Chapter 7
"Come on Maria! Say it! Mi-guel! It's not hard! Mmmmmmiiiiiiiiigueeeeellll!"
"Meh!" Maria babbled.
"No no no, not 'Meh'! Mi-guel."
"Meh!"
Miguel sighed. They had had the baby for six months now, and her hair had grown very red and curly. Tulio also bought her very cute little dresses and ribbons. She was without a doubt very cute. 'Now if only she could talk', Miguel thought.
"Okay okay, you got the Meh part down. Now all you have to do is say Guel. Mi-guel."
"Meh!"
"Okay, that's enough for today. Let's try again tomorrow. Because now... It's time fow Mawia to take a baf!" Miguel began to talk in baby talk and gibberish and started to take off her dress. "Yesh, it's time fow a baf! Baf time fow the wittew baby giwl!"
Tulio suddenly walked in the door with a bag of groceries. "Hey Miguel."
"Hewwo Tuwio- ER!- I mean hi."
"Uh, what was-"
"NOTHING!!"
"Whatever, Meh." Tulio found it somewhat funny to call Miguel that, much to Miguel's annoyance.
"Did you get what was on my list or not?"
"Yes, I got diapers, oranges, bread, vegetables, and... A NEW RIBBON!" Tulio said, pulling out a new purple ribbon.
"My God Tulio, enough with the ribbons! She has enough to put on a maypole. Besides, it is very unlike you to buy such an expensive color."
"It's not expensive for my little strawberry!" Tulio rushed over to Maria, growling and kissing her tummy and causing her to laugh her cute little screeching laugh. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" Miguel asked.
"I don't know. Go answer it." Tulio said as he continued to play with the baby.
Miguel stood up and opened the door. Standing there was a young girl, with red hair and sad hazel eyes. "Hello senor." she said politely with a small voice.
The girl's red hair caught Miguel off guard. He was afraid of her being who he thought she was. "Hello... Um, who are you?"
Suddenly the girl gasped. "Maria!"
It was exactly what Miguel had feared. It was Rosaline, Maria's mother.
"Oh, my baby sweetheart!" She clamped her hands over her mouth and started to cry. "Oh, may I please come in?"
"Of-of course." Miguel stepped aside and let the girl enter. It was taking a lot of his strength not to sob.
Rosaline ran into the room and scooped up the baby. "Oh my darling! Oh, mommy has missed you so much. You are so beautiful! Look at your hair! Oh, my baby girl!"
Tulio was still sitting on the ground, looking dazed. He sputtered, trying to speak, and Rosaline gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I have forgotten my manners. My name is Rosaline." She held out her hand for Tulio to shake it.
"We know your name. There's no need to say it again." Tulio replied, rather coldly. The girl's smile faded, and she looked at the ground, looking as if she was about to cry. Tulio seemed to remember that she was just a girl and shook her hand. "I'm-uh-I'm sorry. I've seem to forgotten my manners as well. My name is Tulio Saldovar and this my friend Miguel Cervantes."
"Hello." Miguel said quietly.
"And-uh... I guess this is your baby, huh?"
"Oh, yes she is. I just.... I just want to thank both of you so much for raising her. I can't believe someone actually found her and raised her so wonderfully like you two did. For nights I dreamed that she was taken to one of those dreadful orphanages or even murdered... OH GOD, I was so afraid!!!!!" She started to sob, and soon Maria started to cry as well. Miguel took the Maria from her as she went to Tulio and hugged him, and he hugged her back. "I didn't want to leave her! I really didn't! But I was homeless and I had no job... I was sure she would die if I kept her..."
"Well, have you found a job yet?"
Rosaline sniffled and wiped her eye. "Yes. But..."
"But what?"
"I'm a prostitute! Isn't that pathetic?!" She started to cry even harder and buried her face into Tulio's chest, and he patted her back awkwardly.
"There there. It's alright."
"No it's not all right! You see, I still can't take her!"
A mixture of pity for the girl and happiness for the hope of still keeping Maria flooded into Miguel. But he decided to go with the pity. "But why? Why did you come then?"
"Because I was afraid for her life! I wanted to see if she found good people to be with and it turns out she had! I would have gladly taken her if she was with bad people."
Tulio laughed nervously. "Yeah, um, about that... You see... We AREN'T good people. We're thieves. Everything in this room and the clothes that she has was from the money we stole."
