just ask. You will get through this.”
I slowly move my head up to look her in the face.
“No, I will never get through this. I am cursed and so is
my son now.”
Rosalie kneels before me rubbing my hands.
“Tomorrow, I am going to take you and the baby to the
clinic. The baby is very large and fat which might be a
side effect of Cyntia’s diabetes. I want him to be checked
by the doctor. You are also going to need help. You are
strong, Pedro, but I think you are very young and this is
too much for you to handle. I will come for you in the
morning.” She places her hand on my shoulder then
leaves me.

I sit staring out at the darkness feeling completely
despondent then Galiana joins me. She leans down
placing my baby on my lap. She forces a bottle into my
hand. “Pedro, please feed your son.”

I look down at him squirming and moving his little
lips. I look up at her. “Galiana, I do not know what to
do.”

She guides my hand. “You will learn, Pedro, you have
to. He needs you to take care of him. You must give him
a name. I was thinking about his grandfather and having
to raise you without a mother. You could name him after
your father, Pedro. I think he would be honored to know
that he has a grandson named after him.”

She takes her hand away from mine as I held the bottle
to feed my baby.
I nod. “Yes, Ramón Araya is a perfect name for my
son.”
She nods, leaving me to care for my infant son.

I head down to the school to pick up my son, Ramón.
As I pull up, I can see Parker playing with the children.
Parker and I have become inseparable. He is my best
friend and my rock. We are both alone here and he has
helped me cope with being a single parent. He waves over
at me to come down to him. I stroll down to the edge of
the play field as I watch the children kick the ball around.
I nod to him. “Hi Parker, was Ramón a good boy today?”

Parker smiles really wide. “A new American teacher
started working here today. She is this scorching hot
blonde with crystal blues eyes. She has the most amazing
body and a very full chest. Wait until you see her, man,
you are going to drop to your knees.”

I laugh at him. “Ah, Parker, you are funny. What does
she teach?”
He is chuckling at me. “Sex education.” He pauses
then starts laughing again. “World History and English. I
do not know anything about her yet. I was going to use
my charm to ask her to have drinks with us tomorrow at
the Cantina.”
I shrug. “I guess I could join you. It may be in my best
interest now to get on her good side in case Ramón gives
her trouble.”
Parker stares at me. “Are you for real, Pedro? You will
want to be more than on her good side. I know I want to
get to know her better. We have had this conversation
before, man. There is no reason you cannot look and
touch. I understand you feel that you can never love
again, but, man, you need to get laid. I know I do.”
I glance over Parker’s shoulder to see this new teacher
walking towards us. “Parker I see what you mean. Very
pretty.”
Parker whips his head around to watch her walk over
to us. He is smiling like he has never seen a woman
before, but I guess he hasn’t seen one like this in a long
while, since he has been here the last eight years. We do
get vacationing day trippers in on the boats and I know
Parker has had sex with a few of them. But I think he is
starting to long for more since he is getting older. I
remember back almost two years ago when he turned 35
years old. He took it really hard and was depressed for a
few days. I know he loves it here and would never leave.
He is just looking for companionship.
The teacher approaches us with her hand extended to
Parker. “Hello, I am Olivia Nora. I started teaching here
today.”
Parker grinning wide. “I am Parker Nevil and I have
been teaching her for 7 years now, almost 8 actually.
She smiles then turns her gaze to me with her hand
extended. “Hola, soy Olivia Nora.”
I laugh deeply within my chest as a peered down into
those amazing eyes. “Hi, I speak English. I grew up here
and went to this school. I am Pedro Araya.”
She smiles back. “Very nice to meet you, Pedro.” She
takes her hand back from mine rapidly and I notice her
blushing as she looks back to Parker. “Parker, I was
wondering if you know of any repairmen. My house has a
few items that need repairing.”
Nodding at her, “Yes, I do. We are going to see him
right now if you would like to join us at the Cantina? I
can introduce you to him.”
Olivia smile brightly. “I would like that very much.”

Once at the Cantina, we climb the creaky stairs to see
Rosalie look up at us, staring. “Did this one miss the boat
back?” asks Rosalie.

Parker smiles. “No, this is Olivia, the new teacher.”
Rosalie
extends her hand to Olivia. “I heard
something about a new teacher coming. I guess it was
true. I am Rosalie.”
The women speak for a moment while Parker scans
Olivia’s body up and down.
Parker comes to my side leaning to my ear. “I told you
she is fine.”
I nod. “Yes, I very much agree with you. Did you see
the way she looked at me when I shook her hand? She
blushed. She looks about your age, Parker.”
“I think you are right about the age. She is closer to
my age. I know, I saw her face as she checked out the hot
farmer.”
I laugh. “What, Parker?”
“Come on, Pedro. You are tall like me, about 6’2”.
You are not a little boy, you know. She saw your ripped
muscles through that t-shirt of yours.”
Just then Olivia turns back around to face us.
“Do you guys want to get a drink?”
I nod. As I walk toward the bar, I can feel her eyes
looking at me. It gave me a little confidence as I stood
next to her and Parker on the other side of her. We had a
few drinks together. Parker was filling her in on the
details of the town and the school. She turns her head to
me. “What do you do, Pedro?”
I smile after clearing my throat. “I grow coffee beans.
I have my own farm and I also have a son. Maybe he is in
one of your classes, Ramón?”
She nods laughing. “That is your boy?”
I look into her eyes, trying to search what she meant.
“Um, yes, is he being bad again?”
She laughs. “Honey, you do not know what bad is.
No, your son is extremely sweet and has perfect manners.
You and your wife have done a great job raising him.”
I am at a loss of words. “Sorry. He does not have a
mother raising him. She died giving birth to him.”
Olivia places her hand over mine. I feel this odd
warmth from her. I can’t figure it out. “I am very sorry,
Pedro. I can see that you are still hurting all these years
later. I know this all too well. The pain will never go
away.”
I stare down at her to see that she has pain in her eyes
as well. “Olivia, have you lost someone too?”
She nods. “I lost my son. He died in an accident back
in June. Very difficult time, but that is why I am here—to
start fresh.”
I shake my head looking over at Parker who was
listening to her as well.
Parker leans in to her. “I am very sorry for your loss.
You will love it here.” He pauses for a minute. “I am
hungry. Let’s order some snacks.”
She nods. “Yes please, I think the drinks are starting to
get to me.”
Parker glances over at me with a wicked grin across his
face. I look down at Olivia with a feeling of sorrow. She
left her home to get away from her pain. I wonder who
else she has left behind.

