but she ran away. Walter says
good riddance, but Tanya …
Shh. You talk too much, scolds Eliana,
who is thirteen or fourteen and definitely
carries an air of older sibling. Lainie
had … issues. She spits the last word.
I can’t help but laugh. “Don’t we all?”
That shatters the iceberg, or at least
chips it heavily, as everyone contributes
to a chorus of giggles. We’re not exactly
friends, and trust will never happen
here, but at least we don’t hate one
another. And while the mood is halfway
relaxed, I might as well ask, “So what’s
with Walter?” Tanya is easy to read.
The communal amusement vanishes.
And though no one says a word,
I have all the answer I need.
WE CHANGE SUBJECTS
And within twenty minutes, I know
most everything there is to know about
Eliana and Rosa Garcia Famosa.
Their father came from Cuba to
the United States via Mexico, where
he met some very bad people who
he later went into business with.
In Texas, he fell in love (my take:
lust) with their mother, Irena, and
together they came to California,
where the girls were born. Irena