It is the year 1795. Alejandro de la Vega, along with his newly married wife Esperanza, sets foot in California. He has left the army in Spain behind to start a new life here. The king of Spain had a close friend living in Los Angeles. When Alejandro told the king to move to California, he introduced him to contact that good friend. And so it happened.
As soon as Alejandro and Esperanza walk from the ship onto the quay, a man with an outstretched hand approaches them. "You must be Alejandro de la Vega? Let me introduce myself, my name is Roberto Cortes, "the man says. Alejandro gives him a hand and introduces his wife. Cortes makes a slight bow, takes her hand and kisses it. "Nice to meet you, señora." Roberto beckons to his coachman. This answer immediately and goes to Roberto. "Load these suitcases of my guests on the coach, por favor," Roberto recommends the coachman. The coachman immediately takes action and takes over the first two suitcases from Alejandro. Alejandro takes the other two suitcases and follows the coachman. Esperanza and Roberto follow. As soon as the suitcases are loaded on the carriage, the three of them get into the carriage. The coachman sits down on the goat and sets the horses in motion.
Along the way Roberto Alejandro wonders the ears of the head. How things are going in Spain, how his good friend the king is doing and how the journey went. Roberto had many more questions, but must save them for later, because they have arrived at the hacienda. Immediately two servants arrive, who are waiting at the gate for guests, to welcome them or to speak to them. They open the door, greet the guests with a small bow and let the company get out. Alejandro and Esperanza look attentively at the big house. They walk behind Roberto, through the patio, which is richly planted with a large tree in the middle, which is now completely in bloom, the borders are filled with Romneyas and a water ornament has been applied on the left. Together with the coachman, they carry the suitcases to the guesthouse. "If you go to freshen up first, I will make sure that a tasty meal is ready in an hour," Roberto tells Alejandro and Esperanza.
Alejandro and Esperanza follow the servants to their residence, thank them, go inside and close the door. They take a look around, what is there and where everything can be found. The accommodation is equipped with a large four-poster bed, a separate seating area with colonial furniture, a separate bathroom with bath and a separate toilet. "Roberto is doing well. Someday I hope our house is as big and beautifully decorated as this, "Alejandro tells his wife. Esperanza nods and they give each other a warm embrace and a kiss.
After an hour they report to the sala. Roberto comes over to them and introduces his wife Juliana. Alejandro greets her in the same way as Roberto Esperanza had greeted her this afternoon. Then the four of them walk to the dining room. The table is richly laid out with turkey, a large bowl with a salad, two bowls with different types of fruit and porcelain plates with silver cutlery. They sit down and start the meal. Then Roberto starts firing his questions at Alejandro again. "What exactly are you planning to do here in California," he asks at one point. Alejandro answers: "I want to start a new life here, together with Esperanza, set up a rancho and start a family if things go well."
When they arrive at the end of the meal, Roberto proposes to have a drink afterwards in the sala. They get up from the table, leave the dining room and settle in the sala. With a glass of wine Roberto Alejandro proposes to go to the pueblo the next day to get acquainted with the Alcalde. Alejandro seems like a good plan. The four of them toast to socializing and chatting afterwards, before retiring to their own residences.
The next morning Alejandro and Esperanza report to the dining room, where Roberto has again prepared a lavish breakfast. When they have finished their breakfast, the coachman announces that the room is ready. The five of them walk to the carriage, get in and drive towards Pueblo de Los Angeles.
Once there, Alejandro is pleasantly surprised. "What a nice town this is," he exclaims. They get out of the carriage and walk towards the cuartel. They report to the guard, who walks to the sergeant, who again moves to the office of the alcalde. Not much later the alcalde arrives with an outstretched hand. "Ola, señor Cortes, welcome. Glad to see you again, "laugh the alcalde. Roberto gives him a hand and pats him on the shoulder. "May I introduce you to Alejandro de la Vega and his wife Esperanza from Spain." The alcalde shakes Alejandro's hand. "Welcome to pueblo de Los Angeles. I am alcalde Carlos Galindo ". Esperanza holds out her hand to the alcalde. This grabs the hand, bends slightly forward and gives a kiss on it. "You are also very welcome, señora de la Vega. I will give you a small tour through my town ". And that's how they travel through the town with the five of them. It is striking to Alejandro that everyone is very hospitable and open. But also that Carlos Galindo knows a lot about the ins and outs of his city and knows what is going on. When they return to the cuartel after the tour, Carlos suggests continuing talking inside the office.
