Chapter 31

Victoria woke up and noticed that the other half of the bed was still empty. So Diego had not yet returned from his nightly patrol. Tonight was the last night that the moon was large enough for Zorro to ride out in search of men who could threaten the safety of their little pueblo.
At first, Victoria thought she had woken up because it was the time when Diego usually had returned. When she moved from her side to her back, she suddenly knew there was another reason for it. Quickly, she slipped out of bed and grabbed the potty under the bed.
For some days, it appeared as if her bladder had shrunk to the size of a grape.

Wide awake, Victoria decided to go to the cave and wait for Zorro there. It wouldn't take much longer for him to return, unless Zorro had found something disturbing.
Victoria lit a candle holding the candelabra. She walked through the corridor on her way to the library. Once there, Victoria pulled the lever to make the hidden door swing open.
At the top of the steps, she stopped and breathed a sigh of relief at the now-familiar sight.
Zorro had safely returned to her and sat on his chair. He was dressed as Diego, having a pensive expression on his face.

He must have heard her come in. As soon as he saw her, a broad smile appeared on his face.

"Everything well?" Victoria asked as she approached him.

"Yeah, I didn't find anything worrying this time."
Diego stretched out his arm, and as had become customary by now, Victoria allowed him to get pulled onto his lap.

She smiled as she said. "I missed you."

They shared a kiss.

Victoria understood all too well the necessity for Zorro to ride. She disliked not feeling him near her. And on those nights, she slept poorly. Half asleep, half awake, alert for every noise until Diego returned safely.

Diego said. "I was just about to come to you and try to get a few more hours of sleep."

Victoria saw a frown wrinkle on his forehead. Tenderly, she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"You worry. What is it about, if it isn't about you riding? Is it still de Soto?"

"Partly. It's actually Felipe I was thinking about."

"Felipe?" Victoria raised her eyebrows, a little stunned by this answer.

"Yes, his speech has improved so much. An outsider could never guess that he didn't speak for years. Yet he still doesn't want to tell anyone." Diego sighed. "Life will be easier for him when he decides to do it. A few months ago, Felipe expressed his wish to become a lawyer. When I asked him about it earlier this day, he shrugged his shoulders uninterestedly and said he'd rather stay here. I suggested that he should register for the university in Mexico."

Victoria was playfully curling his hair around her finger. "And?"

"Nothing."

Diego was caressing her back. Victoria leaned some more back, intensifying the feeling of his touch. She was pondering on what could be Felipe's reason. "I can imagine it's stressful for him. And then, on top of all, he could betray Zorro."

"How you mean? Felipe will never betray Zorro." Diego uttered.

"I know. It is simple, if it suddenly comes out that Felipe can speak and has never been deaf, people will start asking why he didn't say anything before. And what should he tell them?"

The frown on Diego's forehead deepened. "You may have a point there. I'll talk to him again tomorrow. Maybe we first need a believable explanation to convince Felipe it will all work out."

Victoria noticed how Diego's mind strayed.
"Do that. And will you come with me now?" As she deposited her hands against the desk to stand up.

Diego tightened his grip around her waist. "First a kiss."

Feathery, Victoria stroked his mouth with her lips. "Come to bed with me, and I'll give you even some more."

Diego raised his eyebrows, slackening his grip. "You promise?"

Victoria chuckled, getting off the lap and pulling Diego out of his chair to go to their bedroom, her eyes filled with love.

.

Two weeks later, early in the morning, Diego made sure for the second time his saddlebags were secure. He looked at Felipe, standing beside his Pinto.
They had talked, and much had become evident in their long conversation.
Enough to make the decision to travel together to Mexico, to the area where Diego had found Felipe so many years ago.

The idea had come about after Felipe had finally admitted to being afraid that people would make the connection between his deafness and regained speech and the secret of Zorro.
Finally, a plan emerged that was credible enough to everyone involved. For the last couple of days, they had been telling in the pueblo that Diego and Felipe would travel together to Guadalajara in Mexico.
Supposedly, Diego had heard there was a doctor who was very knowledgeable about an extraordinary kind of healing.

In reality, Felipe had indicated that he would like to return to where he got found. The actual journey would take them over a thousand miles less south than Guadalajara.
The men only planned to travel as far south as Hermosillo and would stay away for a few weeks nevertheless.
Upon their return, it would turn out that the non-existing doctor had indeed been in possession of almost magical gifts. Felipe, not only having regained his hearing. He would also have regained his voice.
And due to the long journey, he had a chance to practice his vocal use around strangers.

Diego had felt conflicted.
In the end, Victoria had persuaded him to undertake the journey anyway. Felipe did not deserve to have to wait any longer.
And she was correct as she mentioned in a few months, he wouldn't want to make the journey. Not if it meant leaving his pregnant wife behind or if they were going to postpone it, a few more months more, his child and his wife.

After hugging his father for one last time, he pulled Victoria into his arms for the last time for the weeks to come and enjoyed her closeness for a while.

"I'm going to miss you," Victoria uttered with a squeezed voice.

"I miss you too." He put his hand on the slight bulge of her belly, which was invisible through many layers of clothing. Last night, they had already extensively parted from each other.

