Blaze a Trail (The Flanagan Sisters, #3)

by Claire Boston

  “The reception room is large enough for dinner and dancing,” Carmen said. “We can have a meal and celebrate with our friends.”

  “Have you picked a date?” Bridget asked.

  “We were thinking July. Evan’s parents will have vacation time by then.”

  “Then perhaps the end of August will be a good time for us,” Bridget said, taking hold of Jack’s hand. “Mama, can Jack and I get married in your garden?”

  “Of course,” Carmen said, and then she froze, mouth open as the words sunk in.

  Bridget waved her left hand at her mother, showing the ring. “We’re engaged!”

  Carmen’s shriek was enough to deafen them all. Zita grinned as her mother started crying.

  “Congratulations,” Zita said to Jack as she stood and hugged him.

  “Thanks. I knew I’d wear her down eventually.”

  She smiled and kissed Bridget. “Congratulations, Birdy.”

  “Thanks, ZZ.”

  She moved out of the way so the others could congratulate the couple. It was wonderful to see her two sisters so happy. They deserved it.

  Thinking about happiness reminded her she was supposed to talk to Carly about getting help at Casa Flanagan. Her stomach clenched, but now was as good a time as any. She moved over to her oldest sister. “Carly, can I have a private word with you later?” she asked. “We could maybe go for a walk in the garden.”

  “Sure.” Her sister looked surprised.

  They settled back at the table to discuss the two weddings. There was so much to talk about. Zita wasn’t sure she could be bothered with all the fuss, but Bridget and Carly were excited about it.

  After they finished eating they moved into the living room.

  “I’ll go pick the girls some vegetables to take home,” Zita told her mother.

  “Let me help,” Carly said and together they went outside. Carly sighed. “I love this place. Mama’s garden is always so gorgeous.”

  Zita couldn’t see it the way her sisters did, couldn’t appreciate the lush plantings, the plump vegetables hanging from the plants and the beautiful shade trees. All she noticed were jobs to be done: paths to be swept, branches to be pruned and fruit and vegetables to be picked before they rotted.

  She walked to the broccoli and cauliflower bed and began to harvest.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” Carly asked.

  Zita’s stomach was in knots. How would her sister react? Was she being selfish?

  “ZZ, what’s wrong?”

  She let out a sigh. “It’s about Casa Flanagan.”

  When she didn’t say anything else, Carly said, “Go on.”

  She braced herself. “Can the charity afford to hire another caregiver?” There, she’d said it, though she didn’t dare look at her sister.

  “Is there too much work for you and Mama?”

  Zita shook her head. She had to be honest. Just get it all out. She took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking of going to college.”

  “Really?” The surprise in Carly’s voice was clear and Zita cringed. “What do you want to study?”

  Perhaps she was a foolish dreamer. Perhaps she wasn’t cut out for college. Zita put the vegetable heads in the basket and picked out a few weeds. “Immigration law.”

  Carly placed a hand on Zita’s arm, and said, “Look at me, ZZ.”

  She raised her eyes. Her sister was frowning.

  “How long have you wanted to do immigration law?”

  Zita swallowed. “For a few years now.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because Mama needs me. She can’t do it by herself. She needs someone to take the girls to their meetings and teach the girls at home. She can’t be in two places at once and the girls need someone they can trust.”

  “Of course we can find someone to help Mama. I thought this is what you wanted to do.”

  “I did . . . I do. It’s just that I believe I could help them better in the courtroom.”

  “I’ll talk to Mama about it. I’m sure she’ll know someone in the refugee community who is able to help.”

  “No!” At Carly’s surprise, she added, “Don’t tell Mama yet. I need to find out more about the law degree. I might not qualify. There’s no point getting her upset over nothing.”

  “Why would she be upset?”

  “Because I’ve helped her from the beginning. She may think I’m abandoning her.”

  Carly raised an eyebrow. “You’ll be learning more about the system, and helping the girls in court. That hardly counts as abandonment.”