While enjoying a glass of wine, Alejandro explains his plans. Carlos listens carefully and sometimes asks very specific questions about how and what. He notices that de la Vega is very well aware of everything and knows what he wants and how he expects to achieve this. When Alejandro has finished talking, a short silence falls. He sees that the alcalde has sunk deep in thought. Suddenly Carlos says "I know a large area, not far from here. It is very fertile land of several hundred hectares. If you edit it well, you can turn it into a beautiful ranch. There is already a building on it, which always functioned as a house. Unfortunately the owner died half a year ago and he has not left anyone behind who could take over. Now it is empty and nothing to do. If you want, can we drive there now to watch it? "Alejandro, completely excited and surprised, answer:" Yes of course, I want to see it immediately. "The ladies stay behind in the pueblo to browse the market. Roberto and Alejandro each get a horse from the cuartel to borrow and the three of them ride away.
Not much later they arrive at a small, somewhat dilapidated, building. They get off, tie the horses to a pole and walk to the front door. The alcalde opens the door and leads the two men inside. It looks less small than the outside suggests. The cottage is furnished in a very simple way with mainly home-made furniture, presumably with wood from the forest behind. After half an hour they were able to view all the rooms and walk out of the house again. The house stands on top of a small hill. Behind it lies a bit more rugged terrain with rocks, trees and shrubs. More on the sides and front is the flatter grassland with here and there a shrub or tree. Good enough to raise a lot of cattle, Alejandro thinks. With a satisfied feeling they get on their horses again and ride around the building. They cannot drive all over the terrain, it takes more than a whole day, says the alcalde.
It is already halfway through the afternoon when the three men return to the cuartel. As soon as the driver sees Roberto, he approaches him. He says that he has already dropped off the señoras at the hacienda. Roberto thanks him and says that he will walk to the office for a while.
Alejandro would like to know what the price is for the site and building. The alcalde proposes to make an offer. "It doesn't have to be the top prize. I would rather see someone who is going to use the area again, for which it is intended, than that it is handed over to nature or less pleasant people. " And because I think you are a very sympathetic man. He thinks the latter, but does not say it out loud. Alejandro replies that he wants to think about it for a while, but that he will make a bid before the end of the week. They shake hands and say goodbye. Both men leave with a satisfied feeling for hacienda Cortes.
When they arrive at the hacienda, they are welcomed by Juliana and Esperanza. They can immediately sit down at a table in the dining room. This time the table is set with a piece of stuffed pig, potatoes and a pan with fried corn, peas, onion and carrots. During dinner, Alejandro tells a hundred things about his plans, what the house and the area around it looks like, how they can organize it and maybe even expand it later. When they have a drink after dinner in the sala, Alejandro asks Roberto what a reasonable offer is for such a large area. Roberto thinks for a moment and then mentions an amount. Alejandro looks at him admiringly and asks if that is not too little. Roberto smiles and says that Alejandro should propose this amount to the alcalde tomorrow. "After all, you can always offer a little more if the alcalde find it too low". With these thoughts, Alejandro and Esperanza Roberto and Juliana wish a good night's rest and retreat to their room. They chat a bit and with an excited tickle in their stomach they fall into a deep sleep.
Alejandro wakes up early the next morning. He sees that his wife is still asleep. Very gently he sneaks out of bed, gets dressed and walks out of the room. When he walks out of the corridor, towards the front door, does he hear Roberto whisper "Hey early bird, want to go for a ride"?
Alejandro seems like a good idea. Together they saddle the horses, because the grooms are not awake that early and drive away. Despite the fact that they have been on the road for two hours, they are not finished yet. However, they have to put their stories aside, because they have returned to the hacienda. The stable boy, who has since woken up and has started his daily activities, takes over the horses. Alejandro and Roberto return to the house, where they are met by Juliana and Esperanza. They sit down at the long table in the dining room and enjoy their breakfast.
