River of Angels

by Alejandro Morales

  More people reported seeing Toypurina roaming the riverbanks near her house. Some women who had been gathering mint, lentils and mushrooms were positive it was Toypurina because they called to her and from afar she seemed to get even farther away but still remained close to them. She stopped in her travels to communicate in the midst of a woman’s glance to acknowledge them, to tell them not to be afraid, that it was she, Toypurina. Sol had on repeated occasions talked about visiting his two river mothers, one up close and the other from afar. He told his brother that he usually found Toypurina under the big alcanfor tree near the family house. As he got closer to her she would move back or, as he described it, float away from him, never allowing him to get near, constantly maintaining about a one-hundred-foot distance.

  “She’s always surrounded by lizards, strong ones, by the alcanfor tree,” Sol would repeat, afraid but interested in talking about his mother. “She lives with the lizard people, in her world, their world.”

  Oakley listened to his brother’s strange stories, but what astounded him the most was Sol’s greatly improved speech. He was surprised and happy and slowly became convinced that his brother was very intelligent, that whatever damage he had suffered in the water had been temporary, and that he was fast recovering. Sol was also very clever, far more astute than people thought.

  It was the second tenant who forced Oakley to put his father and mother’s house up for sale. For two or more years, during the building of the Main Street bridge, rumors and sightings of Toypurina along the river and around the Ríos’ house and property circulated among Los Angeles residents. One evening, Oakley was reading the Los Angeles Times in the kitchen while Agatha played the piano for Albert in the parlor. A hard knocking at the front door brought the family activity to a sudden halt. Everybody listened and the knock came louder with a familiar voice.

  “¡Don Oakley! ¡Es Jesús, Don Oakley!”

  Albert ran to the door. Recognizing the voice, he hoped that Jesús’ children were with him. He was not disappointed when the whole family entered the house. Agatha ordered hot chocolate for the children and coffee for the adults. She sent the children with Albert to the playroom. She noticed that Jesús’ wife, Martina, was agitated, had been crying, and fearfully gripped her baby. Agatha reached for the child and slowly took the baby into her arms and sat down close to Martina. After a while she stood up and handed the baby back to Martina, who had calmed down a little. Satisfied with Martina’s smile, she poured coffee for everyone.

  “What’s going on? ¿Qué les pasa?”

  “Ya no aguantamos la casa. We just can’t stay in that house anymore, señor.”

  “But why, it’s so pretty and quiet.”

  “You have been doing such a fine job administering the ranch, Jesús.”

  “Thank you, señor, but it’s Toypurina who does not want us there.”

  “She’s returned home, does things. … We’re in constant fear!” Martina rocked her baby.

  “Señora Agatha, it started with a shadow on the wall that you catch in the corner of your eye—then sounds, voices coming from the walls, ceilings and under the floors. At first we thought it was the house moving, but the sounds and the voices became human, pero no se pueden comprender. We looked outside … for animals on the roof, in the spaces under the house. Maybe it was a bird, a cat, a raccoon, a rat, but we found nothing. When we looked, the sounds stopped. When we stopped searching, they returned.” Jesús took a deep breath and reached for a cup of coffee.

  “It is Toypurina trying to let us know she wants her house back. There are cold spots in the house. You walk into a room, go to the closet, y está frío, muy frío. But the worst is our clothes. They’re so cold that we cannot wear them. She just doesn’t leave us in peace!”

  Martina handed the baby to Jesús.

  “In the kitchen I took a pot and she grabs it and doesn’t let me use it until I scream, and then she lets it go. She does this with the spoons, the forks and knives, with all the kitchen utensils. Yesterday she knocked over a pot of beans. Soon after she disappeared I told Jesús that Señora Toypurina’s spirit is present in all the objects in the house. In the house she is in everything, everywhere, and she doesn’t want to leave this world!”

  Martina cried softly, taking the baby back from Jesús.

  “What about Marta? Does she feel her, too?” Agatha asked in her tentative Spanish.

  “No, it seems Señora Toypurina doesn’t bother Marta.”