Victoria said. "It is for a good course. Come back to me."
Victoria let go of Diego to say goodbye to Felipe. "I hope you can find what you are searching for."

As Diego rode off, he glared over his back several times until he could no longer distinguish the woman dressed in red and white.

"I could also travel alone to Mexico," Felipe offered. "Then you can just stay at the hacienda."

"No, Felipe. We'll do this together. Now that de Soto is safely in Monterey and the lancers are better trained than ever, I'm not afraid there will be much need for Zorro. We are going to make this journey together."

"I had hoped for years to go back when the opportunity arose. Just to go see. I'm glad you're going with me."

"So am I. I know what you're thinking. LEt me tell you, it's only partly true. I'm thankful we can do this together. And when you return, you can finally be yourself. It should have happened years ago."

.

The long journey to Hermosillo went smoothly. At night, they slept in one of the monasteries along the route. Or, on nights that were not possible, in a sheltered place such as a deserted cave. An actual journey to Guadalajara on a good horse like theirs would take over a month. Since they were not going that far south, they could do it at their leisure. After a fortnight, Diego told Felipe that he thought they would reach the area where he had found the boy by noon the next day. "Are you sure you are up to it? It may have been many years since there was fighting here. But the chances are that there will still be traces visible."

"Yes, somehow it feels like I will be closer to my parents. And it feels good to be able to honour them by trying to visit the place where they might have died."

Diego nodded understandingly, knowing, all too well, that it would be impossible to find the exact location. They were both aware of that. For that to happen, too many years had passed.

.

Over the past few weeks, Victoria began noticing Estaban liked coming to the tavern for lunch.
He was there almost every day.
Francisco had travelled along with de Soto and the prisoner transport. He had promised to write as soon as there was any news. Estaban had stayed behind to look after their farm and keep an eye on developments in Los Angeles.

Alejandro, Mendoza, and Estaban were sitting at a table in the tavern when an enthusiastic shout came from the kitchen.
This morning, Victoria had told the don at breakfast that she planned to break her news to her helpers. As soon as the girls knew about their employer's pregnancy, he had permission to tell the happy news to everyone he wanted to.

"Sounds like someone has received some good news," remarked Estaban glaring in the direction of the kitchen eagerly.

Alejandro's chest had grown several inches in seconds. "You could say that again. And now that Victoria has finally told Pilar and the others, I am finally allowed to tell everyone."

Curious and always on the lookout for new gossip, Mendoza asked. "What do you mean, don Alejandro?"

"Well, I've known for a few weeks and wasn't allowed to say anything." Alejandro's chest grew another inch as he glistened with pride. "You may congratulate me. I'm going to be a grandfather."

"That is indeed good news. Congratulations." Estaban grabbed the don's hand to shake it and reinforce his congratulations.

"Do you mean to say that doña Victoria is pregnant?" Mendoza did his best to look pleased, but he didn't quite succeed.

"Indeed, sergeant. Isn't it wonderful? I'm going to be a grandfather! Lord knows for how many years I have waited for it."

"Si...", Mendoza admitted, somewhat falteringly. "And it is indeed good news."

"Tell me, sergeant. You make me think you are not pleased with this news."

Mendoza became a little paler, and he began to stutter. "Oh, I am certainly pleased. It is only..., well, you see. Until now, doña Victoria was still in the tavern a few times a week to help and cook. Now that she is pregnant, that will understandably become less. And once her bebé is born, she may never come to cook again." He ended with a sad look on his face.

Estaban started laughing, hearing the confession of Mendoza. "That's not a bad thing. Pilar is almost as skilled in cooking. And Alicia isn't that bad, either. Their dishes are hardly inferior to those of doña Victoria."

Mendoza glaring a bit nervoulsy over to don Alejandro. "With most dishes, si. Still, you won't find anyone in the territory making chilli as good as doña Victoria. I'm just going to miss it."

Alejandro could now laugh at the sergeant's somewhat crestfallen face.
"Mendoza, you are correct. Victoria's chilli is the best. Even Maria's cannot compete with it. That is why Victoria regularly cooks at the hacienda. Apart from the fact that she cooks deliciously, she also enjoys doing it. I tell you what. The next time we eat chilli, you are cordially invited. And as far as I'm concerned, you are welcome every time we eat chilli after that."

A smile appeared on Mendoza's face. "Don Alejandro, do you mean this?"

Alejandro patted Mendoza on the shoulder. "Of course. We eat chilli quite regularly because it's also one of my and Felipe's favourite dishes. Mendoza, know that you are always welcome at my hacienda. After all, a good friend is like family."

Mendoza could not find a way to express his gratitude fast enough. "Thank you, don Alejandro. And I am truly happy for you. As well, for don Diego and doña Victoria."

Estaban interrupted by saying. "Don Alejandro, does your son know yet? It seems so unlikely don Diego would undertake such a journey while his wife is expecting."

Alejandro answered while Mendoza hung on his lips to hear the response. "Yes, he knows. Victoria told him before he left. It was a difficult choice for him to make. Diego would have preferred to stay in Los Angeles. Victoria persuaded him to go anyway. Suppose that doctor, in Guadalajara, can help Felipe. Then it would all have been worth it."

