Chapter 13
Doctor Hernandez checked on Victoria the day after their arrival and agreed with his colleague in Santa Barbara that she should rest for some weeks. That she lacked the energy to protest only confirmed the diagnosis and she willingly let herself be pampered.
After the doctor had finished his consultation, Diego accompanied him back to the pueblo. He hadn't been to Los Angeles for two months and was eager to see his friends again.
Diego tethered his horse in front of The Guardian office, since neither he nor Victoria were welcomed any longer in the tavern. The newspaper hadn't been published in the months he had been ill and he knew he had to do something about it. Now that he had the hacienda to run he'd no longer have the time for the newspaper as before. He would need helpers to do the actual printing and part of the editing, but he would still write the main article and be the editor.
"Don Diego, welcome back to Los Angeles!" Sergeant Mendoza came over from his post in front of the alcalde's office, once he had spotted him.
"Mendoza, it's nice to see you, too." Diego smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"You have been gone for a long time. I have heard that you were shot, Don Diego. Is it true that Zorro shot you because you married Señorita Victoria?"
Diego was surprised at the question as he hadn't heard that rumor. "It's correct that I was ill for some time, but now I feel better. Whoever gave you the idea that I was shot by Zorro?"
"Well, that's what the people say. Is it true or not?"
"Sergeant, you must not always believe what people say," Diego smiled. "Only half of the talk is the truth and you'll never know which one."
"But now you must tell me how you and your comrades have been doing recently," Diego changed the topic. "It looks like you have lost weight. Did you try that wine and vinegar diet my father recommended once?"
"Oh no, Don Diego. I didn't need a diet to lose weight. The recent weeks have been terrible." Mendoza made a stricken face.
"Tell me what happened, Mendoza." Diego opened the door of his office and guided the sergeant inside the shady room. The air was a bit stale as the room hadn't been used and aired for some time, but it was still cooler than outside.
"After Zorro shot you, he simply disappeared. Shortly after that, the coach from Monterey was robbed and the alcalde had us chase the bandits. It took us two weeks of constant riding and tracking to capture them all." Mendoza wiped across his forehead with his handkerchief. "It was so hot and dusty and it hadn't rained for weeks. I wished Zorro had been there to chase them and put them into jail."
"But you got them all, Mendoza. So you no longer need to worry about them." Diego complimented him.
"If it had only been the bandits, Don Diego," Mendoza sighed.
"What else?"
"I'd like to tell you, Don Diego, but my throat feels so dry." Mendoza looked at Diego questioningly. "Can't we go over to the tavern and have a drink there?"
Diego smiled, knowing well that the sergeant expected him to buy him a drink. "I wish we could, but unfortunately the new owner has forbidden me and Victoria to enter the tavern." Diego apologized. "But why don't you get over there and and bring us both something here?" Diego put a few coins on the table. "And order a free one for your men, too!"
"Thank you, Don Diego. That's very generous of you." Eagerly, Mendoza grabbed the coins and walked over to the tavern to fetch them a drink.
Diego didn't have to wait long for the sergeant to return, carefully balancing two glasses, one lemonade for Diego and a wine for himself. Mendoza put the glasses on Diego's desk, taking a seat in front of it.
Diego took a sip and made a face. "The lemonade was better when Victoria still made it. And I don't say that because she's my wife. It's missing sugar and it has less lemon in it."
"Everyone says that, Don Diego. It's even worse with the wine. It's sour and more expensive now." Mendoza slowly sipped his wine. "Can you see now, how miserable life has become?"
"You're talking about the wine?"
"About Zorro, the wine, the food, everything!" Mendoza sighed. "Not only that Zorro is no longer catching the bandits, but the food is not much better than in the garrison and as a simple sergeant I can hardly afford it any any longer." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Resting his head in both his hands on the desk, he looked truly miserable.
"Why don't you come to dinner in about two weeks, Mendoza? I think Victoria would be happy to see you again too."
"In two weeks?" Mendoza sounded a bit disappointed that it wasn't earlier. "Is there a celebration of some kind?"
"My father and Felipe will be leaving for Spain in about two weeks and we're having a farewell dinner," Diego explained.
"They are traveling for Spain and your father leaves you to manage the hacienda?"
"Yes, and it's my hacienda now. I won't have that much time to come to the pueblo anymore. But Victoria and I will be happy if you come to visit us for dinner on our hacienda from time to time after they have left."
"Oh Don Diego, you're a true friend," Mendoza's smile lit his whole face. "Will Victoria.. I mean Doña Victoria make some tamales?"
"No, Victoria won't cook, you'll have to be content with our cook Maria."
"Maria is the second best cook after Vic .. Doña Victoria. Thank you, Don Diego." Mendoza took another sip of his wine, but shouting outside made him empty it at once.
""Mendoza! Where ARE you?!""
"Uh, the alcalde. I think I must go, Don Diego." Mendoza emptied his glass in one big gulp, putting down the glass and rose from his chair. As he turned around, the alcalde was standing in the door.
