Mauricio lowered his head, picked up the garden shovel and resumed working amid the most unnatural silence. He felt the other men’s eyes on him; it wasn’t a bad feeling and he drew some strength from it.
The garden architect let them drink every hour, not out of any consideration for them, but simply because she didn’t want anyone to faint and leave for the infirmary.
“The President is going to love it when she sees the double-crown design from the airplane.” Mauricio heard the garden architect murmur absentmindedly to herself, and when she left the blueprint on the ground by his side, he couldn’t resist looking.
“What are you doing?” Arias hissed, his eyes glancing at the guard coming back.
“Nothing.” Mauricio immediately resumed his position. The clear image of Rosie playing with her ring came back to his mind. I wish you could see the roses I’m planting for you. You’d like them.
“Why are you smiling?” Arias asked.
“I recognized the design,” Mauricio answered before thinking better of it and regretted it.
“Everybody does; it’s the Layan crest,” Leander stated, and Mauricio was thankful that he didn’t have to explain his words.
Meanwhile, the garden architect had realized the blueprints were lying on the ground and getting dirty. “Don’t you dare put your hands on my project; keep your heads low and hurry. It’s almost dawn already,” she said to the men at large, but gave Mauricio a menacing look.
Leander scowled for everybody to see. Several men couldn’t help sneering. Arias shot them a warning glance and Leander lowered his head when the garden architect turned to see what was happening. The first light of the day was shining in the sky when the last plant was carefully put to rest in its designated spot on the ground.
“Try to sleep now; your turn starts again in three hours,” Arias announced when the garden architect dismissed them.
“I can’t function on three hours of sleep,” one of the men complained as soon as the woman was out of earshot. Several other voices joined the chorus of laments.
“Be glad that, in consideration of your hard work, I’m going to enroll someone else for cleaning duties,” Arias said, effectively defusing the tension. Soon after, the guards escorted the slaves back inside and changed the calibration of their collars.
Mauricio found his drafty little room comfortable compared to outside. He closed his eyes and had the horrible feeling of being forcefully awakened seconds later.
“Time to go to work, sleepyhead,” Guen chimed happily. She repeated the suggestion several times before Mauricio realized that she was talking to him, and that it wasn’t, unfortunately, a nightmare.
He didn’t say anything to her, just pulled on the work pants and found his way into a clean shirt.
“They pulled one on you last night,” Guen commented while walking him to the back door. “The President remembers us only once a year. At least we are done with it now,” she added with a tone that implied that the Presidential visits were a nuisance for her, too.
Mauricio wasn’t going to say anything; he was barely awake and too tired from fighting his closing eyelids to muster anything smart and inoffensive to say about the President, but he was intrigued, nonetheless, by Guen’s remark. He followed the woman, wondering how he was going to get through the day without collapsing when he sensed the guard stiffening suddenly.
Chapter 8
“Mistress, what an honor. What brings you to this wing of the building, and alone?” Guen’s voice was barely under control. Mauricio turned around to see what was enraging Guen so much.
He heard the word ‘mistress,’ but he couldn’t believe she was there, although he had fantasized about it the whole night; it was hard to accept that his dream had come true. He couldn’t lower his eyes to the ground, as expected from a slave in the presence of a woman of Rosie’s rank and status.
“I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to go visit the gardens before the rest of the family woke up. I was told you added new flowers and that they are quite a sight,” Rosie said while looking at him.
A mix of fear and happiness got hold of Mauricio’s mind, and his senses grew sharper. He saw the light in Rosie’s eyes become brighter and a touch of pink tinged her cheeks. He also felt Guen staring at the two of them.
“I am afraid it’s not going to be possible, Mistress. It isn’t wise to go outside by yourself, and the gardens are closed so early in the morning.” Guen took a step forward and gave Mauricio a sharp look when he didn’t move.
“But, I don’t want to go back to my room. What am I going to do in the meantime?” Rosie positioned herself before the other woman.
