I came to the family when my Laura was a baby after her mother died in an automobile accident. Her father was a busy man and left her raising to me."
"And you've been with her ever since?" Monica's mouth dropped open.
"Oh no, nina. I was only a girl when I came to tend to Laura when she was born. Her parents were Anglos living in Mexico. Her father had cattle ranches and oil interests there." Josefina refilled our cocoa mugs then sat down at the table with us. "She was so beautiful with her golden ringlets and blue eyes. People would stop and stare and want to touch her when I took her out to the market. And charming! Ay, my baby never got into trouble. When she would steal money from her papa's wallet to buy trinkets at the market, her papa would try to be angry with her." She laughed. "But he never could. She would admit her sins in such a sweet and appealing manner that nobody could bear to punish her. And truly, she meant no harm. Most times, with tears in her eyes, she would give the trinkets to some poor child on the streets. She could not bear to see a single person in need. She would say to me, 'Mamá, why do we have so much when they have so little?'" Josefina smiled at the memory. "It hurt her, you see. When my baby reached thirteen, her papa moved with her back to the States. I thought I would die of a broken heart, but I knew he was doing what he must. Soon after, I married. Sadly, I never had any children. Oh, I had a good life in Mexico. But I never forgot my baby, Laura, the child of my heart. No matter that I didn't give birth to her. She is an angel from God!"
"But Laura told us about having a mother and sisters," Biggie said.
"Yes. Her papa remarried a very fine lady who had three girls of her own. It was a blessing. Now my little one had a real family!"
"So how did you two get back together?" Biggie drained her cocoa cup and set it on the table.
Josefina took our mugs and set them in the sink. "We never lost touch, you see. Letters all the time, and once after college she came to see me in Monterrey. I came to her when she decided to open this place. My baby hasn't changed a bit. She still believes she can save the world."
"What do you think about Grace Higgins?" Biggie asked.
"That one? Manflora! She is not of our sort. I cry that my baby trusts her so."
"Well." Biggie stood up. "It's time for bed."
I had the room next door to Biggie, and Monica was next to me with a connecting bathroom. I rapped on her door.
"Where've you been?" she asked, opening the door.
"In the kitchen talking to Josefina."
"Well, you should have been with me. I went to find Misty, and we rode horses."
"In the dark?"
"No, silly." She flopped down on the bed. She was wearing an old tee shirt and big fuzzy slippers. "We rode in the ring. It's lighted. Boy, that Misty can jump! She's promised to teach me someday."
"Yeah, well, I gotta go to bed."
"Okay." She crawled under the covers. "Turn the light out, will you?"
I decided to take a hot bath before bed. I locked the door on Monica's side of the bathroom and started running the tub while I undressed. I was just about to step in when I heard a rap on the bathroom door.
"J.R.," Monica hissed, "come here, quick!"
"I'm undressed," I said.
"Well, get your clothes on. This is good. Hurry!"
I put my clothes back on, unlocked the door, and slipped into her room.
"Shhh." She put her finger to her mouth. "Listen!" She was sitting on the floor with her ear to the wall. "They're having a big fight."
I joined her. "Who is it?" I hissed.
"It's Babe and her husband. Now shut up and listen."
"… always were a slut," I heard. It was Rob Parish.
"Yeah, well being married to a wimp like you would drive any woman to it. You're not a man, you're a goddamn calculator. You've got numbers where your heart ought to be."
"It's called brains, bitch. Something you wouldn't know anything about."
Monica put her hands over her mouth to suppress the giggles.
"I don't need brains, Einstein, I've got looks— and personality."
We heard a crash, like a glass breaking.
"Stop it! Let