“Well, nothing that you’ve said so far, Felita, makes it sound as strict as it is here. In fact your mother seems to me like she’s way more lenient than the mothers here.”
Chapter 11
When me and Provi discussed what happened, she agreed that Anita and her gang had taken the paint. “I’m sure it was them,” said Provi. “They’re in back of this whole business.”
“Right, but we can’t prove it!”
“That Gladys,” she said. “What a fink! I can’t believe we used to be so tight. But I think Ismael might be mixed up in this too.”
“You do?”
“Yes. When Gladys and me were friends and”—Provi blushed and looked away—“she got her period, her mother became real strict with her. She had to know where Gladys was every minute. Now here’s “I guess that’s true.” All of a sudden I felt lucky compared to Provi. For the first time I realized that maybe Mami wasn’t so bad after all.
“You know what I’m thinking, Felita? If Ismael is still Anita’s boyfriend, which I’m sure is the case, that’s why he defended them and is on their side.”
“Well, like Tio Jorge said, we are getting more paint and I’m gonna finish my sets, so they went through all that trouble for nothing.”
When we all got back to work the next day, we saw there were five quarts of paint, the same colors as before, as well as a gallon of white.
“We couldn’t get as much paint,” Brother Osvaldo said, “so stretch it as best as you can. And there’s something else—one of you four kids is to be here at all times. If one of you has to leave and no one is around, come inside and we’ll get someone out here right away. We have to guard this place. I’m sorry to say we haven’t found out much. But until we do, we are going to be very careful and watchful. Understand?”
By this time there was only one week left before the carnival. We had a lot to do and everyone was getting excited. I was assigned a part in the play as a Taino woman. I didn’t have any of my own lines. At the end I was supposed to recite some lines with the whole group on stage. I wasn’t really nervous because I figured there was a bunch of us speaking together and so if I forgot my lines, it wouldn’t matter much.
Tio Jorge called our relatives in San Juan and invited them to come to the play. Now that I knew my whole family in Puerto Rico would be there, I was fussier than ever about the sets.
Danny and Saida were good about doing what I told them to do, but Ismael was still giving me a hard time. We had it out when I asked him to paint a dark green outline on the palm leaves, so they would look more real. Ismael refused.
“I got more important work to do for Danny.” I went over to check with Danny, who said that Ismael could work with me.
I asked Ismael again. “Get lost!” he said. That’s all I had to hear! It was bad enough Ismael had probably helped Anita and them take our paint, but there was no way he was going to get away with not doing his work!
I stood right in front of him with a brush and a bucket. “Now, you stop it, Ismael, and help me right now!” I was shouting so loud, I figured the whole courtyard could hear me. Ismael jumped back. “What’s more important to you anyway? Giving me a hard time, or getting this scenery done right? I’m in charge here, Danny and Saida know it, and you damn well know it too!”
Ismael just stared at me like he couldn’t believe what I was doing or saying. “Now, I can’t do this job all by myself, so here!” I handed him the brush and bucket. “Take it!” For a moment he didn’t move, but then he reached over, took what I gave him, and went right to work. Now that everybody was working at full speed, I was sure our sets were gonna turn out perfect.
Two days before the big event, we worked on the last details of the set. It all looked very wonderful. There was now a whole Taino village on stage, with farm animals, and yucca and corn growing in the fields. In the background Tainos were playing an ancient ballgame and behind them was the shoreline and the sea beyond it. We had used every last drop of paint.
“It looks so real—the Taino people and the village,” Mrs. Quintero, the woman in charge of the costumes, called out. She even got up on stage to examine the paintings. “Wonderful!”
“Great job you all did!” Judy and Irene waved to us as they walked by with a bunch of other kids.
That evening everyone was in a wonderful mood. Father Gabriel spoke to all the kids at the center. “We should be pleased and very proud of what we have accomplished. I want to compliment and congratulate all the people who worked on the scenery. Felita, who just came to us this summer, has worked very hard and done a great job and so have all the others who helped.” Danny, Saida, Ismael, and me looked at each other, feeling like close buddies, knowing how we had all finally cooperated.