“The chief guard is going to have a fit if she discovers the President’s daughter is wandering through the farm without an escort,” Guen murmured to herself, but loud enough to be heard.
“Nothing is going to happen to me in Tarin. Isn’t it the safest farm in Ginecea? Or what they say about this place is not true?” Rosie smiled at Guen.
“Please, Mistress, go back to your room and wait until your personal escort comes to pick you up. It’s the protocol.” Guen sounded tired and resigned.
“I have a better idea. Since I’m already awake, and you are walking this slave outside, why don’t I come with you? That way, I am properly escorted and nothing can happen to me. I see that you are very concerned about my safety, and I am sure you will protect me with your own life, if necessary.” Rosie, who had started nicely and demurely enough, was back to her spoiled brat mode.
Mauricio’s lips turned up slightly. Guen couldn’t possibly deny the Mistress’ request without being rude to the President’s daughter. He felt as awake as Rosie proclaimed to be.
“Please, follow me,” Guen capitulated, and after a last warning glance at Mauricio, she led the peculiar party outside.
Arias was on the other side of the back door, waiting for Mauricio. If he was surprised to see the President’s daughter, he didn’t show it. He lowered his head in a low bow when Guen indicated the honored guest with a nod and kept his mouth shut, as it was advisable for a man to do. Mauricio realized, belatedly, that he hadn’t bowed, or showed any sign of respect, with the exception of not talking in front of Rosie. He knew Guen had noticed and he was also sure the guard must have noticed the lack of offense on the President’s daughter’s part.
“I think that it would be an educational experience for me, if I could follow the slaves throughout their schedule,” Rosie said in her bratty voice, being very careful to sweeten her tone.
“Mistress, it is highly irregular. I know the President isn’t—” Guen started to say.
“I can be my mother’s eyes in all the matters she doesn’t have time to supervise,” Rosie said in a matter-of-fact voice, showing she meant business.
Mauricio wasn’t sure how long Rosie could pull off her stunt, as soon as it was clear that she wasn’t in her room anymore, a small army of worried security guards would storm over the entire facility to find her. It’s nice to have you here, even if for just a moment. He felt physically better just having her close. He hadn’t thought that was going to happen again, and he wasn’t going to waste a free and unexpected respite from reality. He was dying of curiosity, though. How did she happen to be in Tarin with the rest of her family, given the web of lies she had woven to be in the Temple? It was difficult to have her here and not be able to talk to her.
“Very well, Mistress. Do you have any idea where you want to start your tour?” Guen’s voice was controlled, but the undertone was loud and disrespectful. Rosie didn’t seem to mind.
“I am not sure—” Rosie feigned some deep thinking and then genially smiled at Guen. “Where are these slaves going?” She pointed her small finger at Arias, as if she had just realized that the two men were there.
“Where are you headed today?” Guen asked Arias, and then added, “Slave?”
“Today, I am supervising the cleaning crew,” Arias answered.
“Cleaning doesn�
��t sound… interesting,” Rosie said.
“There’s a harvesting crew leaving in ten minutes for the mimosa fields. And, he—” Arias slowly turned toward Mauricio. “—is working at the trench up to the river border.” He lowered his head while maintaining his voice deliberately without inflection.
“Mimosa flowers have the most pleasant scent. I’ll ask the slaves to braid a garland for you,” Guen tried to intercede.
“I am allergic to mimosa flowers. The powdery pollen makes me sneeze for hours,” Rosie said in a worried tone.
“Do you want to see the river, then, Mistress?” Guen was at the end of her patience.
“I’d love to see the river.” Rosie was satisfied and her lips turned slightly upward. She caught herself immediately and her face relaxed in a neutral expression.
Meanwhile, several men had come outside to start their day of work and were observing the scene from a safe distance. Leander was one of them. He kept looking at Mauricio, but he couldn’t say anything directly to him while the high breed was there.
“Mistress, did you have anything to eat today?” Guen asked. “Maybe you’d like to go back to have some breakfast? We can go to see the river later.”
