When Life Gives You Mangos

by Kereen Getten

  I glare at Gaynah, but she stares at the ground.

  “Right,” I say, turning toward the hill. “Thanks for coming. See you around.” I begin the climb into the forest, Rudy hesitantly looking behind her as she walks alongside me.

  “Where are you going?” Calvin calls after us.

  “We’re looking for loyalty,” I snap, “and real friends. I heard they’re out here somewhere.” I take Rudy’s hand and pull her away.

  Rudy is quiet for the next ten minutes, which is unlike her, so I guess she is mad at me. I feel a little guilty for upsetting her, but having Calvin and Gaynah follow us to Eldorath’s is not my idea of fun. Mama and Papa have been clear: I’m not supposed to go there, so I definitely don’t want those two tagging along.

  We plow through the trees. There are no paths to follow, but I reckon if we keep going forward, we are bound to find it. It’s hard to miss. After a while I can see that Rudy is struggling to keep up. I suggest we take a break by a small creek that weaves down the hill. She is grateful and smiles for the first time since we left Calvin and Gaynah.

  We sit in the dirt and share Mama’s leftovers and the last bit of water.

  “You’re so lucky, going where you want whenever you want,” Rudy says. “In New York, I can’t go anywhere by myself. My mom wouldn’t allow it.”

  Going places by myself isn’t something I’ve ever thought about. Sycamore Hill is home, all of it. From our backyard to Ms. Gee’s house, to the fort to the river. It’s all home. The only place I know I’m not allowed to go is Eldorath’s house.

  “It’s home.” I shrug, drinking some water. “It’s not like going into the city; everyone knows me here.”

  She stares into the distance, filling her mouth with cookies. “I think your hideout might be the best thing I have ever seen. The next-best thing is the fort, and maybe this will be our third-best thing.”

  I smile weakly. “Mm-hmm.”

  After we eat, Rudy comes to life. She wants to know how we are going to extract the gold, and should we set fire to the land before or after?

  I am grateful to see her back to herself again and play along.

  “Well, after, or we might get caught in the fire.”

  She nods in agreement. The bushes are becoming thick and almost unpassable, so I use a stick to push through the thick undergrowth and my shoes to flatten the ground.

  “How big is his land? It might take us days to find the gold.”

  I am hoping she doesn’t really expect me to dig Eldorath’s land. Mama will kill me if she knows I’ve been up here, never mind that we also dug up his land, but I’m not sure how far Rudy is planning to take this. I’m thinking I might have to put a stop to this soon.

  After a few minutes of forcing our way through thick bushes, we see it through a line of trees: a large old house with peeling walls that still looks beautiful in an antique kind of way. I’ve been here before, not through the trees where Rudy and I came, but on the potholed road that leads from Sycamore town past our houses and weaves up the hill to Eldorath’s. The road gets less passable the farther you go. By the time you reach Eldorath’s house, it’s practically impossible to drive. I’ve followed Papa up that road a few times without him knowing. He’s one of the only people who come this way, but he does it at least once a week with a basket filled with fish he has caught and fruits from our garden. Sometimes he carries a bulla cake or some coconut drops, but he always comes alone to see his brother Eldorath.

  The house is grand, but it stands against a dark shadow from the tall trees surrounding it. The garden is messy and overgrown. Papa must not have cut it for some time. Or maybe he can’t keep up.

  Rudy grabs my hand. “Come on.”

  I pull back, mortified. “What? No? We can’t actually go digging in his garden.”

  I would be in so much trouble.

  She rolls her eyes. “Of course not, silly. We’re going to explore first. Then we dig.”

  She pulls me through the trees and out into the open, where anyone can see us. I start to panic. “I’m not sure about this, Rudy,” I say, but she marches forward, dragging me with her. I imagine what Papa will say when he finds out we have been here. I don’t like upsetting him, but there is something magnetic about Rudy and her adventures.