I looked around at the smiling faces and suddenly saw Anita, Marta, and Gladys. They looked real quiet and angry. Tough, I thought. I couldn’t help feeling good seeing them all so miserable, because in spite of what they’d done, we got through on time.
When I got home, I found two letters waiting for me from Vinny and Gigi. I called Provi and she persuaded her father to drive her over so I could share them with her.
First I read her Vinny’s letter. It was real long and said that he’d done a lot of sightseeing with his family, and that he hung out on our block. But the best part, which we read three times, was when he said he missed me and couldn’t wait to see me and that most definitely he was still my boyfriend.
Then I read her Gigi’s letter, which said she’d gone to the movies a lot, to Central Park, and to the beach. She also said I should say hello to my new friend Provi and ask her to come to New York City to visit.
Suddenly Provi looked real sad. “I’m going to miss you so much,” she said.
“Me too. Listen, why don’t you come to New York and stay with me? My room isn’t as big as yours, but we can still fit in. I can show you around, and you can meet all my friends.”
“Wow. New York City!” Provi’s eyes opened wide. “After all you told us, I’m dying to see it and meet your friends. Tell me again what Vinny looks like and the part about how you met and about the first time he kissed you. Please, I love that story.” I repeated all the parts she wanted to hear. “I feel like I know him, Gigi, and all the kids on your block,” said Provi when I was done.
“Right,” I said, “so will you come visit me?”
“Let’s see. Will you take me to the Museum of Natural History?”
“Yes!”
“Central Park?”
“Sure.”
“Will you show me some snow?”
“Absolutely!”
“Then I swear I will, cross my heart!”
All this made me feel closer to Provi than ever before.
The next day Provi’s father drove us down to Santa Teresa’s for the final dress rehearsal. When we arrived, I saw a large crowd gathering around the stage and heard loud voices. I sensed something was wrong.
“Let me by.” I began pushing past the crowd. “Let me pass.” When I got through, what I saw sent a chill down to the pit of my stomach. Someone had taken black paint and printed the words GRINGITA GO HOME across the ball-playing scene that I had worked on so hard and long. I couldn’t speak for a long while; I was frozen still. Tears began to pour down my face.
Brother Osvaldo came over. “Felita, this is a terrible thing that’s happened. I don’t know who could have done this and why.”
“It was because of me!” All of a sudden I was screaming. “They spoiled everything because they hate me! How could they do this?” I began to cry. By now I was out of control and so angry that I ran over to Ismael, who was standing with Danny and Saida. “Where are they? You know they did it. You know it!”
“What is Felita saying?” asked Sister Pilar. “Who did it?”
“He knows!” I began looking around for Anita, Marta, and Gladys. I was screaming and crying, running around pushing people out of the way. I could hear everybody asking questions and talking at once.
I ran back to Ismael, who looked very scared. “They aren’t here, are they? Where are they? Where?” I screamed.
Brother Osvaldo grabbed me.
“Felita, stop, stop it! Now, who are you talking about?” Brother asked. “Tell me right now!”
“Anita! That’s who! Anita, Marta, and Gladys. And him!” I pointed to Ismael. I really wanted to smack him. “You too, Ismael. You were supposed to be my friend working on our sets. I know you were in with them—you—” I couldn’t talk anymore because I was too angry and I kept on crying too much. Ismael just stood and stared at me. Sister Tomasina came over and held me.
“Ismael, is this true?” Brother Osvaldo asked. “What is Felita saying, eh? That you, Anita, Marta, and Gladys did this?”
“Yes.” I swallowed and took a deep breath. “They took the paint. I saw them standing in the back of the building that night. I wanted to say something, but he wouldn’t let me. Go on, Ismael, just say it’s not true, I dare you!”