  “How can this be? C’mon, Jesús, it’s just superstition.”

  “No, señor, it can’t be. Marta helps us, she calms us down, but still things happen that only affects us and not her. Last night it was the worst. The children were in their beds. Martina and I, exhausted in our bed, had already decided to leave in the morning; then we fell asleep. At about three the baby wakes us up. She is crying, but she is not in her crib next to us! We run into every room waking the children. We finally find her on the porch with the front door wide open. We grab the baby and go back into the house. Now the children are afraid to sleep in their rooms. I make a fire and we gather in the living room. Martina and I fight off sleep. The children finally are sleeping and, soon after, sleep dominates us. At about four, the baby wakes us up, but this time she is screaming. We find her on the back porch steps with the back door wide open. Ya basta con esto. Enough is enough. Martina and the children run out the door. I carry the baby to the truck. I run back to get our coats, but the coats smell horrible. I throw them down and run out. In the truck Martina wraps the children with a blanket. I drive out of the ranch, but the truck shuts down. For no reason the engine dies. And I realize that it’s not my truck, but Don Abelardo’s! She doesn’t want me to take it. Don Oakley, we start to walk towards your house and here we are at nine in the morning. I’m sorry, but it is impossible to live in that house. We have overstayed our welcome. Martina’s right, your mother has come to reclaim her house. I am sorry the children are in pajamas, Martina in a nightgown. I grabbed pants and boots before the smell overtook the house.”

  “Please, I need to borrow the company truck. I will go to Garras’ place.”

  “Fine, but tell me: Marta, does she smell the terrible odor?”

  “No, señor, she claims that she doesn’t smell anything. She stayed to give the house a good cleaning, for when we return, the cold and the odor will be gone. But we don’t want to be there anymore, Don Oakley.”

  “Don’t worry, Jesús. You did the right thing. You can take my truck.”

  “First, we must find some clothes for the children. Martina can take some of my clothes. Then you must eat something. The children must be hungry. Please stay for a while, eat something, por favor.”

  “Gracias, Doña Agatha. I must find a place. Garras will help me.”

  “Don’t worry, Jesús, you will find a place. In the meantime you can stay right next door in the office apartment. It’s big enough for a short stay, until you get another house,” Agatha said and walked off to the kitchen.

  Jesús found it difficult to say no to the patrona.

  SOL HAD SEEN Jesús, Martina and the children walk up to the front door. He went to the kitchen and grabbed the largest, reddest tomato from a basket on the counter. For a while he held it, stared at it and then lifted a salt shaker. Sol liked to sprinkle a little salt after every delicate bite. He ate the tomato slowly, enjoying every morsel his teeth tore away from the red fruit. He heard bits of the conversation in the parlor. What he heard piqued his curiosity. What Martina described, he had experienced. The River Mother had explained why once again Toypurina had returned to live on her land and in her house. She had warned Sol not to show fear but to welcome his mother and ask her what she needed to be done. Toypurina had returned because she had left without completing a task. There was something she had not done and needed to do before she would be able to rest.

  Sol understood Martina and Jesús’ experience as encouragement to spend more time on his parents’ property, and after Oa
kley gave him the key to the house, he worked as the caretaker. As the caretaker he did what he had been doing already. Having a key made it official, he thought. He kept the yard clean, planted a garden and was always present when once a week Oakley sent a team of women to clean the house. The women went through every room dusting, scrubbing, sweeping, cleaning pillows, plates, lamps, chairs, sofas, beds, sheets. Every place and object was cleaned carefully. They moved through the house quickly, as if they knew about reports of Toypurina. Only once did one of the women have a strange experience. Sol was there to intercept his mother’s spirit from getting closer to the woman. Still, the woman left immediately, not afraid but happy. Her companions anxiously stayed on to finish the job. From that day on, Oakley had to pay a high price to convince the ladies to return. They accepted his offer but insisted that Sol always be present while they were in the house.

