Blackmail
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I knew Santos would not intentionally reveal his family’s great secret, but I was afraid of what Sophia would say or ask. She was the most conniving, sly person I had ever met, and there was no doubt in my mind that she hungered with all her being for some way to ruin me. At a minimum, she could go to her mother now and tell her I was continuing my relationship with the Davila family. She knew her mother had forbidden me to have anything to do with them.
But I feared more. I feared that somehow she would figure out what was going on with Ignacio.
“Nadie reconoce el engaño asi como alguien que engaña” my grandmother would say. No one recognizes deception as well as one who deceives.
“It takes one to know one,” I had heard other students at the school say. It was never truer for anyone than it was for Sophia. I was playing on her playground, and she was far better at the game of lying than I was, for she had been doing it all her life.
My nerves were on fire. I was shaking so much I thought I might make a mistake driving. Every few minutes, I checked my rearview mirror to see if they were still following me, but I did not see them. Where were they? Why were they remaining so long at the Davilas’ home? What trouble would Sophia cause for them? Had Ignacio’s father returned to find them there? Did Sophia have the nerve to knock on the door and question Señora Davila? What would Ignacio’s mother think? She would surely wonder why had I brought these people to their house. What new danger had I created for the family?
My own imagined questions and concerns brought tears to my eyes. I was actually sobbing by the time I reached Fani’s front entrance. I stopped to wipe the tears from my face and catch my breath. If Fani saw me like this, she would want to know why, too. For a moment, I wondered if I could trust her with the truth. She would surely tell it to Adan, though, I thought. The secret must remain tightly locked in my heart.
I had to buzz in through the intercom at the gate. The house manager opened it, and I drove up to the house. Fani’s parents had more full-time servants than Tía Isabela. A woman younger than Señora Rosario was in charge inside and greeted me at the door. Fani came out quickly to meet me.
“You’re here in less than an hour,” she said, leading me back to her room.
“I nearly got a speeding ticket,” I told her, and described the policeman wagging his finger.
“You’re lucky. He was in a charitable mood. My father probably could have fixed the ticket for you, anyway,” she said smugly. “He has fixed a few for me.”
“A few?”
“Policemen love giving tickets to beautiful women in fancy, expensive cars, Delia. Expect it,” she said. “So, what was this important chore?”
It seemed impossible to avoid lies in this world, I thought. If you were always honest, you were often in great danger, or someone you loved was. However, whether the lie was to protect someone else or to avoid hurting someone you loved, it was still a deception, and it still required you to be accomplished enough to convince the listener.
And then, of course, there were those who were experts at lying to themselves. Mi tía Isabela was the best one at doing this, I thought.
I had learned well from Sophia. The best liar was one who used part of the truth and first won the listener’s faith in what was being said, and the best way to do that was to pretend to be giving the listener some secret.
We went into Fani’s bedroom and to her sitting area. She sat first and waited for my response.
“It is something that would not please mi tía Isabela,” I said. “In fact, she has forbidden it, but I can’t help but do what I think is right.”
“What is it?”
I sat across from her. “Visiting the Davila family,” I said.
“The family of the boy who died?”
“Yes. I am very fond of Ignacio’s mother, and I was always saddened and troubled by what had happened.”
“So?”
“Today is Ignacio’s birthday, or what would have been,” I said.
Her eyes widened as she sat back. “Really? So you went to see her?”
“Yes, I have just come from there. They live up in Indio.” This was another part of the truth I could reveal.
“Well, it’s a very nice thing to do. I’m sorry I put so much pressure on you and rushed your visit, but if you would have told me right away…”
“I am so afraid, and now I have more reason to be,” I added.
“Why now?”