Parker reaches across the bar to pull over a plate.
Olivia moves back to get out of his way. She reaches out
gripping my bicep to brace herself. She glances up at me
to apologize. “I am very sorry, Pedro. I felt like I was
going to fall backwards as Parker was getting the plates.”

I stare at her face, seeing a woman who is hurting. I
want to ask her more questions regarding her family if
there is any family. She moves forward away from me. I
decide to go with my questioning since I am very
intrigued by her. “Do you have other family?”

She glances up to my eyes. “Very odd, Pedro, with
those eyes. Who did you inherit those green eyes from?”
I scowl down at her not understanding why she is
asking me. Her mouth falls open as she stares up at me. I
decide to answer her question, “My grandmother was
Scottish, so I assume from her. Why do you ask?”
She shrugs. “I was just wondering. You remind me of
my husband when he was young. My son too. Same build
with the dark features and he has green eyes as well.”
Parker leans in to her. “Husband? You are married.”
She smiles. “Yes, but I do not know for how much
longer.” She looks over at the clock on the wall. “I should
get going home while it is still light outside. I have to walk
my dogs before it gets dark. Parker, please, when you see
your friend, please send him my way for those repairs.”
Parker nods. “Which house did you move in to?”
She glances behind her. “That road there. Go up about
2 miles, then make a right across the hillside for ½ a
mile.”
I smile. “The house with the glass doors overlooking
the hillside?”
She nods. “Yes, you know of it?”
I start laughing. “This is a very small village. Everyone
knows about everything around here. That was my
grandmother’s house, the one who is from Scotland. She
came here as a nurse and met my grandfather. She came
from money and I think she poured a lot of it into my
grandfather’s farm to make it more profitable. Now me
and my other two brothers run all that land that she
invested her money in. How funny is it that you bought
her house?”
She looks at me oddly. “The realtor said it was a
vacation home?”
I nod my head. “Yes, the owners after grandma. They
fixed it up and modernized it.”
She starts laughing. “Modernized it, sure. Maybe for
1970s. I will work on it. I am still cleaning. I have to make
a trip up to Limon for supplies very soon.”
Parker looks over. “I can go with you and show you
around.”
She nods. “I will like that very much so. If we go on
Saturday, I can call and check in on my daughter.”
Can’t figure out why this woman would leave her child
behind. I am very puzzled. “Olivia, if you do not mind
me asking? Why would you leave your child behind to
come here?”
She starts laughing. “My daughter is not a child. She is
21 years old. She attends law school at Harvard. She is a
big girl now.”
Parker draw drops. “Harvard, really? That is amazing.
She must be very smart.”
Olivia eyes sparkle as she talks about her daughter.
“She is very smart just like her parents. She is very special
too.” She pauses for a second. “I really must get going. I
will see you tomorrow, Parker. Thank you both for the
company. Bye, Pedro. Bye, Parker.”
We watch her walk off to her truck then turn around
back to the bar. Parker looks over at me. “I think she
likes you, Pedro.”
I laugh. “She does, but not in the way that you think,
Parker.”
Parker stares at me. “What, Pedro? She compared you
to her husband.”
I shake my head. “And her son. She looks at me more
as a motherly figure. Completely not the way that you
think, Parker. I saw her really trying not to look at you. I
think she was afraid or shy.”
Parker smiles. “At least I am going to Limon with her
this Saturday. I will have to get her talking more about
that ‘not much longer husband.’ I guess she is available if
she is here. She is so hot. I think you are right about the
shy thing. I will work on her.”
I glance up. “I hope it works out for you. She is very
sexy. Maybe she is what you have been waiting for all
these years. Someone to grow old with, right, Parker?”
Rosalie joins us at the bar. “The new school teacher
seems to be really sweet and caring.”
Parker nods. “Yes, and kind of single.”
Rosalie laughs, “Kind of, Parker?”
I interject, “She is married, but she said she did not
know for how much longer. She also has children, well
only one now, since her son passed away back in June.
Her daughter is 21 years old.”
Rosalie’s eyebrow raise. “Wow, she must be older than
I thought with a 21-year-old daughter. I guess she is
damaged like the rest of the teachers who come here.
They come looking for a new start or to find themselves.
Let’s see how long this one stays.”
Parker winks. “Oh, she is staying. I will make sure of
that. She is the most gorgeous woman I have seen in
years. Not letting that one slip away. I just have to work
my charm.”
Rosalie stares at me. “Pedro, you better get your son
and head home. Do not get all liquored up driving with
him in the truck.”
I laugh. “I am not. See,
Parker,
how Rosalie is
motherly to us? I can tell Olivia is the same. That is how
she makes me feel.”
Parker nods as I walk off to go home.