After breakfast, Roberto and Alejandro leave for the Pueblo again. When they arrive at the cuartel, they tie the horses to the pole and walk to the office. They knock on the door of the office of the alcalde and shortly thereafter they call "inside". Roberto opens the door and the alcalde is pleasantly surprised to see Alejandro and Roberto. "I did not expect to see you again soon, my gentlemen. Come on and tell me what I can do for you ". Alejandro tells us that he is bidding for everything the alcale showed them yesterday and hesitantly mentions the amount. The alcalde thinks for a moment, shakes Alejandro's hand with a big smile and congratulates him on his new house. Alejandro is totally upset and asks: "You are not kidding, I hope"? "No, it's not a joke. As you told your plans with so much passion and enthusiasm yesterday, I knew I would do well to entrust you with that area. I am sure that you will work the land with just as much, and perhaps even more, passion as its previous owner has always done, "the alcalde replies. "I will prepare the contract as soon as possible. We will meet at your new house this afternoon at four o'clock, "he finally asks. Alejandro is so surprised that he can no longer answer and can only nod "yes". "Great, then you go back to Cortes' hacienda to pack all your stuff and I will see you at your hacienda at four o'clock this afternoon." They shake hands and say goodbye. Alejandro can no longer speak. His head is completely in the clouds. Roberto just has to laugh very hard about it.
When they arrive at hacienda Cortes again, Alejandro regains her senses. He quickly runs inside, grabs Esperanza, lifts her up and turns a few laps around the room. "The alcalde has agreed with my offer. I bought a house, "he exclaims. Esperanza hugs him deeply and gives him a big kiss. Then Juliana arrives. "I still have some things and services that we don't use anymore. Just accept this as our gift for your new place. "Thankfully Alejandro also gives Juliana a kiss on her cheek. Together with Esperanza they go to their residence and start packing the things. Two servants help to carry the things to the wagon. Then it is time, and with the four of them and two servants, they leave for the new place of the de la Vega's. They are slightly on the early side and keep waiting in front of the building. Not much later the alcalde also arrives. The three of us walk inside. The alcalde hands Alejandro the papers. She reads them carefully, nods satisfactorily and puts his signature at the bottom of the contract. He hands over half of the agreed amount. He only needs to give the other half when things are going well. After this solemn moment, they walk outside again. They shake hands again and say goodbye. The alcalde is leaving again. Alejandro watches him until only a cloud of dust remains.
The servants start to collect the things from the car. The men give them a helping hand.
When all the stuff is inside and even partially unpacked, Esperanza comes running with a bottle of wine in her hands. "I bought this one yesterday, because I already knew it would be useful today." Alejandro looks at her in surprise. "How could you know that?" "Call it female intuition," she replied. Juliana now comes with four wine glasses and they all toast a good future.
We take a leap into the future. Two years later, after Alejandro had bought the building on a huge site, he had already become a rich man. Business went better than he could ever have imagined. The house had now grown three times as large, with a patio, stables for the horses and accommodation for the workers. Also in the area he is seen as a powerful man. Although Alejandro does not want to come across as important and powerful at all, he does feel that people like him. The alcalde has also become good friends with him and regularly asks him to think along with things in the pueblo. Esperanza has also become fully integrated and regularly does a round to assist the poorest people in and around the pueblo or to bring them food and stuff.
When Alejandro and Esperanza sit tired and satisfied in the sala that evening, with a glass of wine in their hands, they start talking about the desire for children. They notice that they are both aligned in terms of wishes and upbringing and decide to make a start more often. Together they disappear into the bedroom.
Three months later Alejandro is asked to travel with the alcalde to Monterey, the colonial capital, to visit the governor. Once arrived in Monterey, at the governor's palace, he is warmly welcomed. "I have heard so much good about you, my lord de la Vega, that I can finally get to know you." Alejandro is completely upset, introduces himself and starts to tell how things were in Spain, how he decided to leave for California, about the highly appreciated offer of Carlos Galindo and how he sees the future of his rancho. Then the governor asks how he sees the future of Los Angeles. Alejandro needs to think for a moment about this question, but then answer that the rich should never be enriched over the back of the poor. He has seen Los Angeles grow in those two years, without too much hassle with bandits and other vultures. He wanted to keep it that way.