  Sol maintained the garden with great care. He planted a variety of roses, azaleas, hydrangeas, lilies, camellias and magnolias; when they bloomed, people came by just to see the flowers. People came by throughout the day to view Sol’s magnificent gardens around the house and to ask what he used to keep the bugs away from his many flowers.

  “I talk to the bugs and they stay away,” Sol answered every time people asked. Even during periods of infestation, Sol’s garden thrived without a harmful insect in sight. There were other animals that lived around the house, animals that were considered dangerous, but Sol did not mind. To the astonishment of Oakley and Agatha, he seemed to encourage the beasts to come and stay in the garden for a while. Nobody was ever harmed by the animals that lived in or visited Sol’s gardens. One of the engineers who worked on the Main Street bridge project came to see the house while the cleaning ladies were there and asked if the house was for sale or rent. The women directed him to Sol, who simply told the engineer to go see Oakley Rivers.

  Dusty Star Stendec rented the furnished house for his wife and two sons. Cathleen Stendec had gone through the house and loved every room. She requested only that they be allowed their and the children’s own beds. Oakley consulted with Sol, who agreed to the request. He told Oakley that he had asked Toypurina, and she had given him a sign of acceptance. Nonetheless, before the Stendecs moved in, Sol explained the history of the house and the strange occurrences that some people had experienced there.

  Cathleen responded with a giggle and self-assurance. “Mr. Rivers, we are God-fearing Christians. God’s people don’t fear ghosts. They are angels, messengers from the Almighty.”

  Without fear, Dusty, Cathleen and children moved into the Ríos house. Throughout the first week, Oakley found himself praying the way his mother had taught him, asking her to behave and allow the Stendecs to live peacefully in the house. At first, Mrs. Stendec did not want the cleaning ladies to come, but after a few weeks she realized that the house was much bigger than what she had thought upon first seeing it. Dusty was not sure about Sol always being around. Oakley explained that the house came with Sol, the permanent caretaker of the ranch. He did any and all repairs needed.

  “Just let him know. Whatever the house needs, he will get it done,” Oakley said.

  Life started to move along smoothly. Sol had completely and comfortably adjusted to living with his brother and family. He enjoyed the tool shed and Oakley’s house, as well as going every day to Toypurina’s ranch. He worked diligently on the upkeep of his mother’s garden, house and ranch. He wanted the Stendecs to be satisfied. He often walked the ranch’s entire perimeter, making sure that no animals that could harm the family went close to the house. Sol protected the Stendecs but also the animals, no matter if they crawled, walked or flew. He wanted to keep the beasts safe from Stendec’s guns and rifles.

  OAKLEY AND AGATHA saw Sun Construction Company growing steadily, but the business relations with Franco and Paolo Morretti and also with William Ross Henry grew tense. Franco and Paolo started to question why Banac & Sons, Attorneys-at-Law, consulted regularly with Oakley and Agatha but never went to them for advice. There were monthly company meetings and any partner could call a meeting at any time, but the fact that Oakley was close to the Banacs bothered the Morrettis more and more. From the start, William Ross Henry did not like the Banacs, and the fact that he could not take company money when he wanted it made him angry. He had his own substantial personal accounts that accumulated from salary and bonuses, yet he could not withdraw anything from his share of the company without having to fill out pages of paperwork and then going through Oakley and the Banacs. He could only withdraw money from his personal savings, not from company accounts. The partners’ complaints came to a head one month before Sun Construction Company completed the Main Street bridge.

  The meeting had been scheduled in the late afternoon to accommodate Oakley and Agatha’s doctor’s appointment. By three that afternoon at the Boyle Heights Yard where Sun Construction had its main office, the Santa Ana winds had calmed down and did not threaten to make the yard into a dust bowl. The three principals—Oakley and Agatha, Franco and Paolo Morretti, and William Ross Henry—had agreed to meet at four. Franco Morretti had sent a letter to Oakley suggesting that they should get together to go over several concerns that had arisen. He indicated that none of the partners would bring their legal counselor. Oakley knew that William Ross Henry had consulted with several lawyers in Los Angeles. Rumors were out that Sun Construction was soon to be broken up, that several of the partners were dissatisfied with the administration of the company. Finally the day and the hour had come when all the rumors would be quieted, when the partners would openly present their concerns to one another.

