Chapter 7 [Rosie's—An Hour Later]

The café bustled with the midday crowd. Scrambled eggs, huevos rancheros, spiced meats, rice and beans went out to the tables. A heavy set Latina worked the grill. She checked the order slips. Then she set to work on the next one. Waitresses rushed out to check on customers' coffee and deliver their meals. With a smile and attentive outlooks, they scribbled on pads and headed back to the counter anew.

Such went the newest restaurant on Tucson's north side….

"This sure is good!" Penny bit into a forkful of her steak dish. "I'm trying to figure out the spices."

"Es delicioso. Gracias, Miguel." Mercedes tried her pork. "How is your steak, Manolo?"

"Muy bien. I will have to remember this café." Manolito took in the entire eating area. "I do not remember it before."

"Rosie and her husband, Pedro, opened it a month ago. I met them at the Christmas Day Mass. I ate here two days later. Me gusta su cocina." Miguel ate his chicken and beans. "How are Friday or Saturday, Papa and Doña Maria? Today is Tuesday. I require three days."

"What do you think?" Penny asked Victoria. "Think Annie, you and I can make a feast in that time?"

"Of course we can! We shall speak to John about the meat." Victoria drank from her coffee. "And we shall have Trinidad to help as well. It will be a fiesta meal. We will try for Friday. That way, you do not have to ride out and rush back, Miguel."

"Your room is ready, Compadre. No argument." Manolito waved his index finger in front of his brother-in-law.

"Muy bien." Miguel saw Eben enter the café. "Un minuto." He got up and walked over. ¡Buenos Dias!"

Eben's eyes brightened. "Ah! Good morning, Father Miguel! I am in search of the perfect lunch. The next edition awaits!"

"Would you like a wedding announcement?" Miguel motioned toward the table.

"Indeed! I would be delighted! Might I join you all? I should order my food first. Then I will be most eager to get that news!" Eben nodded. Then he walked briskly toward the counter.

"Now we will have our news story." Miguel grabbed a chair from an empty table and slid it in next to himself.

"Who is that?" Countess Maria watched Eben talking with the cook.

"That is Ebenezer Binns, Maria. He publishes the Tucson Citizen, the town's newspaper." Ricardo watched the editor accept a coffee cup and then approach them. "Buenos Dias."

"Good morning, Don Ricardo. It is good to see you once again. Hello, Victoria, Blue, Penelope, Mercedes and Manolito! I hear from Father Miguel that there is a wedding?" Eben took out his pad and pencil.

"Si. The Countess Maria and I are to be married this weekend. We are working out the last details." Ricardo smiled at his fiancée.

"Forgive me. I am confused. I thought you were already…." Eben glanced toward Miguel and then Victoria.

"Mama died a short time ago. Papa and the Contessa met and wish to move ahead together." Mercedes wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Eben nodded. "My condolences and congratulations then! I am glad to run into all of you. I am trying a number of dishes here. I wish to write a review befitting this restaurant's quality."

"It is good. Any other stories that interest you, Amigo?" Manolito raised an eyebrow.

"Stories are the lifeblood of any good newspaper, Manolito." Eben nodded. "In fact, Father Miguel, there are some young women I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Miguel cleared his throat. "Si." He grimaced.

"What?" Victoria turned to them. "What about them?"

"Victoria, I fear it is not a pleasant story. We have two young women who were taken in by a house of vice, sin and gambling. We managed to get it shut down. Now the two women are without support. Because they worked in that place, nobody will take them in. We wish to find them positions." Eben fixed his spectacles.

"They help the sisters at the mission. They sweep the rooms, do the laundry and cook." Miguel looked to Manolito. "Did you not say you are looking for a servant?"

"Manolito, we can handle it." Penny stiffened.

"Penny, you are quite good at that. You need help. We can give these young ladies a chance. ¿Por qué no?" Manolito countered. "Miguel, can we speak to them? We might have room for one of them."

"And I can use another maid. Lucinda left. So I have room for another person." Victoria chimed in.

"And it lightens your load a little." Blue smiled toward his wife. "You're still important. We all know that."

"Thanks, Blue." Penny felt a little better. Still she wondered why everyone felt that she needed help all of a sudden.

Questions remained but Plans came together….