Page 144 of The Moon Sister
‘Mamá said she wouldn’t come at first,’ Pepe said, ‘but I said I wouldn’t leave her there alone, so she came for me.’
‘I could not have Pepe’s death on my conscience too,’ María sighed. ‘He would have perished in Sacromonte. There was no food . . . nothing, Lucía.’
‘Well, there is now, Mamá, and it’s coming very soon, as much as you can eat.’
‘Gracias, Lucía, but perhaps there is a bed I could rest on first?’
‘You must take mine. Come, I will help you.’
Meñique watched Lucía half carry her mother to the bedroom. He eyed Pepe. ‘I could do with a brandy. What about you?’
‘No, señor, Mamá forbids alcohol in our house. And I am only thirteen.’
‘Forgive me, I guessed older.’ Meñique gave Pepe a smile as he poured a shot from the decanter. ‘It sounds as if you’ve been very brave,’ he said as he knocked back the brandy.
‘Not me, señor. When the Civil Guard came up our street, looking to take young men by force, Mamá hid me in the stable, under the straw. They didn’t find me, so they took the mule instead.’
‘I see.’
Meñique found himself smiling again. He liked this boy; even though he was so young, his calm demeanour and dry sense of humour had clearly not deserted him during the past few devastating and dangerous months. ‘Then you were lucky.’
‘Mamá said it was the one good thing about being agitano; the officials had no record of my birth.’
‘True, true,’ Meñique agreed. ‘Do you play a little?’ He indicated the guitar the boy was still clutching.
‘Yes, señor, but nothing like you – I have heard your recordings. Or Papá. Mamá has told me that he is the best. Is he here? I have never met him, you see, and I would like to.’
‘I believe he is in the hotel somewhere, yes, but last night we were playing until very late. He is probably still sleeping,’ Meñique replied, desperate to buy some time until he’d spoken to Lucía. Despite José’s desertion of his family, it was obvious that María had brought her youngest son up to love and respect his father. The pathos of this alone was enough to bring tears to his eyes. He stood up and poured himself another brandy as there was a knock on the door and room service arrived.
‘¡Dios mío!’ Pepe’s eyes widened at the sight of the two trolleys laden with food. ‘It is a banquet for the King of Spain!’
Lucía entered the room, her nostrils quivering at the smell of food.
‘Mamá is sleeping, so we shall save her something for later. I will go and wake up the rest of thecuadroand tell them the wonderful news.’
‘Yes, and you must tell your father that his precious son Pepe is here and excited to meet him for the first time.’ Meñique’s eyes flashed a warning to Lucía, and she read it.
‘Of course. I am sure he will be excited to meet you too, Pepe.’
Lucía left the suite and walked along the softly carpeted corridors to her father’s room. She did not bother to knock and walked straight in. The room stank of cigarette smoke and alcohol. José was fast asleep, snoring like a snuffling pig.
‘Wake up, Papá, I have a surprise for you,’ she shouted in his ear. ‘Papá!’ Lucía shook him, but he only groaned, so she went to the washbasin, filled a mug with water, then splashed it on his face.
José swore, but came to quickly.
‘What is it?’ he said as he struggled upright.
‘Papá, I need to tell you something.’ Lucía sat down on the side of his mattress and took his hands. ‘I sent Bernardo with his cousin to rescue Mamá from Granada. And she has arrived! She is right here in my suite! She’s sleeping now, but she brings bad news—’
‘Stop!’ José raised a hand to halt her. ‘You say your mother is here in Lisbon?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?!’
‘Because if she had stayed in Spain, she would be dead! One of us had to do something to save her – Eduardo and Carlos are both missing, along with thousands of others in Granada. I am sorry, Papá, but I used the money that you hide under the floorboards to pay for their rescue.’
José stared at her, doing his best to rid himself of his hangover and begin to take in what his daughter was saying.