  First, William Ross Henry arrived in a new Ford truck. Dressed in a suit and tie, he carried two briefcases into the Boyle Heights office. The Morrettis drove in separately. Franco arrived from the Main Street bridge site, and Paolo came in from the San Pedro area, where he was supervising several road construction crews. Oakley and Agatha stepped into the office late, both with big grins on their faces. Agatha hurried into her office, said something to Mrs. Halisite, one of the Sun Construction secretaries. Mrs. Halisite raised her hands up, touched Agatha’s abdomen, cried, laughed and embraced Agatha.

  “That’s wonderful! Congratulations, dear!”

  Agatha left the office and entered the small conference room, where she beamed at the men who had gathered to talk about how construction projects were advancing or not advancing. The Morrettis stood up when Agatha entered the room. She sat down next to Oakley, who helped her with several folders she carried. The Morrettis and William Ross Henry looked at her sitting erect and smiling.

  “Agatha, seems that you had a good day,” William Ross Henry said while pulling documents from his briefcase.

  “Bill, I’ve had a wonderful day. Thank you!”

  There was a pause of discomfort and irritation, brought on only by the Morrettis and William Ross Henry. Franco shuffled some papers around. Paolo pushed his chair away from the table and crossed his legs and arms. William Ross Henry finally threw his documents on the table. He stared at Oakley and waited for him to say something. Everybody present knew that William desperately wanted the meeting, that William was dissatisfied with Oakley and Agatha, that William would be the first to leave the company.

  Oakley placed a clean sheet of white paper on the table. “Well, my friends, you called for this meeting. I am here to listen.”

  The pause was finally broken by William Ross Henry who, with tight lips and obvious anger in the tone of his voice, expressed his observations about the administration. “Sure the company is making money. I don’t like the fact that decisions are made without anyone consulting me, decisions that have to do with the contracts that are made and the investment of company funds. When I come to the office to see the contracts, the investment documents, I am always turned away with some explanation that the documents are at Mr. Banac’s office being reviewed by legal counsel. I tell the secretary to call me, but I never get a call. Frankly, I don’t know how much the c
ompany is making because I think that Banac never really tells us. He doesn’t even tell you, Oakley. Maybe she knows. What riles me the most is that I don’t have direct and immediate access to company funds, at least my share. I know I have a personal account, but I want to get to my part of the company funds and I can’t because Banac will not allow it. He instructs Oakley to tell me, us, to withdraw what we need from our personal accounts. That does not work for me. I want a full accounting of my share of the company.”

  William Ross Henry stopped speaking for a moment to retrieve a document. He ended with a statement expected by his partners. William Ross Henry did not disappoint. He requested what was expected. “After getting a full accounting of all company finances, I want out of Sun Construction. I am willing to allow the company to buy me out or I’ll sell my shares to a person on the outside. The last thing I want is to go to court.”

  After William Ross Henry’s short to-the-point statement, not much more was said that day by the three principals. They had sensed what was coming, and each one of them had thought out a position on staying or leaving the company.

  William Ross Henry’s position had been clear for about a year. He had consulted lawyers and had warned the Morrettis, but not until now did he openly state what bothered him and where he stood on Oakley. The Morrettis had discussed options among themselves on whether they should stay, on whether they should act together or independently. Oakley and Agatha had anticipated this moment for almost a year. They were aware of William Ross Henry’s unhappiness long before he had consulted a lawyer and expressed his dissatisfaction with Agatha’s involvement in the accounting and financial dealings of Sun Construction Company.

  Finally on that sunny but windy afternoon, they came to an agreement that Sun Construction would buy William Ross Henry’s shares and give him a generous bonus. The Morretti brothers decided that only one of them would stay with the company, but that the one who left could sell his shares to the one who stayed. They were both relatively happy with the way the company had grown, and they did not want to abandon what they considered a fast-growing financial asset. They could not understand why William Ross Henry wanted to sell his share.