“Calm yourself, daughter, calm yourself.” Father Gabriel came over and stood with Sister Tomasina and me. “I think we all better go inside, come on. The rest of you, wait here till we’re done.” Danny, Saida, Ismael, and me followed the grown-ups into Father’s office.
Father sat at his desk, then told us all to sit down too. “Now what is going on here?” He looked at Danny. “I want you to tell me what you know.”
“Father, that night the paint was missing, Felita said she saw something funny.” Danny went on to tell them what I suspected. “But then nobody had proof and—”
Even though I couldn’t stop crying and Sister Tomasina kept on rubbing my back, I had to say something. “Sure, but if you all remember, the only person alone by the sets that night was Ismael.” Everyone looked at Ismael, who was quiet and staring wide-eyed.
“All right, now what’s going here, Ismael?” Brother Osvaldo asked in an angry voice. We all waited. Ismael looked very scared.
“I—I didn’t mean to go this far. I didn’t think they would do it—” Ismael began to cry.
“All right, Ismael, come on inside to my office,” Brother Osvaldo said. “I want to talk to you alone.”
When they were gone, Father looked at me. “Now you, Felita, calm yourself. You hear? I want you to tell us all that you know about this. But first no more crying and no more hysterics. Take a deep breath and when you are ready, start.”
I did what Father said. Sister Tomasina gave me a tissue. Then I blew my nose, calmed down, and told them everything that had happened.
“Well, since Anita, Marta, and Gladys are not here today, I’m calling up their parents right now,” said Father. “Everybody sit and relax. Just take it easy till I finish.” He made the phone calls and all the parents said their children were sick with an upset stomach. Father Gabriel told the parents something very serious had happened and that their children were involved. He said he expected to talk to them as soon as possible.
After a while Brother Osvaldo came back with Ismael, whose eyes were real red and swollen from crying. Brother looked so mad, I thought he was gonna slap Ismael. “He told me the whole thing. I can’t believe it, but those kids took the paint from the cans. And then last night they came and wrote those disgraceful words on the panel. And do you know why? All because Anita was having a feud with Felita and they were angry at her. I can’t believe it!” Brother turned around and whacked Ismael across the back of his head. Ismael closed his eyes and put his hands over his head. “I’m taking him to his parents right now and then I’m paying the others a visit.” He took Ismael by the elbow. “You march right into my office and stay there. Don’t move until I come to get you, understand? Now go!” Ismael left quickly and quietly.
“I just spoke to the parents,” Brother Osvaldo told Father Gabriel, “and all three girls are home with upset stomachs. All too convenient.”
“All right,” Sister Pilar said. “I think it’s time to figure out what to do about the damaged sets and let everyone know what’s happened.”
In the recreation room people sat on couches, tables and even on the floor; the room was filled. By now I had stopped crying. But Sister Tomasina still sat with me and every once in a while she’d rub my back. Father Gabriel told everyone who had been responsible, and then Brother Osvaldo spoke.
“The damage that was done is not going to affect the carnival in any serious way. What we could do is just remove the damaged panel, but that would make the sets look uneven. Now, as the director of scenery, I know that the set can be repaired. But it’s going to take hard work. What do you say, Felita?” I didn’t know what to answer because I hadn’t even thought about fixing the panel.
“Maybe, I don’t know.” I was hoarse from so much crying.
“Good.” Brother put his arm around my shoulders. “Felita, everyone knows that you have done most of the drawing and painting and we can’t repair the damage without your help. But Danny and Saida will pitch in all they can, right?” They said yes. “And I’ll do what I can to help too. We’ll get more materials—whatever is needed. All of us right here will scrape up the money.”
“That’s right,” people said. “We sure will.” It seemed that everyone was in favor of Brother’s idea.
“What do you say, Felita, will you help too?” I looked around at Father, Brother, the sisters, and at all the people that I had worked with and gotten to know these past few weeks. And I saw that they all looked as upset as me. For the first time since I’d come to Santa Teresa’s, I felt like I belonged and that I was with friends instead of strangers.
“I’ll do the very best I can,” I promised.