  THE HOUSE GETS BIGGER AS WE move through the long grass. There are two floors. The front of the house sticks out from the sides like a disjointed Rubik’s Cube. I count the windows to calm my nerves. Eight at the top, and eight at the bottom. The closer we get, the taller the house seems. I wonder if Eldorath is watching us from one of those windows. Or is he already out here, waiting for his moment to demand why we are on his land?

  I grip Rudy’s hand tighter. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “Don’t worry,” Rudy whispers, sensing my fear, “I went to six classes of karate, but then they told me I couldn’t come back if I didn’t wear the right uniform. It was no fun without my tutu, so I gave it up. But I know how to defend myself, so you have nothing to worry about.”

  I picture Rudy in a pink tutu, learning karate, and it is enough to make me giggle. My laughing soon stops when I hear a rustle behind us. We stop abruptly and listen. Yes, someone is coming toward us. Rudy points two fingers to her eyes, and I focus on her as hard as I can. She holds up three fingers and mouths the words Three, two, one. Before I can ask what she’s doing, she jumps in front of me with a scream, kicking her left leg out in the air. Nothing. She spins around, her bunny hat spinning with her. She listens, then runs into the grass screaming, “Come out, you scaredy-cat!”

  Seconds later she returns with a sheepish Calvin and Gaynah. I give an almighty groan, throwing my hands in the air. “You have to be kidding me.”

  “You guys are having all the fun,” Calvin says. He pleads, “Come on, Clara. Nothing happens on Sycamore. I don’t see you at the beach anymore. Now you two are having all these adventures, and I want to join in.”

  Gaynah folds her arms across her chest, turning away. “He wanted to come here,” she huffs. “Not everyone wants a membership in the Clara fan club.”

  My lips screw together. I am about to remind her of her Calvin membership, but Rudy steps between us. She looks me dead in the eye. “Remember what I said down at the river?”

  I count under my breath. “Fine.”

  “So, is that a yes?” Calvin asks, his voice rising with excitement.

  I shrug. “Whatever.”

  Rudy asks if she can explain the plan. I tell her she can do what she wants. It’s not as if they’re leaving anytime soon. She plants herself in the middle of us and tells Calvin and Gaynah our plan to steal the gold. They stare at her blankly. Gaynah cries out in disbelief, “We’ve come all this way to play make-believe?”

  But Calvin beams at me, then at Rudy. “I’m in.”

  “I heard he never leaves his house except for Saturday afternoon, when he goes to the fish market to buy fish for his hungry ghosts,” Calvin hisses as we tiptoe toward the house. I shoot him a look and he shrinks back, sheepish. “Sorry”

  As we get closer to the house, I keep thinking about Calvin’s story, and it hits hard. I never did like hearing the rumors about my uncle, especially as none of them made sense. The stories had got out of hand over the years. At first, he was just a man who saw ghosts. Now he was a witch doctor who used his magic to feed children to his ghosts. The stories got worse and worse, and I knew who was behind it: Pastor Brown.

  I almost moan to Gaynah about Calvin annoying me, but I remember just in time that Gaynah is not my friend. She lingers a few feet behind us, still pretending she doesn’t want to be here. We gather near the steps to the house, where there is an oval entrance with a dark door. I spot Papa’s food basket left on the doorstep. He must have been already. Or maybe he is cutting Eldorath’s garden around the back. I scan
the grounds for him.

  “I think maybe we should see if the proprietor is home,” Rudy whispers. “One cannot risk being found out before we find the treasure.”

  Calvin nods along with a serious frown on his face. “Yes, agreed.”

  Still crouching, Rudy presses her back against the wall and moves slowly to the back of the house. I am behind her, Calvin behind me and Gaynah at the rear. The house is silent. Nothing but the crunch of stones under our feet. I half expect to see Papa appear around the corner, shaking his head in dismay as he does when I’ve done something that doesn’t please him. There is nothing but silence.

  At the back of the house is a large sycamore tree and a garden that goes on for miles. You can see spots where Papa has tried to cut the grass, but it is clearly too much for just him, because even the parts he cut are now catching up with the rest that merge into the forest. Calvin points to steps leading up to the house. Spiraling staircases that meet on a balcony. Another set of stairs go downward underneath the house. Before anyone can stop him, Calvin runs down the steps and disappears.

