Page 59 of The Moon Sister
‘And asIsaid, there are ways around that. It will be me who is employed as a guitarist. Lucía will suddenly appear on the stage, just as she did at theConcurso. Everyone is prepared to take the risks to show Lucía’s talent off to a wider audience.’
‘And to fill their own pockets, while they make my child work illegally and pay you a pittance for both your troubles, no doubt.’
‘No, María, my old boss in Barcelona offered to triple my wages if Lucía was with me. That amount would enable you to cook a decent meal for our family every day of the week!’
‘Yes, but without you and Lucía here, José. Barcelona is a long way away.’
‘Mia, do you not think we should try it? What kind of life do we have here now anyway? Sons who are so desperate for money that they are prepared to steal! Nothing in the pot for you to cook, clothes that are threadbare?’ José stood up and started to pace. ‘You saw Lucía dance, you know what she can do. She is unique, and we are desperate.’
‘Desperate enough to separate this family so that my husband and daughter go away and we are left behind without you?’
‘If all goes well, you can move to Barcelona with the boys in a few weeks’ time.’
Even though María had not been expecting her husband to suggest she came with them immediately, the fact that it had actually crossed his mind as an option to leave them behind shocked her.
‘No, José! Lucía is too young, and that is that. Barcelona is a big city, full of thieves and vagabonds . . . you know it is.’
‘Yes, I do, because I know the city well, which is why I will choose it above the other offers from Madrid and Seville. I know people there, Mia. I can keep our daughter safe.’
María saw a light in his eyes, one she hadn’t seen for years, and realised that this wasn’t just about Lucía, but about him too. He was being given another chance to shine, to attempt to make his own thwarted dreams come true.
María narrowed her eyes, suddenly seeing the truth. ‘You’ve said yes, haven’t you?’
‘He was leaving today. I had to give him an answer.’ José’s eyes beseeched her to understand.
Silence fell in the kitchen. Eventually, she gave a deep sigh and looked up at him, tears pooling in her eyes.
‘When do you leave?’
‘In three days’ time.’
‘Does Lucía know?’
‘She was there, begging me to say yes. The Bar de Manquet is one of the best flamenco cafés in Barcelona. It is a wonderful chance for us . . . forher. Surely you must see that?’
‘She did not even think to ask her mamá,’ María whispered. ‘So, what if Felipe goes to jail? Will you leave your son to fester there alone? And Carlos needs the guidance of a father, José.’
‘I am sure that for the short time it will take to establish Lucía’s reputation in Barcelona, you can be both mother and father. This could be the start of a whole new life for all of us,’ he implored.
‘So, the decision is made.’ María stood up and turned her back on her husband. ‘There is nothing more to say.’
He stood up and trailed a hand along her back. ‘Come, Mia, let us go to bed. It is a long time since you and I . . .’
Because you are never here when I fall asleep alone . . .
Knowing agitanawife must never deny her husband his marital rights, María reluctantly took his hand and followed him into their bedroom. She lay down next to him and felt him pull at the cotton skirts that shielded her most intimate part. As he climbed on top of her and thrust himself into her tender flesh, she merely waited for his moment of release, and the peace and silence that would follow.
It didn’t take long before he grunted and rolled over. She lay there, her skirts still bunched above her waist as she stared into the darkness. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
What have you become, María?she asked herself.
Nothing, was the reply from her weary spirit.
13
‘A month?’ María looked at José and Eduardo in horror. ‘Did you not explain to the judge that he is only thirteen?¡Dios mío!He’s a child, and he will be locked up with the rest of those criminals when all he did was follow his brother!’
‘We tried, Mamá,’ Eduardo explained, ‘but the courtroom was madness – so many men to be sentenced, we could not get near to plead for him. They brought them all on together – the whole gang. The charge was read out, and within a few seconds the judge had pronounced their sentence.’
