More than a Maid

by Reeni Austin

  Ramon's face was stoic except for a hint of a smirk. "You seem pretty defensive for a woman with nothing to hide."

  Her stomach felt queasy, but she deliberately steadied her voice in a way that hopefully made Ramon believe he was wrong. "No. I just think it was a weird thing to say. Very random."

  He shrugged. "If you say so." Then he turned to the sound of someone calling his name from the side of the house.

  Cara cleared her throat and said, "Thanks for answering my questions about the party." Then she tucked her head down and walked to the front door as Ramon headed the other direction.

  Inside the house, Cara saw everyone huddled in the kitchen in the midst of a lively discussion. She numbly hobbled upstairs then slumped down on the side of the bed, her mind now cluttered with a million thoughts.

  A minute later, Victor joined her. He said, "Did you get your answers?" Then he sat next to her. "I looked out the window and saw you talking but there was a little emergency in here…" His voice softened as he stretched an arm around her back. "What's wrong?"

  Staring straight ahead, her voice just above a whisper, Cara said, "Do you think I need to tell Isaac about his biological father?"

  "Whoa. Didn't expect that." Victor stood and rushed to the door to close it, then quickly took his seat beside her again. "What the hell happened out there?"

  She turned to him. "Did you tell Ramon how I got pregnant with Isaac?"

  "No." Victor shook his head and looked in her eyes. "Absolutely not. I'd never tell anyone. Why? What'd Ramon do that made you ask me that?"

  She gulped and looked straight ahead again in a daze. "It was strange. He told me I need to tell Isaac who his 'real' father is."

  "Well, that's me." He gave her thigh a reassuring pat. "Or I will be, soon enough. None of Ramon's business, anyway." Victor sighed. "He had no right to say that to you. I'll go straighten him out."

  "No." A lump filled Cara's throat, but she was too confused to cry. "I wonder if he's right."

  Stunned, Victor said, "Well, we can talk to Isaac someday if you want. That's completely up to you. I think he's too young for it right now, though."

  "Yes. That's what I meant. When he's ready." Cara felt her queasiness lighten.

  "Good." Victor cleared his throat. "So… uh… what happened, exactly? You went out there to ask Ramon about the party and somehow, this happened?"

  "Yeah, I know." Cara bit her lip as she glanced mindlessly around the room. "It really caught me off guard. I can't remember exactly, but he basically told me he can relate to Isaac because you guys grew up without a father. But then he got really serious and told me not to lie to Isaac if I know who his father is. He said telling the truth was better than letting him believe a lie." Cara looked at Victor. "Is that what happened with your mom? Did she lie to you guys about your father?"

  Groaning, Victor closed his eyes and pressed his palm against his temple. Under his breath, he said, "Damn it, Ramon." Then he lowered his hand and said, "He obviously knows something. That's why he won't let us talk to Henry. But of course, we already knew that." He turned to Cara. "You have no idea how much money Armando and I've spent researching every possible lead we have about Henry, Dwayne. Our family in Mexico." Shrugging, he said, "Nothing. No one knows anything. Dwayne's not talking. Henry changed his number again. And Ramon." Victor paused for an angry grunt. "I love him but I could fucking choke him right now."

  She sighed. "Not at Isaac's birthday party. Please."

  "Tomorrow, then." His eyebrows shot up.

  "Take it easy on him." Cara paused as she considered how surprised she was to now be taking up for Ramon. "I think he's a lot more upset than he wants anyone to know."

  "I'm sure." Victor nodded. "But if he knows that Henry's our biological father and he's been keeping it from me and Armando all this time," his eyes widened, "it may be time for a brotherly ass kicking."

  * * *

  Marcy hadn't seen Ramon since Thursday, when he came into the house to get hats for his brothers. Thankfully, he was pretty easy to avoid, since he was staying in the trailer. So, Marcy kept herself constantly busy to distract herself. Her ears always perked up when he was mentioned, though. And from those conversations, it was clear that Ramon had made peace with everyone… except her.

  So, that meant she was the only reason Ramon hadn't moved back into his room. She was the reason he ate by himself every night. She was the reason he avoided his own damn house.