  “She always says she’ll be lost without me,” Zita said quietly.

  “It’s an expression, Z. She appreciates your help, I’m sure she does, but if you’re not happy, we have to fix it.”

  Tears rose to her eyes and she blinked rapidly to prevent them from falling.

  “Chiquita, I’m sorry,” said Carly. “I should have asked you what you wanted. We all assumed you were happy.”

  Zita didn’t blame Carly at all. She’d always spoken up about small things she was unhappy with, but this was too big. It affected her whole family.

  “Is there anything else you’re not happy about?” Carly asked.

  Zita glanced around the garden. Was it best to fix one thing at a time? Would she appear like the most ungrateful cow if she asked for more?

  “What is it, Z?” Carly urged, her voice stern.

  Her throat choked up. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it does.”

  She shook her head. “I’m being too selfish.”

  “You’re the most unselfish person I know, Zita Flanagan, so spill.”

  Zita sighed. “Eventually, if we find a caregiver, I’d like to move out of home. I’d like my own space.”

  “Oh, niñita. Of course you can. We’ve been so neglectful of you, making these assumptions while you’ve been unhappy all this time.” Carly pulled her into a hug.

  “Not always. Just lately.”

  “We’re going to fix it. You find out about law school and tell me what the next step is.”

  “All right.”

  “We should go in, otherwise Mama will wonder what we’re up to,” Carly said, getting to her feet.

  “You’re right.” Zita didn’t need her mother asking questions.

  ***

  Zita woke early on Monday morning before the girls were up.

  She fed Bess and Saint, who were always quick to appear when anyone was in the kitchen. Alejandra came in, carrying Julio.

  “I didn’t hear him last night,” Zita commented. “Did he sleep through?”

  “Yes. He was a good boy.” Alejandra took a seat at the breakfast bar while she breastfed her son.

  Zita placed a bowl of cereal in front of her.

  “Thanks, Zita.”

  The other girls came downstairs one by one, dressed for the day. Elena was getting slower and slower, with her pregnancy causing her a lot of discomfort. She was due any day.

  Carmen came inside from the garden and fussed around Elena. “We’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

  Elena widened her eyes and shook her head quickly. “No. I am fine. The baby will come when it is ready.”

  Zita saw the girl’s fear. There was a high infant and maternal mortality rate in Guatemala, where Elena had lived and often the ‘doctors’ in the poorer areas didn’t have the proper qualifications.

  Carmen clucked her tongue, but didn’t say anything else.

  Zita checked the time. “The bus will be here soon.” Her words brought on a flurry of activity as Alejandra kissed her son and handed him to Zita, and the other girls gathered their things together. In a very short time, they were out the door.

  It was quiet for a moment, until Julio started crying. With a sigh, Zita carried him out into the garden to give the others some peace. He was always upset when Alejandra left, and a walk around the garden usually settled him, but today Zita was tired. After her
sisters had left yesterday, she’d been busy helping the girls with last-minute homework. By the time it was done, she was too tired to investigate law school as she’d planned.

  But she would do it today. Her mother would take the girls through their English lessons in the morning and she would be able to sit down in peace with her computer.

  “Zita, come quickly!” Her mother’s call was urgent.

  Zita hurried down the path to the house and rushed inside. “What’s wrong?”

  “Elena’s waters just broke.” Carmen had a mop in her hand and was cleaning up the mess.

  “Any contractions?”

  “No.”

  “Ahhh,” Elena screamed.

  “Yes,” her mother amended.

  At Elena’s scream, Julio started crying again. Beatriz and Teresa were standing to the side, wide-eyed, and Beatriz looked frightened.

  “Teresa, take Julio and Bea into the living room,” Zita said, giving Teresa the baby. “I’ll be in shortly.” She turned to her mother. “I’ll grab her bag from upstairs.”

  Carmen nodded, holding onto Elena’s hand.