  “It’s open,” he hisses.

  Rudy is not far behind him. She stops halfway down, beckoning us to follow. I turn to Gaynah, and she is under the sycamore tree.

  “I’m not going in there,” she says flatly. “You want to get your tongue cut out by the voodoo man, you go, but I like my tongue, thank you.”

  “That’s my uncle you’re talking about,” I snap. But I don’t tell her I am just as nervous to enter.

  I bite my tongue and debate my options. Stay out here in the open with Gaynah or go inside Eldorath’s house. Reluctantly I join Rudy on the stairs. I would rather be in the house with Rudy than out here with Gaynah. Rudy and I link hands and enter the house together.

  Calvin is waiting for us in what looks like a cellar. The ceiling is low, with just enough room for us to walk upright. I tighten my grip on Rudy’s hand as we look around, barely breathing. There is an old dresser with a large mirror over it and black-and-white pictures of the house on the walls. I nudge Rudy, pointing to wooden stairs leading upstairs.

  I can hear my heart beating against my chest. Rudy drags me over to the stairs. She nods upward. Calvin squeezes next to me, and we crane our necks to look. There is a door at the top of the stairs that leads to the rest of the house.

  “The proprietor is most likely up there,” Rudy whispers, still in character.

  I shake my head at her, waving my hand under my neck to cut the performance. Calvin agrees with me. The game is over. We can no longer pretend we are here to steal gold. This is real. We are inside Eldorath’s house uninvited, and if we get caught, we are going to be in big trouble.

  “I’M NOT GOING UP THERE,” CALVIN whispers when we try to decide who will go up the stairs first. We both look to Rudy. She shrugs. “I don’t mind talking to the owner. I bet he has lots to tell us about his house.”

  Calvin turns to me. “It’s between you and me, then. Rock paper scissors?”

  I shake my head. “No. I’ll go.” I figure we are already inside the house. If we leave now, we might never get this chance again. Plus, Eldorath is family. Maybe if he sees me first, he’ll take pity on us and not tell our parents.

  Besides, what else would we do today? Go to the river? Play pick leaf? It’s only two weeks into the summer, and I’ve already had enough of both.

  I feel someone grab my top as I climb the stairs and assume it’s Rudy losing her nerve, but when I reach the top, Calvin is right behind me, still grabbing onto me.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper.

  He lets go of me. “I’m scared.”

  “You’re the one who went in here.”

  “I know, but now we’re going in in.”

  I wrap my fingers around the doorknob and turn it slowly. Deep down I’m not sure what I am more afraid of: Eldorath finding us in his house uninvited or Papa finding out I was here.

  I push the door gently; it creaks, sending chills down my back. I peer through the gap to try to see what is on the other side. There are wooden stairs going up to another floor. Underneath the stair, I see a chair against a fabric-covered wall. I push the door a little farther, listening for any noise. Footsteps, music, talking, Papa. Nothing but Calvin breathing heavily down my neck. I swat him away.

  The hallway is dark, like the inside of Ms. Gee’s house. Except this is a hundred times bigger. To the right is the front door; across from the stairs, a room. Farther down the hall, more rooms.

  I find myself tiptoeing toward the room by the stairs. I can see the legs of a piano covered by a white cloth. The room is empty apart from the piano and a few chairs dotted around. There are pictures on the wall, also covered.

  Rudy gasps at the size of the room. She runs around, touching everything, peering under cloths, and finally pulling the cloth that covers the piano. Dust flies into the air, sending her into a coughing fit, her rabbit hat almost slipping off her head. The room echoes with her cough and, and the sound seems to linger in the air long after. Calvin shoots me a frightened look, and I know what he is thinking: Eldorath must have heard us.

  We freeze like statues waiting for heavy footsteps and Eldorath’s angry voice demanding who is in his house.

  But no one comes.

  Rudy brushes the seat clean with the back of her hand and sits down in front of the piano. She places her fingers on the keys and starts to play a song I have never heard. Her fingers fly across the piano in a perfect upbeat, and she sings the words at the top of her voice.