  That stubborn fool, Marcy encouraged herself. You dodged a bullet this time. He's doing you a favor by ignoring you.

  But her pep talk didn't make her feel any better. Hopefully in a few weeks when she was home—in a place that didn't remind her of him every minute of every day—the memories would quickly fade away.

  Victor and Armando both offered to intervene, but Marcy refused. She told them she'd rather just go home peacefully and forget anything ever happened.

  Today—with Isaac's birthday party underway—it would be difficult to avoid Ramon, but not impossible. Her plan was to stay inside and clean. It was eleven o'clock, and so far it had worked like a charm.

  The party was officially supposed to begin in two hours, but the roar of children playing outside already filled the house. Word of the party traveled fast. Ramon invited all of his ranch employees, who then spread the invitation to their neighbors and families. Victor said it reminded him of parties he remembered in Mexico—lively events that lasted all day, and among the guests there were as many adults as children. When Marcy peeked out the window, it looked like a festival. There were tables and chairs where people she didn't know were eating and having a great time. Pinatas hung from a few tree branches. Large clusters of helium-filled balloons dotted the landscape.

  Cara said Isaac didn't know most of the children he was playing with, but he was having a wonderful time. And even she seemed excited about how the festivities were going so far.

  The only person who was miserable was Marcy.

  Patty rushed into the house, straight to the kitchen, calling out, "Marcy! You here?"

  "Yes." Marcy put down her dust cloth and hurried to Patty. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing." Patty took a box of crackers from the cabinet. "You should come outside. It's a beautiful day. And we're all having—"

  "A great time. Yeah, I know." She looked at the crackers. "What are you doing? I thought it was supposed to be catered."

  Patty went to the refrigerator and opened the door. "It is. There's a food truck on the way but we had all these early guests and they're hungry. I'm glad I made this dip last night." She pulled an enormous bowl from a shelf.

  Hesitantly, Marcy asked, "You need me to help you take anything outside?"

  "That'd be nice." Patty gave Marcy a knowing glance as she went to the pantry. "It's safe. He just left. Said he had to go pick up someone."

  Marcy's stomach lurched. "Who? Does he have a date or something?"

  "I don't know. Sorry, hon." Patty sighed sympathetically as she turned around and placed some items on the counter. "Don't worry. He'll come around."

  Right then, the front door opened and Victor walked in.

  "Hey," he said to Patty. "A food truck's coming up the driveway."

  Patty nodded. "All right. I'll put all this away then."

  "No. We'll need it," Victor said. "Ramon thinks there's a lot more people on the way and that doesn't even include the kids we invited. Have some food out as appetizers. The lines at those food trucks can get long." He walked up to Marcy and placed a kind hand on her shoulder. "Please join us. He'll probably be too busy to notice you anyway. Besides, he'll be gone for a while. He just took off to get Mrs. Perry. I know she'd love to see you."

  Marcy felt her entire body give way in relief with the knowledge that Ramon's secret guest wasn't a date. "It's nice that he's bringing her."

  An abrupt, melodic horn sounded from the food truck. Seconds later, the echoes of squealing children emanated through the windows as a herd of kids ran
to the truck at one time.

  Victor widened his eyes at Patty. "Definitely bring some food outside. I think everyone showed up hungry." Victor went to the kitchen window and peered out, chuckling. "You need to see this truck. What a cheesy name."

  Marcy and Patty crowded in next to him.

  Patty read, "Señor-Eat-Ah!" and laughed. "That's a cute little play on words."

  "What's that weird cartoon character painted on the side?" Marcy asked. "Kinda looks like a donkey with earrings. And it's saying something. What's that mean?"

  "Me gusta," Victor said. "It means, 'I like it.' I guess she's the señorita and she likes the food."

  Marcy gasped. "Oh my God. What about bathrooms? Or what if all those kids get sick on Mexican food while they're jumping around—"

  "We hose 'em all down, I guess." Victor groaned. "Let's hope that doesn't happen. But there're actually some portable toilets in the back yard. You didn't see them?"

  Marcy shook her head. "No. I haven't been outside."

