“I didn’t say she was illegal, exactly.”
“Well, is she or isn’t she?”
“It’s complicated,” he said.
I was able to pick up only a few words of this, but I could tell he wasn’t telling Elena everything, and she knew it and wasn’t happy about it.
“Well, what are you going to do with her?” she asked, pointing to me.
“I’ll figure it out,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’ll get my mother to do the right thing now, or else. Mi madre will be bueno with you. Don’t worry,” he told me.
“I don’t know, Edward. He’s such a creep.” She looked at me. “Señor Baker es una serpiente en la hierba.”
“Sí, yes,” I said, “a snake in the grass.”
She smiled. “She can learn English pretty fast, Edward. Besides, she can be put in that transition class at the public school, the ESL class, can’t she?” She turned to me to explain what she had said.
If there was such a class at the school, why didn’t my aunt just send me to it?
“Damn right,” he said. “I forgot about that. Thanks, Elena. You’ve been a great help. I owe you one.”
“You owe me more than one,” she said, smiling at him. “Buena suerte, Delia,” she said, wishing me luck, and got out of the car.
Edward and she spoke for a few moments before he got into the car again.
“She’s nice. Elena bueno.”
“Yes, very nice,” I said.
He drove out of the restaurant parking lot and headed for my aunt’s estate. The tension and the questions reeling in my head exhausted me. I was looking forward even to my stark, nothing room and ugly bed. All I wanted to do now was sleep and forget, but I couldn’t help trembling as we drove onto the estate and up to the house.
“C’mon,” he said, getting out of the car.
I followed slowly, my legs still wobbly.
The house was very quiet when we entered. I had been holding my breath, expecting to see my aunt standing there fuming, imagining that Señor Baker had called her and told her all sorts of lies about me by now, but there was no one, not even Señora Rosario.
“What you need now is a good night’s sleep,” Edward said, and pressed his hands together, tilting his head on them.
“Sí, sueño,” I said.
“C’mon.”
However, instead of leading me through the house to the entrance at the rear and out to the other building, he directed me to the stairway. I stood there confused.
“It’s all right. Bueno,” he said, urging me to follow him up the stairs.
I did, and he led me down the hallway, past Sophia’s room. He paused at a door.
“Mi room…mi…”
“Dormitorio.”
“Sí, dormitorio.”
I thought he meant for me to go into his room, but he continued walking to another door and opened it to show me another bedroom.
“Guest dormitorio,” he said. He struggled to explain. “Visitor…extra…”