Fathers and Sons Chapter Six: Casa Cueva
Another fruitless night here, thought Manolito as he descended the staircase the following morning. Nonetheless, not a total loss. I did manage to get Papá to accept $6 a head for his vacas when Hermosillo is offering $7 for the hides alone. A small achievement but mine own. Papá could not resist the opportunity to sell an entire herd. A brief smile flashed across his face and vanished. And then last night's meal. Ay yi yi. Papá, could you think of nothing else to do than to ply Roy with endless questions about horses? Not a word to Buck. No questions about Victoria. Simply you decide to annoy me. And you are most accomplished at that, Papá.
Mano sighed, entering the dining hall to find Buck at the sideboard and Roy sitting at the table, eating breakfast.
"Mornin' amigo," Buck said, piling his plate high with eggs, ham, potatoes, and bacon. "You done good gettin' yore daddy to agree to that price."
"Sí." Mano replied. He picked up a plate and loaded it with eggs until he realized what he had done. Bah, he thought, irritated. He upended his plate, letting the eggs slide back into the chafing dish, tossing the plate onto the sideboard. His aim was not true; the plate caught the edge of the sideboard and fell, shattering against the stone floor with a loud crash. Buck looked at him, whistled under his breath, and sat down, tucking his napkin under his chin but saying nothing. Roy looked up, but also remained quiet.
"Permiso, Don Manolo." Pepe called for a servant to clean up the mess, then scurried over to hand Mano a cup, gesturing toward the coffee urn.
"Gracias, Pepe, lo siento!" Mano forced a smile. And now I must apologize for my carelessness and temper, he thought.
"Ain't you hungry, compadre?" Buck asked, his mouth full of eggs, ham, and potatoes.
"No, gracias." He did not trust himself to say more.
"Yore pa shore makes us feel welcome, don't he Mano?"
"Yes, Roy," Mano replied, his tone stiff. Again the less said the better.
The only noises were the sounds of men chewing, swallowing, and drinking hot coffee. When Buck and Roy had finished, Mano dabbed his mouth with his napkin and rose.
"Gracias Pepe. Please tell the chef the food was excellent."
"Por supuesto, Don Manolo." Pepe smiled. This one will make a good patrón one day...when he settles down, the old man thought. If only he and the Don...Pepe's thoughts broke off. It was not his place.
Rodrigo appeared in the doorway. "Perdoname Patrón, but your horses are ready."
"Gracias, Rodrigo. Amigos, my father does not appear to wish to tell us goodbye, so we will leave now. Ahora mismo!" Mano strode out through the hallway and the front door, pausing to whisper something to Pepe, who smiled and nodded. Wonder whut that's all about? Buck thought, as Roy and he hustled out to their horses.
Ruiz, mounted on a fine dappled stallion, awaited them in the courtyard. Past the fountain and through the grand hacienda arch the party rode. Mano, annoyed, kicked Macadoo into a hard gallop, but slowed soon when a sideways glance told him Ruiz was breathless.
"Lo siento, amigo," he called to Ruiz, pulling alongside the old man. Again I must apologize, Mano thought. Ay yi yi I must learn to control my temper.
"Manolito, you are a young man with much to learn," Ruiz replied as they proceeded at a gentler pace. "But your heart is strong and good, and all on the Rancho Montoya know this. You have no need to apologize to me." Ruiz raised his hand before Mano could reply. "Escuchame, por favor. Manolito, you and your father need to say things to each other that all fathers and sons, in fact all children, must say one day. You must forgive each other and yourselves and then you will be friends, as you should be."
"Ruiz, I do not think this will ever happen."
"You think this now, but in your heart you know different. Give it time, Manolito. Give it time and pray for Our Father's help."
Mano nodded and remained deep in thought until they rode under the broken adobe arch of the tiny pueblo of Casa Cueva.
"Hey Mano, what we doin' here?" Buck asked.
"We have come to see some horses, Buck. Ruiz has arranged it."
Buck and Roy exchanged wide eyed glances but said nothing. Buck knew the gleam in his amigo's eye meant it was best to let things play out.
Little boys kicked a pig bladder ball about dusty streets while little girls watched and squealed. A young mother, baby on one hip, carried a bucket of water away from the well. A sweaty fat man in an apron swept dust off the porch of the cantina. And from the cool dark of the livery stable, a swarthy, thickset man with the face of an Indian and the bearing of an hidalgo emerged. He did not wear peón's clothes, but was dressed as a rancher in vest, brown trousers, and boots.
"Vaquero, hey hombre!" Mano called, grinning, dismounting and running to embrace his friend. "Good to see you!"
"It is good to see you, too, Manolito!" Vaquero cried, hugging the younger man.