Then Carlos Galindo comes with an offer. "I am pretty old. You have become a very influential man in the short time that you have been here. You also stand up for justice and with your past as an army commander in Spain, you can exert authority. That is why I want to ask if you want to become my successor as an alcade. "
Shocked and surprised, Alejandro looks from the governor to the alcalde and back. "I would like to, but I don't think it is the right time yet. First I want to start a family and be sure that my ranch over the years is still going so well. Working at the ranch is still too much fun to give up. However, I very much appreciate your offer. "
"If you don't see it right now, a commander will be appointed to be in charge of the army and pueblo for the time being, until you change your mind," concludes the governor, with a slight disappointment. He had hoped that Alejandro would immediately accept the offer. With this in mind, Alejandro says goodbye to the governor and thanks him for the hospitality and his confidence in him. He drives back to Los Angeles with Carlos Galindo.
Once at home he is enthusiastically welcomed by Esperanza. "I have such good news to tell," she exclaims. 'I am pregnant. We are expecting our first child in five months! "Alejandro, who has not quite recovered from the conversation with the governor, grabs his wife and hugs her tightly and gives her a kiss. 'I am so proud of us. Come on, let's go inside, because I too have a lot to say".
When she arrives in the sala, she is poured a glass of wine and offered a chair. As soon as they are seated, Alejandro thanks the servant and asks them to leave them alone. The servant, nods, walks away and closes the door.
Alejandro tells his wife the whole story. Esperanza thinks it is a wise decision of her husband to wait a little longer to take over the heavy task of alcalde. Now that she is also pregnant, she can handle the whole world and no one else would take that from her.
However, when Esperanza's delivery approached, fate struck. Violent cramps went through her body. Alejandro had sent a servant to Father Felipe to ask him to go directly to the hacienda of the la Vega, to assist señora de la Vega in giving birth. Meanwhile, servants came and went with damp cloths, Esperanza tried to help with herbal teas or just hold the hand and comfort her. Alejandro could do nothing but watch from a distance or whisper her words of praise, while he sat beside her. It wasn't long before Father Felipe arrived at the hacienda. Every time he came here, something had been adjusted or added.
He quickly walks with his bag of things to the front door. Even before he can knock, the door flies open and he is pulled by his hand by Alejandro to Esperanza. "She has just started bleeding heavily," Alejandro tells tense. His eyes cast out fears of death.
Esperanza has since lost her consciousness. Father Felipe does not change his mind for a moment, takes some things from his bag and starts the job. After a little effort, he manages to get the baby. The moment the baby starts crying, Esperanza makes her last sigh and dies from heavy internal bleeding. Alejandro does not know whether he should be happy or sad. He sits down at Esperanza's head, kisses it one last time and wipes his tears away. He closes her eyes and puts a blanket over her. Then Father Felipe comes with the baby. He has wrapped the baby in sheets and gives it to Alejandro. He also sits down for a moment next to Esperanza, makes his prayer, strikes the holy cross and then rises again. He looks at Alejandro and apologizes. Alejandro says he did his best and could not help it. Very carefully Father Felipe asked what he wanted to call the child. "Diego," Alejandro answered resolutely. "That means winner." Alejandro looks at the child, who opens his eyes and says softly: "I will raise you with all the love and wisdom I can give you, my Diego." The child smiles briefly and then falls into a deep sleep.
Again we are making a leap into the future. In the first years of Diego and his father Alejandro no noteworthy things happened. Diego grows up quietly, on the hacienda. It is a wise kid, very athletic and he sees everything as a game. When he goes to school at the mission post in the pueblo at the age of six, a piece of his true nature comes to the surface.
At school there is a girl in his class who comes from a middle class family. She has long brown hair, brown eyes and is a bit small for her age. However, she would rather play with the boys than the fuss around with the girls. She regularly goes with Diego to the hacienda and frolic and play together. They do sham fights with their wooden swords and if no one is watching them for a moment, they hang on the balcony or gallery or climb over the walls that are built around the patio. Her name is Luisa Pulido del Amo.