  That’s when I remember. Rudy’s dream. She wanted to sing, but I didn’t know she could sing. I didn’t know she could play either, but she is beautiful at both.

  I watch, mesmerized, as her hands move up and down in perfect coordination, her voice a perfect pitch that fills the room. If Papa were here, he would sit next to her with his guitar and sing along. I look around, wondering if he has been in this room and filled this empty house with music in the same way.

  Calvin approaches me. “Dance?”

  Rudy throws us a look of happiness over her shoulder and I suddenly think of Gaynah. I wonder where she is and if she is still waiting against the sycamore tree or if she got bored and left. I wish she had come in with us.

  I allow Calvin to take my hand. He spins me around the empty floor. Round and round, until I say, “Stop, I’m dizzy.” I spin back toward him, and he dips me to the floor before bringing me back up. I let go of his hand and twirl round and round the room on my own. Something about Rudy’s playing and this old house makes me want to spin forever. I spread my arms out wide and spin across every inch of the floor.

  The music stops suddenly, but I carry on. With my eyes closed, I spin, laughing at how freeing it feels. It’s as if I have been stuck in a box and now the lid has been lifted off. I bump into Calvin and he grabs me before I fall.

  “Clara!”

  I open my eyes and we are not alone. Gaynah is in the room, looking frightened. Behind her is a man frowning.

  It’s Eldorath.

  He is wearing a purple velvet suit with the longest jacket I have ever seen and a matching velvet hat that sits on the side of his head. Despite my fear of being caught, I wonder how he manages to wear it all without collapsing under the heat.

  His dark skin is shiny and smooth, like he uses Vaseline on it the same way Mama uses it to oil my scalp. His face is long and narrow just the way I remember, with dark eyes that pierce into you. He has traces of a mustache and beard that connect at the sides of his mouth. The hairs in his beard are a mix of silver and black like he is getting old, but not Ms. Gee old.

  The room is painfully quiet until Rudy jumps to her feet and slams the lid of the piano. I grimace at the thundering sound it makes in the silence.

  Eldorath moves around a petrified Gaynah into the middle of the room. He turns slo
wly, looking each of us dead in the eye. I fix my eyes on the floor when he comes to me.

  Please don’t tell Papa, please don’t tell Papa.

  “Well? Anyone going to speak? Or are we all going to ignore the fact that children I did not invite are standing inside my house?”

  He rolls each word under his tongue like Ms. Anderson, our math teacher, does.

  “We were exploring,” Rudy blurts out.

  “In my house?”

  She nods enthusiastically. “Because your house is so big and beautiful. Where else would we have an adventure?”

  His eyes travel over her slowly from top to bottom, as if he’s trying to figure out what a girl with a New York accent is doing in his house.

  I hold my breath, afraid to breathe in case it is too loud and he picks on me next.

  Calvin edges toward the door. I think that’s the best idea he’s had yet and follow him.

  “And who are you?” he says finally.

  Rudy puffs her chest out. “Rudy.”

  “Rudy what?”

  “Rudy McPhee, and these are my friends.”

  Eldorath’s eyes linger on Gaynah, then on Calvin, forcing Calvin to scratch his head, pretending he wasn’t trying to leave. Eldorath looks at Gaynah for so long, I think that maybe she might be the first to get in trouble. Then his eyes fall on me. I feel my body stiffen and I try to speak but no words come out.

  Finally, he turns back to Rudy, and Calvin lets out a visible sigh of relief. He tries to hide his shaking hands behind his back.

  “And what adventures did you find on my private land?”

  “Treasures. You stole our gold, so we came to get it back.”

  I shake my head frantically at Rudy. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Gaynah and Calvin doing the same. But Rudy pays us no attention and continues to tell him everything. How we were going to dig up his garden for the rest of the gold he stole, then we would set it on fire so he could never steal from us again.

  I groan inwardly. Well, if we weren’t going to get in trouble before, we’re definitely going to be in trouble now.