After we collected some money and got all the necessary materials, Danny, Saida, Brother Osvaldo, and me worked as hard as we could patching up the damaged panel. I was never more grateful for quick-drying paint. We all worked late into the night until we felt we had done all we could. In the end the panel looked okay, even though it would never be as good as the original.
“It looks beautiful!” Sister Tomasina breathed a sigh of relief along with the rest of us.
By the time I got home I was too tired to think. I told Tio what happened, but wasn’t able to answer too many of his questions very clearly. All I wanted was to get some sleep.
The next day I overslept and Tio Manuel had to drive fast to get me to church on time. When I arrived, the final run-through of the play was starting. I rushed to put on my Taino costume and joined the others on stage. It was all getting pretty hectic. As soon as we finished rehearsing, we heard the first cars driving in. Every time I looked at the patched-up scenery, my heart sank a little. It was noticeable because all the other panels were so much smoother and brighter. But I couldn’t worry about that now.
“Everybody ready!” said Sister Tomasina. “We will go straight to the back of the stage. No looking around for friends or relatives. No calling out or waving to anybody. Get ready—go!”
We stood in the shade at the back of the stage. I was so nervous I could feel the sweat soaking into my costume. We could hear people talking, babies crying, a couple of dogs barking, and the musicians tuning up. Finally we heard them play the first number. After the applause, Father made his speech. He told them our purpose for the carnival and the theme.
“We have a proud ancestry on this Island. We are descendants not only of the Spaniards, or the Africans who were brought here by force, but of indigenous Island people as well. Today we present a historical dramatization titled Taino Culture from 1490 Through 1517.”
That was our cue. I went on stage with the other actors and actresses, taking my place in the back. I was supposed to be grinding flour to make bread. Then the main characters came out and the play was on. When I was feeling less nervous, I looked at the audience and almost fainted. There was Abuelo Juan, Abuela Angelina, Aunt Iraida, Uncle Tomás, and Lina, all smiling and waving at me. I turned away and went on with making make-believe bread, listening carefully for my cues so I’d know when to move. We were now at t
he end of the first act, after the Spaniards leave, planning to come back to kill the Tainos and take their gold. I waited for Julian, who played Aguebaya, a great chief, to say the last lines.
“These white men may be sacred spirits sent to us by the great god of the sea Huracan. When they return, we will have presents of gold to please them.” There was a drumroll and we quickly left the stage.
Sister Tomasina led us back again to the main building. “This is intermission, we have fifteen minutes, so rest and enjoy your break. You were all wonderful, now let’s do even better in the last act.”
I looked out the window to find out who else in my family had come. I saw Tio Jorge seated with Tia Maria and Tio Manuel. Sister Tomasina took us to the back of the stage where we waited for the musicians to finish their song. Then on cue we went on the stage. As I played my part I knew the audience was enjoying the play because everyone was paying close attention. In the next scene the Tainos hold a Spanish soldier underwater to see if he lived or drowned. When he died, they knew that the Spaniards were not gods but mortals like them. Chief Aguebaya shouted, “Now we will fight for our liberty or perish in the battle.” The Tainos preferred suicide to a life of slavery. In the play I was one of the people who drank poison and then fell dead on the stage. After this there was a battle. The Spaniards finally won and all the Tainos who didn’t kill themselves were captured. When that happened the rest of us rose from the dead and chanted together,“Tainos won the right to the honor roll of history:
The way they fell was not the way of cowards.”
The musicians played a loud drumroll and the play was over.
The audience kept on applauding and some people shouted, “Bravo!”
“Wonderful! Beautiful!” We all took lots of bows, and then quickly left the stage and hurried back inside to put on our regular clothes. We were delirious with joy because everything had gone so good. After us girls got our clothes on, we all started hugging and kissing. Then the boys came over and we began to hug with them and shake hands. Everybody was congratulating everybody else. When Danny came over, he held me real tight for a long time and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth. “I like you a whole lot, Felita.”
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