  Zita rushed up the stairs and grabbed the small suitcase Elena had packed for the hospital. When she got back downstairs, Elena was screaming again.

  “I’ve called the doctor,” Carmen said. “She’s going to meet us at the hospital. You’ll be all right with the others, won’t you?” She took the suitcase and left the room without waiting for an answer.

  “Of course.” When the contraction was over, Zita helped Elena out of her chair and through the front door to the car that Carmen had waiting. Elena climbed inside and Zita strapped her in. Moments later, they were gone.

  Zita sighed. Elena would be fine, she was sure, but life was going to get a little more hectic in the next couple of days with another baby in the house. She walked back inside into the living room, where Julio was still crying and Beatriz was close to tears herself. She gave Bea a hug. “It’s all right. The pain is part of labor. Elena’s going to be fine. We’ll go and visit her when the baby arrives, but right now we should get some work done. Why don’t you go clean your teeth and we’ll start the lessons?”

  “OK.”

  Zita took Julio from Teresa. “Thank you.” She clucked and soothed the baby boy while Teresa and Beatriz got ready. When he’d calmed, she put him in his rocker and gave him a toy to play with. Then she began to teach.

  ***

  By the end of the day Zita was exhausted. Julio had been grizzly all day and she discovered he was teething. She’d had to dig through all the baby things they had from one of the previous foster babies to find a teething ring. It quietened him down for a little while, long enough for her to take the girls through their English lessons. They’d both picked up the language quickly and were almost ready for school. She would have to talk to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and see if she could get them into the local school.

  Checking the time, she called her mother to check how Elena was.

  “We’re almost there,” Carmen said. In the background Zita heard moans and screams. “We can see the baby’s head. Push niñita!”

  Zita held the phone away from her ear as Carmen yelled encouragement to Elena. “Call me back,” she said and hung up. A few minutes later the phone rang. “She is here,” Carmen sobbed.

  Zita smiled, tears in her own eyes. “Are they both all right?”

  “Sí. They are fine.”

  “We’ll give mama and baby a chance to rest. Can we visit after dinner?”

  “Of course.”

  Zita hung up and turned to Beatriz and Teresa, who were waiting next to her. “Elena’s had a baby girl. Both mama and baby are doing fine.”

  Beatriz closed her eyes and said a prayer of thanks.

  “We’ll visit after dinner.” Which she should start making. The other girls had arrived home from school and were doing their homework, and Julio was finally sleeping. “Can you pick me some beans?” she asked Beatriz.

  The girl nodded and headed outside.

  Zita went into the kitchen and Teresa followed.

  “Any news about my family?” she asked.

  Zita shook her head, feeling bad for her. “We’re still waiting for your mother to go to the office in the city and fill out the paperwork for asylum.”

  “Could you call them again?” Her voice was quiet, pleading.

  Zita couldn’t refuse. “I don’t want to risk making your father suspicious, but I’ll call Fernando and ask if he’s been in contact.”

  Teresa beamed at her.

  She dialed the number and Fernando answered. “Hola. It’s Zita. How are things?”

  “I was going to call you tomorrow. Johanna submitted all of the paperwork today. Now we have to wait for it to be processed.”

  Zita put her hand over the receiver and told Teresa. The girl burst into tears. Zita hugged her. “That’s great news. Thank you for your help.”

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  Zita hung up and handed Teresa a tissue.

  “They’ll be here soon, won’t they?” Teresa said.

  “I hope so.” She wouldn’t make promises she couldn’t keep. So much could happen between now and when the application was approved. “Why don’t you go and wash up? Dinner won’t be long.”

  “OK,” Teresa said and walked out.

  Zita breathed out, pressing her palms into her eyes to stop the tears. This was the worst part. The waiting, the uncertainty. Teresa hadn’t even received her own approval to stay. Her hearing was a couple of weeks away and they were still putting together evidence to prove her story. Fernando had helped, as he was quietly building a case against the gang who had captured her.