  Patty sighed as she went to the refrigerator. "Ramon thought of everything. I've never seen anything like it."

  Victor said, "Henry used to have parties like these so Ramon probably knew exactly what to do."

  "You mean, for your birthday?" Marcy asked.

  Victor shrugged. "Yeah. Birthdays. Fourth of July. Sometimes on Christmas if it was warm. They were never quite like this, though. I spoke to the guy who owns the inflatables company. Said he owes Ramon a few favors. That's how he got so much stuff this morning."

  Patty spun around to the kitchen island with a tray of vegetables. "That guy told Tom the same thing. Apparently, Ramon was pretty active in the community until he got so busy. A lot of people owe him favors."

  Victor nodded. "Yeah. I don't know exactly what happened but he said Ramon was 'very generous.'" Shrugging, he said, "I learn more about my brother every day."

  Rolling her eyes, Marcy said, "What's wrong with him? Why is he so secretive about all the good things he does?"

  "I assume he doesn't like to brag," Victor said. "He wants to help but he doesn't need the recognition. At least, that's my take." He looked around the kitchen like he was thinking. "You know, I've attended benefits where people were honored for donating millions of dollars to hospitals or charities. They get an enormous plaque or a picture on the wall for being a trustee. Maybe they name the wing of a building after them." He laughed. "If Ramon ever did something like that, he's the kind of person who'd never tell anyone. No plaque. No banquet. He'd probably get angry if you tried to thank him." Then Victor sighed. "Oh well. Hungry people outside. I'll help you with this food."

  Marcy swallowed, hard. She turned her attention to helping Patty. What Victor said about Ramon made her miss him even more.

  CHAPTER 22

  At three o'clock, the decision was made for Isaac to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, then open presents.

  The guests gathered around a table outside where Patty had placed a large chocolate sheet cake that said, "Isaac" with the number, "Four," with tiny edible race cars up and down the sides as decoration. She was thankful now that she had made an extra cake. If any of the guests didn't get a piece, Ramon assured them that an ice cream truck was on the way. The children's eyes all lit up at the mention of ice cream.

  Isaac sat between two of his best friends from daycare, with Victor, Ramon, and Cara behind him. The rest of the family gathered around them, while most of the party guests continued playing and eating in the background.

  After Isaac made a wish and blew out his candles, Ramon carefully removed the candles and stood behind him.

  "Take a bite," Ramon said, holding his hand behind his head.

  A few of the guests looked at each other, laughing.

  Victor put his hand on Ramon's wrist and said, "Don't. He doesn't expect it. It'll scare him."

  Confused, Cara's looked at Victor. Then she suddenly remembered a story she heard the brothers tell about one of their birthday parties. She shook her head. "You're not gonna shove my son's face into that cake."

  Isaac's eyebrows shot up and he turned in his chair as some of the guests standing around the table chuckled. "Huh?" Isaac asked Ramon and Victor.

  Ramon gave Victor a determined look. "Come on. It's tradition."

  "Yeah, for some of us," Victor said. Then he glanced around at all the smiling people who had probably had their faces shoved into a cake at some point in their lives.

  Ramon knelt down beside Isaac and whispered something in his ear.

  Victor looked at Cara and softly said, "Would it really be so bad?"

  Isaac giggled after Ramon stood.

  Cara shrugged, then let out a resigned sigh. "I guess it's okay."

  Ramon gave each of his brothers a smile, then said to Isaac. "Okay. Bend your head down and take a little bite."

  Isaac was hesitant, but he opened his mouth and bent down slowly.

  Then Ramon put his palm on the back of Isaac's head and gently shoved the boy's face into the frosting.

  Guests who were familiar with the tradition laughed. Patty, however, gasped and brought her hand to her chest as she witnessed the destruction of hard work. She shot Ramon a look of horror.

  Ramon shrugged and said to her, "Now you know why I told you to make two cakes."

  Patty put her hand on her hip. "Well, we can cut around it, I guess…" Then she said to Isaac, "Hey, you all right?"

  Isaac's face was still in the cake, barely moving.

  Victor tapped Isaac's shoulder. "Isaac? Sit up. What's wrong?"

