Page 60 of The Moon Sister
‘That is not justice!’ cried María.
‘Gitanosnever receive justice, only punishment,’ said José, going to the kitchen cupboard, where he kept a dwindling bottle of anise brandy. ‘It could have been worse, the thieves before him received six months.’ He pulled the cork from the bottle and took a large swig. ‘We are all guilty as charged inpayoeyes.’
‘My poor son,’ María said, not caring if tears streamed down her face.
‘Let us hope the experience teaches him a lesson. And you,’ José barked, as a sheepish Carlos appeared from the bedroom. ‘Look what this has done to your mamá.’
‘Forgive me,’ Carlos pleaded as he held out his arms to embrace María. She turned away from him.
‘Can I at least go and visit him?’ she asked as she harshly wiped away the tears.
‘Yes, I have the times written down here,’ replied Eduardo, who was the only one in the family who could read. He handed the piece of paper to his mother. ‘I will come with you.’
‘What’s happened to Felipe?’ Lucía appeared through the entrance of the cave. ‘Someone just told me that he is in the jail in the city. Is it true?’
‘Sí, it is true,’ said José. ‘Felipe did something bad – he stole some money at theConcurso– and now he will be punished. You would never steal, would you,mi princesa?’
‘I will not need to, Papá, because you and I are going to make this family rich with our singing and dancing!’
‘What does Lucía mean?’ Eduardo turned to his father.
‘You’d better tell your sons, José.’ María wiped her nose on her apron, as Eduardo and Carlos looked on, confused.
José did so, his excited daughter now perched on his knee.
‘And whilst I’m gone, you boys had better look after your mother, or there’ll be me to answer to.’
Standing in their miserable little kitchen, for a moment María wished it washerwho was running away to Barcelona. Word was already out in the village about Felipe, and however talented her daughter might be, nothing could make up for the humiliation she felt as his mother.
When Carlos had slunk back to his bedroom and José had announced he had ‘things to see to’ before they left, Eduardo sat with his mother on the step outside. He took her hand in his, and she saw how his young skin was already calloused and scarred by the rough work he did at his grandfather’s forge.
‘I’ll look after you, Mamá, while Papá is away.’
María turned to him, cupped his face in her hands, and gave him a weak smile. ‘I know you will, my beautiful boy. And I thank God for it.’
*
‘Goodbye for now, Mia.’ José took María’s hands in his and kissed her fingertips.
‘How will I know you have arrived? That you are both safe?’ she asked as the family stood next to José’s cousin’s mule and cart, on which José and Lucía’s luggage had been placed, her husband’s guitar case taking pride of place.
‘I will send a message to you with a traveller coming back this way as soon as I can. Lucía, say goodbye to your mother.’
‘Adiós, Mamá,’ Lucía said dutifully. But as she hugged her tightly, it was obvious to María that her daughter was eager to be on her way.
‘It is a pity you were unable to visit your son in jail before you leave,’ she said under her breath to José.
‘Visiting is not until Friday and I promised my boss Lucía and I would be there by Thursday. It is only a month, María. It will pass quickly and teach him a lesson he will never forget.’
‘If he survives it,’ María muttered, seeing that José wished to leave in triumph, with no negative thoughts of his jailed son.
‘So.’ José plucked Lucía out of her mother’s embrace as if he was worried María would never let her go, then lifted the child up onto the rough wooden bench at the front of the cart. ‘We must be off.’ He climbed up next to Diego, his cousin, who took hold of the reins. ‘Send news with everyone who is travelling to Barcelona. Tell them to come to the Bar de Manquet and see the new star!¡Vamos!’
Diego slapped the reins against the mule’s backside, and they began to move off down the path. There were others standing in front of their caves to wave the travellers off, so María did her best to restrain herself from an emotional performance, leaning heavily on the firm arm of Eduardo.
‘Adiós, Mamá, come and see me dance in Barcelona! I love you!’ shouted Lucía as the cart rumbled away.
‘I love you too,querida!’ María waved until they were just specks in the distance.