Estaban played a little with the wine glass in his hand. "That's another thing I don't understand. Don Diego seems far too rational to me to believe a doctor who can cure deafness and regain speech. Don't you have doubts?"

Alejandro shrugged his shoulder and said. "Ah, I don't know. Diego often has said he'd be convinced Felipe's inability to speak was due to what he had been going through. More than Felipe is an actual mute. Perhaps the same thing is to say for his deafness. For years, Diego has searched for remedies. And for years, we have hoped that the boy's hearing might recover. Even when Diego was in Spain, he never stopped searching.
Who knows, maybe this doctor can indeed help Felipe. Miraculous things do happen. And it never hurts to have a bit of hope."

Mendoza shivered. "It is not for me. Sticking needles in you to make you better? I think it is rubbish."

Alejandro bent slightly towards Mendoza. "Sergeant, I am superstitious, just like you. Diego says it is some kind of remedy from, I believe he said Japan, and has get practised for hundreds of years. He even showed me a book written by some Dutch fellow somewhere in the seventeenth century. Many of us have problems believing in Indian remedies. But even doctor Hernandez admits some do work. So why not an Asian remedy?"

Mendoza felt uncomfortable, having to admit don Alejandro might have a point. At the same time, his mind couldn't believe it might actually help. "Si, that is true. But those are herbs and potions. Don Diego told me this is with needles! How can it help?"

Alejandro sighed as he uttered. "From what I have understood, it activates your nerve system. I have my doubts, I admit. But why not give it a try."

Mendoza answered in a determined manner. "Well, no one is sticking needles in me, I am telling you!"

Estaban had less trouble than Mendoza accepting remedies from unknown cultures. "Just because we don't understand it doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work. Don Alejandro, I hope the journey isn't in vain. And I hope both your son and Felipe will return home safely."

"That's the spirit. Diego believes it might work. And he would not do anything to risk Felipe's health. Diego has been studying the matter for years. And he told me those needles need to get placed in the right places. That is why he never tried it himself. So when Diego heard of a doctor in Guadalajara who specialized in the matter. All that is left to do is hope for the best." Alejandro took the last sip of his glass of wine and stood up, leaving a few coins on the table. "The drinks were on me. If you excuse me, I have seen more people in the pueblo to whom I want to tell the news. However, I first will go to the church and lit a candle. Who knows, it might help Felipe. Señores, adios." After a nod to the men, Alejandro walked to the kitchen to tell Victoria what he was about to do. And tell her he would pick her up later to go back to the hacienda together.

.

Diego got off his horse onto a vast plain with some bushes, boulders and a tree here and there.
"This is where it must have been. I'm sorry I don't remember more precisely where it was. This area looks now very different from when I found you."

Felipe stood beside him. The boy was visibly emotional. "It doesn't matter."

Slowly, Felipe let his eyes wander over the terrain. The ground was uneven, with deep pits. Probably due to the many cannon impacts. It was hard to imagine that there had once been a horrific battle here between revolutionaries and heavily armed soldiers. For some reason, the area looked so peaceful.
Felipe walked to the nearest tree. Diego had told how he had found him crouched under a tree in fear. It was not likely it had been this tree. Yet he was drawn to it and had to touch the tree. He only had a few childhood memories from before Diego had found him. And the ones he had were all surrounded by a veil of mist. He wasn't even sure which memory was his and which had been created by the stories Diego had told him.
His hand slid over the rough bark. This tree had certainly been there during the battle. In the bark at shoulder height, they found several damages caused by bullets.
Around him was a deafening silence that was occasionally interrupted by the call of birds.

Felipe felt a hand on his shoulder. "I think your parents would be proud of you. They have given their lives for you and will want you the best for you."

"I have had the best from the moment you found me. There isn't a day that passes without me thanking the Lord for it. And I am infinitely grateful for everything you've done for me."

Visible emotional, Diego whispered. "It was nothing compared to your help to Zorro."

Felipe uttered. "I didn't only do it for Zorro, you know. I tried to help you make the lives of so many people better. Like you did for me."

Diego and Felipe wandered over the field some more.
As expected, they didn't find anything to confirm this being the place of any clues, giving the need to investigate in the hope to learn something about Felipe's identity.
No memories came back. Yet being here did something to Felipe. It was hard to describe what he felt.

No longer able to swallow his tears, Felipe embraced Diego and let them flow.

Diego was equally impressed by his surroundings. He tried comforting the boy in his arms to the best of his ability, spilling a few tears himself.

.

.

You might have guessed Diego has some knowledge of acupuncture. The first European book on the matter got written by Willem ten Rhijne in 1683. He was born in Deventer, the Netherlands. He lived for a long time in different parts of Asia.
I had no idea of this. But as I was searching whether Diego could have heard of acupuncture, I discovered this piece of information. And when I did, I could not resist using it.
So besides the episode where a Japanese fisherman comes to Los Angeles and Diego/Zorro might have heard him tell about this ancient medical treatment. He might have heard of it before and even had a book on the subject.