The girls were stunned that Sissy said Ma.Eugenia would help them. What could Ma.Eugenia do. Sissy was upset that they didn't understand.
"Don't you see?"Sissy asked them. "Haven't you seen enough telenovelas? Read enough books. It's simple. Ma.Eugenia is perfect, because we can trust her. All she has to do is pretend to go out with him. Of course, you'll have to talk to him, and get him to cooperate, but that shouldn't be too difficult."
"But how are we going to get her here. We can convince her by just telling her that we need her help. Ma.Eugenia wouldn't hesitate, but how could we convince everyone else. Of course, she can stay with Arthur."
"No."said Sissy. "She must stay here. I trust Arthur, but Ma.Eugenia would probably like it better here. Besides, you know those two have never exactly gotten along very well. Not to mention Don Chuy, whose always at Arthur's house. And besides, Ma.Eugenia is a used to a different life style, and she would have a hard time adjusting to living at Arthur's. I know just what you will tell everyone. I am sure they will be delighted to have her here."
"Right, have a friend visit. You know they won't like her here, Sissy. El Profe doesn't want anyone to find out that this place is full of mutants. And honestly, I don't understand. Father always said it was nothing to be ashamed about. Just the opposite, because we could do things other people could not even do in their dreams, but..."she broke off.
"Everyone will be delighted to have Ma.Eugenia here."Sissy repeated stubbornly. "Because in case no one around here has ever taken the time to find out, Ma.Eugenia has always wanted to meet her father. It's kind of ironic, but in case you haven't noticed, he's here. That's precisely why we have to stay here. Without knowing it, he could help us."
"How?"asked Ma.Xiomara. "Who is it? Do we know him already?"
Sissy sighed. "I thought you were observant, but I see that I was wrong. Her father is of course, none other than el Profe. Surely you must have noticed the similarities between them. The same eyes, hands, smile."
Ma.Xoaquina threw her hands in the air. "How were we supposed to notice? We aren't here to look for Maru's father, you know. Besides, you can't really get to know people around here. They are so confusing. They don't like you to get close to them. You saw how they "welcomed" us. No one even hugged us. However, I don't think Maru will want to come. At least not willingly."
"You're right, and now listen closely. El Profe knows nothing, so first you must tell him everything. Then he himself will want Ma.Eugenia to come. You will tell him that Arthur will go to Piedras Grandes himself, and escort Ma.Eugniea."
"Arthur will not do that."
"Yes he will, or the subject of who sleep with the radio on will come up."
"Sissy, Sissy, Sissy, you know that he doesn't need the sound to sleep anymore. That wastes too much energy! Arthur wouldn't waste energy! Besides, he's not afraid anymore."
"Well, he'll do it anyway. You'll have to beg him on your knees if it's necessary. And now you need to go talk to El Profe."
"Now!!! But Sissy, can't you see we're watching Mujer de Madera? We have to see Mariza's new face! After we watch Mariana de la Noche."
"No. Now."Sissay said threatengly.
So, after Sissy told them all this the girls slowly, and sadly put down their handiworks, and got up. Missing a telenovela was something they avoided at all costs. Sometimes you missed crucial parts of the story. They found the professor. Fine. They decided just to get to the point.
"We were wondering, Profe,"asked MaXochilt. "If you ever knew a lady named Gabriela Montenegro Villalpando?"
He looked up puzzled.
"Don't answer."she said. "After all, we already know you did. And that you were married. We might not have done our homework, but Sissy certainly did. Yes, the cat. But that's something else which we won't discuss right now, anyway that's our business. You see, Doña Gabby's daugter, Ma.Eugenia, who's about our age, was, well, is my parents' goddaughter. Her mother died some time ago, but now she lives at the hacienda, accompanying my sister, Alfonsina. And the thing is, you see, we noticed when we got here. Both of you look...similar. Like you're related. From what we've been told, Doña Gabby was married for some time. But then her husband just left her, and she moved back to live in her native town of San Pedro. People always simpathized, after all, what can you expect from foreigners, right? My parents helped her out a lot."
"We can prove that we're talking about the same woman. See, we have many pictures."Ma.Xiomara offered.
"That is not true. She wanted a divorce."he said.
"That explains everything. Nobody associates with divorced people. Marriage is a sacrament, and people back home don't believe in divorce. It might come as a bit of a shock, but the bottom line is, you see, what we actually wanted was to help Maru meet her father, so, you know, if you have no inconveniences, we will talk to our cousin and he will escort her himself. If you're interested. We wouldn't lie, you know, after all, if we did, you'd find out sooner or later, and we're not fans of practical jokes. Never have been, and never will be. Okay. So, can Maru meet you. It might be a little difficult at first. Just say yes or no, and hurry, because with a bit of luck, we might just catch the end of Mariana de la Noche. We might have missed something important just to come tell you this. So is it yes or no?" She looked at him.
"Yes."he stammered.
"Good."And they ran off.
"Have you lost your minds?!"asked Arthur. "I am not going anywhere just now. Look, you guys, it might be for a good cause, but I really don't feel like it." He picked up his crutches, and stood up. He had broken his left leg while skating.
"Cuzzy, you have to! We're your family! Your blood!"cried Ma.Xiomara. "Besides, there won't be anything to it. All you have to do is just bring her here. We will phone her. We will talk to her. You just have to get her here safely. That's it"
He sighed. "What's in it for me?"
"Anything you want."
"Where will she be staying?"
"Isn't that obvious? El Profe will obviously want to get to know her better."
"Hasn't it ever occurred to you that Ma.Eugenia might not even want to come. You know she's always held a grudge against her father."
"We'll talk to her. You just have to take the first flight to Veracruz, and Alfonsina will make the arrangements for you to get to Piedras Grandes. OK?"
"All right."he said turning off his Gameboy and getting up.