“I’m not hungry, but thanks for asking.” Rosie’s face was a stony mask.
“We’ll take a van by ourselves, then. You go ahead with your schedule,” Guen said to Arias, who immediately dismissed himself and Mauricio. She called someone on her cell phone, and almost immediately, a van appeared at the end of the trail.
Mauricio couldn’t stay without causing a problem for everybody. He followed Arias who was headed toward Leander but gave a sideways glance at Rosie before lowering his head; he saw her disappointment. He felt pleased that they could share that sentiment. At least they had that.
“So, what was that about?” Leander asked.
“The President’s daughter has hijacked the guard for a private tour.” Mauricio summarized the last half hour successfully without letting personal emotions slip.
“Pure breeds,” Leander said. “The higher they are, the snottier they are.”
“You can say that again,” Arias said back.
Leander scoffed at the guard escorting the President’s daughter, jumping to grant all of her wishes. Arias added a scornful remark aimed at the pure breeds and their utter evilness. Mauricio looked at the same women with a different feeling altogether and forgot to scoff in sympathy.
“Let’s go eat something.” Leander took Mauricio by his elbow and sauntered toward the cafeteria, where he took his time choosing what he wanted to eat.
Mauricio maintained a peaceful façade outside, but inside, he was screaming to Leander to hurry up and finish the damn toast and gulp whatever was left of the coffee. He ate everything he had put on his tray in less than five minutes and drank a steaming-hot beverage that was as bitter as coffee and left burns inside his esophagus. Leander was looking left and right and kept waving at people. He probably wanted to talk about the sleepless night with anybody who wanted to listen, but Mauricio had other plans for both of them.
“Let’s go out working. I am feeling sleepy here. It’s too warm,” Mauricio said the first thing that came to his mind.
“Are you okay?” Leander was now looking at Mauricio.
“I’m fine. I ate too much and I need some fresh air.” Words he had thought the previous night.
“And working is going to make you feel better?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Let me finish my coffee and we’re out of here.” Leander took a long sip from his cup and then, as promised, stood up to put away the tray with the empty plate.
“Thanks.”
“Sure, no problem. If it makes you happy…” Leander said.
Mauricio noticed his inflection on the last part of the sentence, but his mind was elsewhere, too preoccupied to be bothered with subtle changes of tone. He walked down the trail, thinking only about the fact that Rosie had walked on this trail, too, just a few minutes earlier. He had just missed her. Only two days at Tarin, but he had thought of her constantly, imagined telling her about his new life. Do you know my new cell has a tall ceiling and four circular windows? And, it’s so cold… My guard’s name is Guen; she told me that! Here, at Tarin, men have a cafeteria and they can eat as much as they want. Can you believe that? Oh… the fields… you must see the colors! And now, she was here.
“I practically didn’t sleep at all last night,” Leander said to the fourth or fifth man who happened to cross his space.
Enough, already, everybody in this room knows about it.
“And, how much do you want to bet that the bitch hasn’t even noticed.” Leander had managed to stop a small crowd.
Really? Mauricio tried to move forward toward the door, but the discussion was still going. I didn’t sleep myself, but I’m not complaining. Am I?
“No need to bet. I’m sure she didn’t see anything,” a man said.
Nobody asked for your opinion.
“What can you see from up there, anyway?” Another man pointed at the ceiling, meaning the sky.
“Imagine trying to see something on the ground from a plane!” Someone else felt the need to add to the conversation.
How could you know? Have you ever been on a plane?
“Exactly my point! The bitch could’ve blinked the same moment the plane was flying over Tarin’s entry,” Leander exclaimed.
Okay, you could be right on this one, but I don’t care. Just keep moving. Like this, one step after the other. Meanwhile, Mauricio had dragged Leander outside, one comment at a time, without the man noticing the progress they were making. The journey from the cafeteria to the end of the trail where the van would pick them up was interrupted several times by men eager to keep talking to Leander. Let’s breathe before I punch him. Mauricio tried to occupy his mind on something—anything that would calm his rising temper. He recognized every rock on the ground and every bush sculpted by the gardeners’ hands. He counted blades of grass and every other man wearing dark pants, but his anxiety of getting out of there grew stronger. Could I run to the trench? How long is going to take? Can I do it?