  In the meantime, there was nothing else Zita could do.

  With a sigh, she turned her attention to dinner.

  ***

  It was Friday before Zita had a chance to investigate law school. She’d been too busy caring for the girls and a teething Julio, and double checking that everything was in place for new baby Xaviera. Carmen had spent most of her days at the hospital with Elena, supporting her and teaching her about baby care.

  Zita hadn’t even had much time to talk to David, who had called a couple of times, but generally during the rush that was dinner time. They had arranged to go out on Saturday night and she couldn’t wait.

  The house was now quiet and the girls were all in bed. Zita switched on her laptop and searched for law school entry requirements. As she read through the information she discovered there was a law school admission test she had to do for entry, and there was one coming up in a couple of weeks.

  It had been such a long time since she’d sat a test. Her skin tightened thinking about it. After her mother had begun fostering girls, Zita had had little time to study, and now there was even less time in her day.

  She’d probably fail. But if she didn’t tell anyone about the test, no one would ever know. She’d only disappoint herself.

  And if she didn’t register, she’d disappoint herself anyway.

  She took a deep breath and filled in the registration form. Then she downloaded the sample questions. She had to be positive. She tutored the girls every day, she just needed to tutor herself as well.

  Zita opened the first document.

  She could do this.

  Chapter 8

  David couldn’t wait to see Zita again. She’d sounded so stressed and busy during the week that he wanted to get her away from Casa Flanagan. With that in mind, something low key was in order for their date. Dinner somewhere quiet and a movie. He was picking her up this time, so he’d booked a restaurant near to where she lived on the outskirts of Houston and checked the local movie theaters for what was showing.

  In keeping with the casual date, he dressed in jeans and his favorite leather jacket and went to pick her up.

  As he pulled into the address she’d given him, he stared. The house was huge, two stories high, and surrounded by a myriad of tropical plants. The property ha
d to be a couple of acres at least, and there was an orchard and a few cottages next to the main house. It was very homey. The front door flew open and Carmen strode out, heading for the van that was parked to one side. She was quickly followed by a teenager holding a baby, and both were crying. Zita was right behind them, helping them into the car. He pulled over so not to block the driveway as Carmen tore down it.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked Zita as he got out of the car.

  Zita sighed. “Julio has a fever. Alejandra is convinced he’s going to die, and Mama’s taking them to the hospital.”

  Concerned, he asked, “Is he going to be all right?”

  “I suspect it’s to do with his teething and he’ll be fine, but if it’s one thing we Salvadorans know, it’s how to be emotional.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Welcome to Casa Flanagan.”

  Her eyes were shadowed and her posture slumped. She was almost defeated. David pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “Rough week?”

  “Yeah.” She squeezed him and then stepped back. “I’m so sorry, David. I’m not going to be able to go out tonight. I need to look after the girls.”

  “Aren’t they old enough to take care of themselves?” They were teenagers, and his parents had left him alone at that age.

  “Elena’s just home with her new baby and she shouldn’t be left alone. She’s too nervous still.”

  Disappointment curled in his stomach. He wasn’t used to dating someone with these kinds of responsibilities. He’d been looking forward to getting her away and spending time with her. “I could stay here, help you with the girls.” How hard could it be?

  “I can’t ask you to do that. It’s a madhouse today.”

  David shrugged. “You didn’t ask, I offered.” He took her hand and led her toward the house. “I can go get food for dinner, and we can keep an eye on the girls together.” What time did teenagers normally go to bed?

  She stared at him for a long moment. “I’m not sure you understand what you’re getting yourself in for, but I’m so tired I’m going to say yes.”

  His stomach rolled over at her ominous tone.

  It took about five seconds for David to realize Zita hadn’t been kidding about the madhouse. The girls were gathered in the living room, and as Zita walked in they started speaking rapidly in Spanish.