care about the state we had been living in ever since our mother brought us back to Columbia as children.
Jada and Mama breathed a sigh of relief at a word from Elaina. They were still worried about her, but her contract at the ranch would be up in six months. She would send us money as she earned it. We were to stash it away for this ridiculous dream of traveling to the states. It seemed if everything was going well so far, perhaps the rest of her contract would be the same.
I was just as relieved as they were, but I had other thoughts in mind. Elaina ran off to that auction as if she was some kind of savior or martyr. She always acted like she was the only one who could do anything, as if Jada and I were useless. The nursing jobs I was getting were becoming more sparse. Women with more experience and training were taking all the work, but that was exactly the kind of problem the auction was meant to solve. More work for less experience, which meant less the employers had to pay. But some money was better than none at all.
Jada and I struggled to keep things afloat as we saved as much of Elaina’s money as we could. Any time I wanted to buy the tiniest extra thing to bring some extra joy into our lives, Jada would scold me and remind me of everything Elaina sacrificed for each and every penny she sent us. All the while, I had my own plan in the works.
I told Jada that I heard a rumor about some new doctors offices opening up around town and that I was hoping to get a job at one. I started letting her take over most of the care for mama, explaining that once work was more steady for me, she would have to stay home and tend to her on her own. But really, it was Elaina’s letter that I couldn’t get out of my head.
When our mother and Jada seemed to have adjusted to Elaina’s sudden vanishing act, I began to make a plan of escape for myself. If she could run away in the middle of the night, so could I. And that’s exactly what I did around midnight after Jada and mama were asleep. I packed up a small bag of things, left a note on the table, and set out into the city. At least we all had Elaina’s experience to comfort us. Maybe she was right, and all of those rumors were just hype.
I found my way to the secretive auction house, which was more like a run-down boarding house. The bed was loud and squeaky with springs poking out of it that hurt my back. The food was terrible and there was no hot water. Nonetheless, I had a roof over my head and food in my stomach. It was good enough.
I wasn’t there long before the auctioneer told me I had been auctioned off to a rich Columbian family. He paraded me out in front of the three cousins who had placed their bid - Leonardo, Jorge, and Dario. Leonardo stood out to me the most with his tall, slender build and striking eyes. Jorge and Dario were just as attractive, but they didn’t have the same commanding presence as him.
The auctioneer demanded that I walk back and forth in front of them so they could get a good look at me. I didn’t see what my gait and build or appearance had to do with my performance as a nurse, but I did as I was told. As fine as things may have turned out for Elaina, I was not about to test my luck by arguing or questioning things.
A buzzing, yellow glowing light hung low from the ceiling, shining hot on my face like a spotlight. I marched back and forth just as they told me to through the particles of dust floating through the air. It was awkward and quiet as my heeled boots clicked and clacked with each step across the tiled floor.
“Mother will never approve,” Jorge whispered to Leonardo, almost too quiet for me to hear.
“Nevermind her,” he hissed back. “It’s not what she thinks that matters. It’s how well she does caring for Don German.”
Dario chimed in with something I couldn’t quite catch. Whatever it was made Jorge laugh and made Leonardo very cross. He scolded them and turned to the auctioneer