""There you are - hiding again! Shouldn't you be outside on your post?!"
"Si, mi alcalde, it was just the heat and sun and I was so happy to see Don Diego again." Under the stare of the alcalde Mendoza stumbled out of the door.
"Don Diego, it's good to see you again," the alcalde greeted Diego. "I have heard you have been ill?"
"Yes, that's true. But now I'm back." Diego smiled and looked around, signing at his office.
"Can we expect a new edition of your newspaper soon?" De Soto inquired. "It's by governmental decree that every pueblo should have it's newspaper and there wasn't one during your absence. The governor has already inquired if this pueblo follows his decree."
"I'll try my best, but I can't tell you when the next edition will be out. I'll be very busy with my hacienda in the next future and in the long run I'll have to look for someone else to do the main work for this paper. Of course, I'll still be the editor of The Guardian."
"Your hacienda, Don Diego? Have you bought your own hacienda?" De Soto asked surprised.
"No, I'm talking about the de la Vega hacienda," Diego informed him. "My father and Felipe will be traveling to Spain and I'll take over the hacienda."
"That is indeed a surprise, Don Diego. I can understand that you will be very busy until their departure to learn everything about managing a hacienda that you neglected the recent years." De Soto smirked. "You were much more occupied with your books and other things." De Soto pointed at the newspaper. It's a surprise that your father hands the hacienda over to you so suddenly, but he has been acting strangely ever since you were shot. It must have been very bad, your father was very concerned for you. I saw him going to church nearly every day." Diego was surprised to hear that but he didn't comment.
"Is it true that you fought a duel with Zorro over your wife and got shot by him?" de Soto wanted to know.
Surprised, Diego looked at him. "I don't know where you heard that, Alcalde. All I can tell you is that I was injured in an accident that forced me to recover in Santa Paula for some time."
"You were injured in an accident?" de Soto asked him disbelievingly. "You'll stick to that story?"
"Of course, Alcalde, because it's the truth."
"But you were shot, weren't you?"
"I think my memories of that incident are a bit blurred. I don't recall exactly what happened." Diego said apologetically.
"You can't fool me, Don Diego. I don't believe your accident story for a moment. I know that Zorro shot you and I will add it to his list of crimes!" Enraged about Diego's evasive answers, de Soto left the newspaper office.
Grinning, Diego returned to his work on the newspaper. There were several unanswered letters to the editor, some letters for Victoria's Doña Corazon column and several new recipes from Mendoza as Señor Estomago for his food column. Diego started to read the letters to the editor, deciding to take the others home for Victoria to read. Besides her Doña Corazon letters, she'd like to go through the recipes Mendoza suggested.
Z Z Z
Before returning to the hacienda Diego made a stop at the seamstress as Victoria had requested. Her pregnancy started to show and her clothes would soon no longer fit. To his surprise Alicia, Victoria's former helper in the tavern, greeted him.
"Buenos dias, Alicia, it's nice to see you," he greeted her.
"Buenos dias, Don Diego. I hadn't heard that you had returned to Los Angeles."
"Victoria and I only came back yesterday, so you won't have heard," Diego smiled. "What are you doing here, Alicia? Are you no longer working in the tavern?"
Alicia shook her head sadly. "No, I don't. Shortly after Señor Gonzalez became in charge of the tavern, he decided that I was no longer needed as his wife would help him."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Alicia. I know you liked your work at the tavern. So you're working now for Señora Diaz, the seamstress?"
"Si, I help her out from time to time when she is very busy and needs an additional hand. My parents insisted on better company than I had lately in the tavern." Alicia tried to sound happy. "So what can I do for you?"
"Victoria needs some dresses to be modified and she would like Señora Diaz to come to the hacienda. I think she would be happy to see you again. Why don't you come for a visit?"
"I don't think I'll have the time," Alicia said evasively. "Can't she come herself?"
"No, she can't," Diego said shortly, having understood her changed attitude towards Victoria. "When can Señora Diaz visit her?"
"Just a moment, I'll ask her."
Alicia went to a back room and through the open door Diego could hear the loud argument between Alicia and the seamstress. "You asked Doña Victoria to come here?" Señora Diaz asked Alicia, enraged. "How could you do that! Do you want to ruin me? Don Diego may not show his status and he is nice to everyone, but he gets angry if his wife isn't treated with respect."
A minute later Señora Diaz entered the room. "Buenos dias, Don Diego, I must apologize for my assistant, she is quite new. Of course, I have time to visit your wife. When would you like me to come?" She smiled at him, friendly.
"My wife is still a bit indisposed from traveling. I think she will be rested enough the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow will be fine for me. Please tell your wife that I will visit her in the morning. Does she have any special requests?"
"No, she didn't say anything. I think she wants to discuss things first," Diego shook his head. "But I'll let you know, Señora." He turned around to leave. "Adios, Señoras."
"Adios, Don Diego."