“The van’s just left. Good, we’ve at least ten minutes to relax,” Leander said, a big smile on his face.
That’s it. I’m going to punch you. But he didn’t. Stay calm, Mauricio. If you want to see her, you must stay calm.
“What did you just say?” Leander asked.
“Nothing. I didn’t say a thing. Look the van is coming back,” Mauricio answered, his eyes focusing on the far away line that was the trench. Just a moment. Be patient. He hadn’t realized how strong his feelings were until he saw her again. It was like they’d been simmering inside his heart, hidden from his consciousness. But now they were outside, and he couldn’t get to the trench fast enough.
It took forever for the van to reach the river. Mauricio catapulted himself ahead of everybody else in the vehicle, a mélange of colorful insults accompanied his progress toward the exit, but he was the first one to get out.
Where are you? Mauricio scanned the place, his heart exploding in his chest. Thank the Heavens, he almost cried out loud when spotted Rosie’s rich, chestnut hair. Guen was towering over her with outstretched arms explaining something, and Rosie was politely nodding. Mauricio was pleased to see in her brown eyes the same impatience he was feeling.
“And that, over there, is Bryn, the farm where the cotton for your clothes is produced,” Mauricio overheard Guen saying in a bored tone. The guard wasn’t making any attempt to hide what she thought of having to be there, instead of doing what her schedule called for.
“Mauricio! Come here, we need an extra hand hauling this rock,” Grey called him from inside the trench.
Rosie’s head turned around when she heard Mauricio’s name. Mauricio saw Rosie’s eyes illuminate when she saw him, and he automatically took two steps toward her. Grey’s voice brought him back to reality, three times before Mauricio reacted to the call a
nd fully faced the other way. The man waved at Mauricio to get to work. Mauricio couldn’t do otherwise. Swearing under his breath, he went to help Grey.
“What are you, a sleepwalker?” Grey wasn’t in a great mood.
“Yes, I am, since I had to work the whole night,” he bit back, repeating Leander’s words.
“I’m sorry for you. I really am. You’ll get to rest later. Now get to work,” Grey said, but at the last moment, he gave Mauricio a sympathetic shrug of his shoulders.
Mauricio knew that Grey couldn’t cut him any slack before the other men and began digging without saying another word. He soon realized he didn’t mind occupying his restless body on a physical activity when his thoughts were focused elsewhere. He felt Rosie’s eyes on his back the whole time he worked, dislodging a heavy rock from its bed. He scratched his hands repeatedly, and blood came out of a superficial wound. Mauricio distinctly heard Rosie gasp when it happened. He felt immensely pleased by it and smiled. One of his coworkers looked at him.
“Are you okay?” the man asked him.
“Fine, never better,” Mauricio answered.
“Maybe you should drink some water. You look dehydrated. I am going to fetch some for you.”
“No! Thanks, I know where it is. I’ll go. Walking will help clear my mind.” Mauricio hurriedly put a hand on the other man’s arm to stop him from going to the tanks that happened to be where Rosie was standing. The man gave Mauricio a worried look, but when he saw the determination in his face, he murmured something to Grey, who nodded, and Mauricio was let go.
Mauricio reached the closest tank to Rosie and went down on one knee to fill a plastic cup. Guen was giving a rather boring guided tour, but Rosie seemed to hang on the guard’s words, asking questions and keeping the conversation going. Mauricio could almost feel the warmth emanating from Rosie’s back while he took his time filling a small cup. They stayed frozen, back-to-back, unable to turn around and look at each other. Mauricio drank several cups of water while he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Grey was getting nervous, and that he and the man who had offered to fetch some water were looking at him impatiently. When he had almost given up and walked back to his crew, Guen’s cell phone rang.
The Priest Page 9