Rosaline stared at them with disbelief. "But-uh- If it helps... We kinda had no choice. You see, we were framed like, a year ago by a merchant, so we couldn't get a job without getting arrested so, in order to survive, we stole money."
"But not from good people!" Miguel chimed in. "We steal from other bad people. Like drunks, other thieves and prosti-"
Tulio elbowed him in the stomach to cut him off. It did, causing him to wheeze a little. Rosaline sighed. "Well, I guess you had no choice for your lives like I had with mine. Women don't get a lot of job options."
There was an awkward silence, and then Miguel finally spoke up again. "So... Are you going to take her with you?"
"I don't know. What do you two want? I leave it entirely up to you."
Miguel and Tulio looked each other, and came to the same agreement in their minds.
"We... We think you should take her. She's your daughter and you shouldn't miss out on any more of your life."
Rosaline nodded and smiled. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that." Miguel sadly gave Maria back to Rosaline. "I'll try and keep in touch with two of you. Is there anything of hers I need?" They gave Rosaline all of her belongings and Miguel informed her on all the baby info she would need to know.
"She, uh, eats at seven in the morning, then noon, then at six, and then there's the midnight feeding. She likes to chew on carrots because she's teething. Also, she likes to be sung to. She goes through four diapers a day and must be bathed every day. We were just about to give her one so... You should give her one when you get home."
"Thank you very much senors. You two are so kind. You don't deserve to be thieves......... Would you like to say goodbye to her?"
They didn't have to be asked twice. They gave her kisses on her cheeks and talked in baby talk. Tulio took the purple ribbon out of his pocket and tied it into a bow in Maria's hair. "Bye bye, Maria." Tulio said sadly. "We'll miss you."
"Yes." Miguel barely got the word over the tight knot that was in his throat.
"Goodbye Senor Saldovar. Senor Cervantes. Thank you so much for everything." Rosaline turned around, and Maria stared back at the two men, and something amazing happened.
"Meh-grrril."
That word nearly ripped Miguel's heart into a million pieces. As they both went inside, the room felt so empty. So cold. They couldn't help the tears fall down their face.
"Come on Maria! Say it! Mi-guel! It's not hard! Mmmmmmiiiiiiiiigueeeeellll!"
"Meh!" Maria babbled.
"No no no, not 'Meh'! Mi-guel."
"Meh!"
Miguel sighed. They had had the baby for six months now, and her hair had grown very red and curly. Tulio also bought her very cute little dresses and ribbons. She was without a doubt very cute. 'Now if only she could talk', Miguel thought.
"Okay okay, you got the Meh part down. Now all you have to do is say Guel. Mi-guel."
"Meh!"
"Okay, that's enough for today. Let's try again tomorrow. Because now... It's time fow Mawia to take a baf!" Miguel began to talk in baby talk and gibberish and started to take off her dress. "Yesh, it's time fow a baf! Baf time fow the wittew baby giwl!"
Tulio suddenly walked in the door with a bag of groceries. "Hey Miguel."
"Hewwo Tuwio- ER!- I mean hi."
"Uh, what was-"
"NOTHING!!"
"Whatever, Meh." Tulio found it somewhat funny to call Miguel that, much to Miguel's annoyance.
"Did you get what was on my list or not?"
"Yes, I got diapers, oranges, bread, vegetables, and... A NEW RIBBON!" Tulio said, pulling out a new purple ribbon.
"My God Tulio, enough with the ribbons! She has enough to put on a maypole. Besides, it is very unlike you to buy such an expensive color."
"It's not expensive for my little strawberry!" Tulio rushed over to Maria, growling and kissing her tummy and causing her to laugh her cute little screeching laugh. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?" Miguel asked.
"I don't know. Go answer it." Tulio said as he continued to play with the baby.
Miguel stood up and opened the door. Standing there was a young girl, with red hair and sad hazel eyes. "Hello senor." she said politely with a small voice.
The girl's red hair caught Miguel off guard. He was afraid of her being who he thought she was. "Hello... Um, who are you?"
Suddenly the girl gasped. "Maria!"
It was exactly what Miguel had feared. It was Rosaline, Maria's mother.
"Oh, my baby sweetheart!" She clamped her hands over her mouth and started to cry. "Oh, may I please come in?"