"Vaquero! Amigo!" Buck pounded Vaquero's back. "How you been doin'?"
"Fine, Buck, fine. Thank you." Vaquero smiled with pleasure.
"Ah, Vaquero, this is Roy Lauder. He is working with Buck and me now."
"Welcome, Señor Lauder. Any friend of Manolito and Buck is a friend of mine. Bienvenido!"
"Thank you." Roy could think of nothing else to say and was learning that keeping his mouth shut was the preferred method of communicating around these parts.
"Vaquero!" Ruiz's gentle voice broke through the greetings and laughter.
"Ruiz, amigo mío, cómo estás? Hace mucho tiempo que nos vemos, no?"
"Yes, Vaquero, quite some time I fear. Gentlemen, perhaps you do not know, but Vaquero is the alcalde of Casa Cueva."
"Do that be true? Vaquero, tha's good, amigo, We know'd you'd left fer home but didn't know you was the al-...the al-"
"Alcalde, Buck. He is the mayor," Mano explained. "Bueno, hombre!"
"Vaquero," Ruiz said, "I have brought Don Manolo here to see your mares and perhaps your helper too, eh?"
"Ah the mares. Yes of course. Come this way, please." Vaquero led them through the barn to a crude corral in the back where somebody was lunging a sorrel mare that had a wide white blaze on her face.
"Ooh tha's a purty mare, ain't she Mano?" Buck commented.
"Sí, compadre, muy bonita." But Mano was looking at something, or someone, just on the other side of the mare, hidden by the horse's neck. Must be a girl, Buck thought. Mano only ever said things thataway when there was a female involved. Then he spotted her as she stepped around in front of the mare. She was a fine looking gal, a might young, but fine looking.
"Teresa!" Vaquero called.
"Sí, Tío?"
"Ven aquí, por favor."
"Ya vengo!" The girl removed the halter from the mare and hurried to the fence, carrying both halter and the long lunging rope attached to it. She wore a white peasant blouse tucked into trousers cinched tight with a belt.
"Gentlemen, may I introduce my niece, Señorita Teresa Rosales. Teresa, these are my friends Don Manolo Montoya, Señor Buck Cannon, y Señor Roy Lauder. Of course you know Señor Ruiz."
"Encantada," Teresa beamed at the company. Roy stared. Oh my, he thought. She has such a purty smile. An' soft black hair.
"Oh, your niece?" Mano attempted to mask his disappointment with a tight smile that fooled no one. A ripple of laughter started with Buck, then spread to Ruiz and Vaquero, and finally to Roy, who had no idea why he was laughing. All he knew was he was happy. Real happy.
"I am no object of amusement, Tío." The girl's eyes flashed, and Vaquero's face grew solemn.
"No, Teresa, no. Lo siento. Perdoname, por favor."
Teresa tilted her chin high, tossed her head and its dark wavy hair, and said nothing. Ruiz shook his head. We will have to show her we are here for better reasons than to laugh at her, he thought. Although to be fair, we were laughing at Manolito. He smiled, his wrinkles deepening and his eyes kindly.
"These gentlemen have come to see your beautiful mares, mi sobrina," Vaquero said.
"Ah, is that so? Well, you have picked a good day for it. They are in fine form, are they not?" Teresa waved a slender arm in the direction of the corral and the six mares within.
Two were sorrels, one with a white blaze face and the other with a small white star but two perfect white socks behind. Two bays stood near, both with black points but only one with any white and this confined to a small strip down the end of her nose. A jet black mare with a coat like blue flame, sensing herself the center of attention, tossed her head at that moment, letting her long mane cascade down her neck. A pretty little gray mare, much finer in bone than the others, with little chips of black flecked over her white coat and coal black legs and hooves, rounded out the six.
"Ay Vaquero, these mares are fantástico!" exclaimed Manolito, unable to contain his delight. "Surely there is Spanish blood in these."
"Mmm they is shore pretty," Buck said. "Roy, whaddaya think?"
"Huh? Me? Er I… I… I think they's wunnerful," Roy answered, but he was not looking at the horses.
Mano noticed Roy's eyes on the pretty little señorita. Aha, Roy, hombre, now you appreciate life, no? He stifled his laughter and turned to Ruiz.
"Ruiz, these are marvelous animals, but why are we looking at them?"
"Can you not guess, Don Manolo? Vaquero has them for sale. They are older mares, possibly past their best for riding, but certainly still in their prime for breeding. You might wish to talk to him about their price, no?"
"Vaquero is this true? You wish to sell these mares?"
"Sí. I have need of money for repairs to the church. And there is always more stock to buy, so I must sell something now. Are you interested in buying them?"
"Oh yes! Of course!" Mano laughed, a great hearty laugh full of good humor and joy. Buck grinned.