trouble until the brake lights of the car in front of them came on, often too late to keep from hitting them. The good driver watching the traffic ahead, saw the brake lights of distant cars coming on and automatically slowed down, preparing for the coming trouble and usually avoiding hitting the car in front when it suddenly braked. G.G. listened that way, sensing something coming and preparing himself mentally for it so that he could remain calm and sympathetic, rather than making it about himself and his reaction to what he was hearing.
A nudge at her ankle drew her attention away from G.G. and down to see H.D. curling up against her. She smiled faintly, and reached down to pet him briefly before straightening and continuing, “Anyway, I think my desire to avoid the man was why I committed my first act of rebellion.”
“And what did you do?” G.G. asked.
“My girlfriends from school were always asking me to go places and do things. Not wanting to worry or upset my abuela I always said no. But Emilita, one of those school friends, was having a birthday party on the Friday night and invited me. I knew Señorita Ana was having another party that night. I didn’t want to have to walk home again with Juan, so I asked if I could go to the birthday party. It was directly after school, and we would all walk there together where her family would be in attendance. I was fourteen, certainly old enough to go to a birthday party, but I was still surprised when my abuela gave me permission.”
“Why wouldn’t she? You were always a good girl,” G.G. pointed out softly.
“Si,” Ildaria breathed unhappily. “I meant to be that night as well, and everything was fine at first. A group of us went to Emilita’s house after school. There was food, non-alcoholic drinks, and a piñata. I had fun, so when the party started to wind down and some of the girls talked about going to a cantina where Emilita’s brother worked, and invited me . . .”
“You agreed,” G.G. guessed.
Ildaria grimaced, but nodded. “Emilita’s brother did work there. He served us alcoholic drinks we shouldn’t have had, but he did try to keep an eye on us too. Unfortunately, he couldn’t watch all of us at once. The other girls had apparently drunk before. They handled it better than me, who after one drink was drunk. After two I was stumbling drunk. I stopped counting drinks at four,” she admitted and shook her head with disgust at the stupidity of youth.
“What happened?” G.G. asked softly.
“Good question,” she muttered, and then said, “One minute I was with my friends, and then—I don’t even know how it happened, but suddenly these men moved in and I got separated from the group. In the next moment, I was outside in the alley behind the cantina and these two men in uniform were pushing me to the ground and tearing at my clothes.”
Ildaria crossed her arms protectively at the memory, and took a few deep breaths before continuing, “I was crying and saying, ‘No! Stop!’ and trying to get away, but there were two of them, and they were so strong. And then suddenly the one on top of me was gone, and then the other one was too. At first I was too stunned by the suddenness of their absence to react, but then I struggled to my feet. I staggered the moment I was upright, my head spinning. I grabbed the wall to balance myself and then I looked around and saw one of the men on the ground near me, unconscious. The other was struggling with a man in a suit, my savior. It almost looked like they were hugging, but then the one in uniform suddenly sagged and after a minute my savior dropped him and whirled toward me. It was Juan. There was blood on his mouth and I thought he’d been injured. I wanted to ask if he was all right, but his eyes were glowing, and he looked so enraged. I just stared at him stupidly and shrank against the wall as he stormed over to me.”
She felt the skin tighten on her face as if shrinking away from what was coming, but said, “He was bellowing at me furiously, and I started babbling I’m sorry and thank you, I was so grateful. But that just seemed to incense him more. He slapped me hard and