"Of-of course." Miguel stepped aside and let the girl enter. It was taking a lot of his strength not to sob.
Rosaline ran into the room and scooped up the baby. "Oh my darling! Oh, mommy has missed you so much. You are so beautiful! Look at your hair! Oh, my baby girl!"
Tulio was still sitting on the ground, looking dazed. He sputtered, trying to speak, and Rosaline gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I have forgotten my manners. My name is Rosaline." She held out her hand for Tulio to shake it.
"We know your name. There's no need to say it again." Tulio replied, rather coldly. The girl's smile faded, and she looked at the ground, looking as if she was about to cry. Tulio seemed to remember that she was just a girl and shook her hand. "I'm-uh-I'm sorry. I've seem to forgotten my manners as well. My name is Tulio Saldovar and this my friend Miguel Cervantes."
"Hello." Miguel said quietly.
"And-uh... I guess this is your baby, huh?"
"Oh, yes she is. I just.... I just want to thank both of you so much for raising her. I can't believe someone actually found her and raised her so wonderfully like you two did. For nights I dreamed that she was taken to one of those dreadful orphanages or even murdered... OH GOD, I was so afraid!!!!!" She started to sob, and soon Maria started to cry as well. Miguel took the Maria from her as she went to Tulio and hugged him, and he hugged her back. "I didn't want to leave her! I really didn't! But I was homeless and I had no job... I was sure she would die if I kept her..."
"Well, have you found a job yet?"
Rosaline sniffled and wiped her eye. "Yes. But..."
"But what?"
"I'm a prostitute! Isn't that pathetic?!" She started to cry even harder and buried her face into Tulio's chest, and he patted her back awkwardly.
"There there. It's alright."
"No it's not all right! You see, I still can't take her!"
A mixture of pity for the girl and happiness for the hope of still keeping Maria flooded into Miguel. But he decided to go with the pity. "But why? Why did you come then?"
"Because I was afraid for her life! I wanted to see if she found good people to be with and it turns out she had! I would have gladly taken her if she was with bad people."
Tulio laughed nervously. "Yeah, um, about that... You see... We AREN'T good people. We're thieves. Everything in this room and the clothes that she has was from the money we stole."
Rosaline stared at them with disbelief. "But-uh- If it helps... We kinda had no choice. You see, we were framed like, a year ago by a merchant, so we couldn't get a job without getting arrested so, in order to survive, we stole money."
"But not from good people!" Miguel chimed in. "We steal from other bad people. Like drunks, other thieves and prosti-"
Tulio elbowed him in the stomach to cut him off. It did, causing him to wheeze a little. Rosaline sighed. "Well, I guess you had no choice for your lives like I had with mine. Women don't get a lot of job options."
There was an awkward silence, and then Miguel finally spoke up again. "So... Are you going to take her with you?"
"I don't know. What do you two want? I leave it entirely up to you."
Miguel and Tulio looked each other, and came to the same agreement in their minds.
"We... We think you should take her. She's your daughter and you shouldn't miss out on any more of your life."
Rosaline nodded and smiled. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that." Miguel sadly gave Maria back to Rosaline. "I'll try and keep in touch with two of you. Is there anything of hers I need?" They gave Rosaline all of her belongings and Miguel informed her on all the baby info she would need to know.
"She, uh, eats at seven in the morning, then noon, then at six, and then there's the midnight feeding. She likes to chew on carrots because she's teething. Also, she likes to be sung to. She goes through four diapers a day and must be bathed every day. We were just about to give her one so... You should give her one when you get home."
"Thank you very much senors. You two are so kind. You don't deserve to be thieves......... Would you like to say goodbye to her?"
They didn't have to be asked twice. They gave her kisses on her cheeks and talked in baby talk. Tulio took the purple ribbon out of his pocket and tied it into a bow in Maria's hair. "Bye bye, Maria." Tulio said sadly. "We'll miss you."
"Yes." Miguel barely got the word over the tight knot that was in his throat.
"Goodbye Senor Saldovar. Senor Cervantes. Thank you so much for everything." Rosaline turned around, and Maria stared back at the two men, and something amazing happened.
"Meh-grrril."
That word nearly ripped Miguel's heart into a million pieces. As they both went inside, the room felt so empty. So cold. They couldn't help the tears fall down their face.