  Isaac stayed down for a few more moments, then his head popped up. With a full mouth, and cake covering his face, he exclaimed, "This is the best day of my wife!"

  Everyone, including Cara, laughed at his comment and watched him duck down again to continue eating the cake without his hands.

  Tom laughed and said, "I'm glad I brought my video camera."

  Quickly, Isaac lifted his head again and said to his daycare friend, Jordan, "Twy it!"

  Jordan's eyes widened, and he got up on his knees on his chair beside Isaac. He said, "Okay!" Then he dove face first into a side of the cake Isaac hadn't touched.

  Just then, Isaac's friend on his right, Lucas, decided to take his turn with the cake. Like Jordan, he got on his knees, lifted his torso onto the table, and let his face land in the cake.

  The adults all glanced at each other, stunned, but in hysterics. Other children who were gathered around began eyeing the second cake that was placed prominently on a smaller table nearby.

  Patty held out her hands in a defensive display. "No, no, no." Then she pointed at Cara and Victor and said in a firm voice, "Get them outta that cake. It's a mess."

  Chuckling, Victor put a gentle hand on Isaac's shoulder and coaxed him back up. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. It's time for presents."

  Isaac pouted for a moment then stood from his chair.

  A few minutes later, after the messy children's faces were washed, Isaac sat in a chair and began opening his presents. Cara urged him to go fast as she made notes about whom each present was from. Marcy helped by gathering all of the wrapping and gift bags to be thrown away. She was surprised that Ramon sat nearby and offered to help… but he still refused to make eye contact with her.

  Isaac mostly received stuffed animals and small race cars, and he was thrilled with each gift. Silas, Isaac's favorite ranch hand friend, gave him a nice new cowboy hat that he insisted on wearing the rest of the day.

  Armando and Katie's gift was in a large box. Isaac jumped up and down screaming when he saw it was a tricycle. He wanted to ride it immediately until Victor reminded him of his last present.

  Isaac looked like he was holding his breath as he waited for Victor to wheel the small vehicle from its hiding place nearby. Then he gasped and practically pushed Victor out of the way to sit down on the tiny seat.

  Cara said, "Isaac, don't be rude."

  Victor looked at Cara. "It's okay. He's excited.
He didn't realize it."

  Isaac's friends all gathered around the tiny red car, staring, many of them asking immediately if they could have a ride.

  Victor knelt down next to Isaac and took a moment to show Isaac how to use the controls. Before he finished, Isaac was already moving forward.

  His friends all said, "Ooh!" at the same time.

  But Isaac quickly frowned. "It's too swow!"

  Victor walked alongside Isaac as he drove through the parting crowd at 2.6 miles per hour. "It'll be slow at first but if you're good, we'll make it go faster."

  Isaac's frown deepened like he didn't believe Victor.

  Nodding, Victor said, "It's true. There's a setting inside that'll make it go almost twice as fast but it's locked. You need to prove you can be responsible at the slow speed first. Do you know what that means? Responsible?"

  Isaac stared at him. "Do it now! I wanna go fast!"

  Victor shook his head. "No. Not yet, but in a few days. I promise. You have to be good." Then he glanced at the children gathered around. "There's enough room for one of your friends to sit next to you. They can take turns if you want."

  A boy started jumping and raising his hand immediately. "Me! Me!"

  Isaac smiled at him. "Awwight!"

  Soon, Isaac was laughing and talking with his friends as he drove them around the yard. After a while, he let one of his friends drive so he could break in his new tricycle.

  "See?" Victor asked Cara as they stood watch over the kids. "It's not fast."

  Cara winced a little. "Even at the higher speed?"

  Victor nodded. "Yes. Even at the high speed, you can probably still outrun it."

  With a bit of relief, Cara said, "Okay. We'll need to have a talk with him soon about responsibility."

  * * *

  A few hours later, the party showed no signs of winding down. Many of the guests had left—including the children—but many new people had arrived. With so many people going in and out of the house, Ramon considered it a perfect time to go upstairs to his room, unnoticed, to retrieve articles of clothing he would take with him to the trailer tonight.