Because Luisa does not behave like a girl, she is bullied by a boy named Luis Ramon, who comes from venous family. Together with two other boys, he forms a regular group, which sometimes makes life miserable for several children. Today is the time again. In the classroom, Ramon always throws balls to Luisa. The other two boys also participate. When the teacher sees that Luisa is throwing a plug back, he immediately calls her forward. Luisa carefully approaches the teacher. This grabs her by the arm, lifts her up and puts her on a chair. Diego feels angry inside. In the meantime, he looks at Ramon and the two boys. Luisa tries to explain what happened, but the teacher grabs her cheek with one hand. Diego yeasts at his cat puff, puts a wad of paper in it and points it at the teacher's back. He tightens the elastic and lets it go. The prop flies against the back of the teacher with a speed, which immediately turns around and looks straight at him. He yeasts the ruler off his desk and walks up to Diego. This responds by also grabbing its ruler and jumping on the table. Diego skillfully repels a few attacks from his teacher and then jumps over him, runs to the window and jumps out the window. The whole class is shouting. When Diego turns around, his father suddenly appears in front of him. With his sweetest smile he says "daddy"? Alejandro takes him by the arm and leads him back into the classroom. Luisa has since returned to her own place. Alejandro apologizes and Diego must also give this to his teacher. He must remain in class for the rest of the afternoon to do criminal work.
The next day Luisa comes to Diego to thank him. Diego indicates that injustice makes him angry. "Those bastards from that Ramon group should be punished once, but I don't know how we're going to get it done," he says. They decide to let it sink in and stay away from those three bastards as much as possible.
They soon become friends with a few years older, somewhat thicker, boy, called Demetrio Lopez Garcia. They quickly call him Garcia. The three of them form a cozy club and they always come up with new adventures.
When Diego is alone on the hacienda during the holidays, he walks over the edge of the fireplace in the sala. Suddenly he stops, puts his foot back one step and feels that a stone is moving on the edge of the fireplace. He steps off the edge and manages to remove the loose stone. Below there is a small space with a box in it. He grabs the box, puts the stone back and walks with the box to his room. There is a document in the box. He opens it and starts reading.
Dear finder of this document,
I, the founder of this cottage, located at the top of a hill, will reveal a secret to you.
In times of war and Indian invasions, I created a number of secret passages. If you walk to the back of the hill, dear reader, you will find a large batch of rocks with a large willow tree. If you push aside the branches of the willow tree, there is an opening somewhere. As soon as you go in there, you end up in a larger space. Plenty of room to house a horse. A small stream also runs through it, so you will always have water. If you continue through the tunnel, you will eventually come out behind the fireplace. Behind the fireplace I have created a few more corridors. You will discover this for yourself.
Only use these secret rooms and passageways in an emergency, otherwise you will never be sure of your life again.
Yours sincerely
Tomás de la Vega
After discovering this document Diego investigates. And indeed, as the letter predicted, he finds the opening of the cave. He goes inside and is amazed by the space. He hesitantly walks on to the tunnel. Arriving at the end, he enters a room where two more tunnels come out. A staircase to the top has also been built. He goes up the stairs. He is surprised that it is all so sturdy and makes no sound. Arriving on the first floor, he is again in a relatively large room. There are three passages here. He decides to take the passage to his right. Just before the end of the corridor, there is a solid wooden wall on the left. Diego sees a rope hanging and pulls it. He is shocked when a cork comes out of the wall, but quickly recovers. Looking through the hole that has now arisen in the wall, he discovers that he is standing next to the cupboard in the sala. He decides to remember this well and to come back later to discover it further. He puts the stool back into the hole, walks out of the corridor and is now very curious where the stairs lead to. He goes up the stairs and to his surprise he comes out in a small room. He sees a ring hanging on the wall and grabs it. He turns it on and suddenly a door opens and he sees his own bedroom. He walks through the door, completely surprised, into his bedroom and looks around. How could he ever have imagined this? A cozy room, connected to its own bedroom. He goes after the fireplace in his room and discovers a button, completely tucked away in a corner. When he puts his finger on it, the door suddenly closes. Again he puts his finger on it and the door opens again. He solemnly concluded that this will be and remain a secret. He is curious to know who the mysterious Tomás de la Vega is. Will that be his grandfather or perhaps an uncle? He will ask his father once.
In the month after his discovery, Diego often goes out to discover all routes and openings. He takes notes until he knows everything by heart. Now he knows exactly which passage ends where and how all mechanisms work. If there is ever a need for the man, he can at least save his father.
He also asks his father about his family's background. Alejandro tells him that he only had one brother, but he died a long time ago. His name was Joaquin. Very carefully Diego asks if there is also a Tomás in the family. Alejandro looks surprised at his son. "How do you get there," he asks. Diego quickly says he actually doesn't know that either. That he was thinking out loud again. He thought the name Tomás sound familiar, he makes up quickly. Alejandro looks at his son and gives him a hug. "One day, my son, you will be an important man in the community."