Delia's Crossing (Delia 1)

“One dress?”

“Yes,” she said, laughing. “One dress, and I have a dozen that cost more,” she added, and left the room.

While we were talking, Edward slipped down in his bed and had his eyes closed. I stared at him a moment and then walked out, too, closing the door softly behind me. I stood in the hallway, thinking. Sophia had gone into her room and closed her door. The hacienda was quiet. Below, Tía Isabela was waiting for me to make my spy’s report. I couldn’t avoid it. What would I do? What would I say?

If I told her what Sophia had given Edward and where he had put it, they would know immediately that I was the one who had told her. And if I told her about the tequila, they would know that I had told her about that as well. I was terrified, because I didn’t believe myself capable of lying to her. She would know immediately that I was holding something back.

I remembered once when my mother and my grandmother were talking about a neighbor of ours, Señora Delgardo, who they both thought drank too much tequila during the day. They pondered whether or not to tell her husband.

“He must know himself,” my grandmother decided. “How could he not know?”

“But if he does, why does she still drink so much?” my mother asked. “Why does he permit it?”

“He knows but says nothing, maybe.”

“Why not?”

“Maybe he knows that yelling at her would only make her drink more. Debe saber más verdades que dice,” she said, which meant more truths should be known than said. “She knows her own truth. She has to say it to herself.”

It might be the same with Edward and Sophia, I thought. My aunt yelling at them and punishing them after I turned them in might only drive them to do it more, but could I convince her of that? Dare I even suggest it?

Slowly, I descended and walked to her office. She was sorting through some papers at her desk when I stepped through the open doorway. She sat back and looked at me.

“Well?”

“Jesse has left, and Sophia has returned and is now in her room,” I began.

“I don’t need you to tell me that. What did you see, observe? What were they doing?”

“They were practicing Spanish,” I said. It was the truth. I was comfortable saying it.

“What?”

“Jesse brought Edward a disc, a CD of lessons in speaking Spanish.”

She stared at me, incredulous. “What else?”

“They asked me some questions, some words to translate, and then Sophia came when Jesse had to leave because of an uncle coming to dinner at his home.”

I was still standing on the truth. I didn’t wobble, but she looked quite dissatisfied.

“What happened then?”

“Sophia told Edward that Bradley was not sorry for what had happened. She said he was making up stories about Edward and me, telling people I said such things to him.”

“Why did she tell him that? The fool. She’ll just get him more agitated. What else?”

Even though hearing this annoyed her, she seemed pleased with that information.

“You are right. It upset Edward.”

“Exactly. And then what? Come on. I don’t have all day. What else did Sophia say? What did she tell you?”

“She is giving me one of her expensive dresses for my friend’s fiesta on Saturday.”

“I told you I was taking you to buy you clothes Saturday.”

“I told her. She was upset about it.”