CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Nyla woke in an unfamiliar room. Light streamed through the faded threadbare curtains, illuminating the heavy handmade wooden furniture adorning the space. The walls were painted a warm pastel yellow and the floors were made of an earth-colored tile.

She felt as if she had stepped back in time. Gone were the sleek lines of composite furniture, temperature-controlled window blinds and drab seamless floors found in every house back home. She blinked several times, forcing her eyes to focus, trying to push the ache out of her head.

Claire reached over and gently took her hand, startling Nyla. She thought she was alone in the silent room. Looking up at her friend, she was stunned by the transformation. Claire’s straight long brunette hair was combed and hung elegantly over her bare shoulder. Her eyes sparkled and a warm smile formed on her full red lips. Claire wore a crisply-pressed white blouse and a long brightly colored skirt that hung comfortably over her slender hips.

“How are you feeling?” Claire asked.

“Fine, I guess. How long have I been asleep?”

“Only a couple of hours. It’s still early morning.”

A low clang of heavy metal hitting metal grabbed Nyla’s attention and she could smell a wonderful scent filling the room. The aroma made her stomach rumble, even though she couldn’t quite place its source. The smell made her think of her mother. Rachel had tried to explain to her what it was like, but she couldn’t imagine how wonderful an aroma could be until now.

“Where are we?”

“We’re at Carlos’ home. Here, let’s get you up,” Claire said as she pulled the lightweight sheet back. “There’s soap, water and towels on the dresser, and a change of clothes on the back of the chair in the corner. Do you need help?”

Nyla shook her head. She needed a moment alone to gather her thoughts and get her emotions under control. She watched as Claire left the room, but didn’t move for several moments as the events of the past forty-eight hours reeled through her mind, and the dull ache in her head was replaced with a deep pain in her chest and a nearly uncontrollable urge to cry.

The sound of gunshots rang through her mind and the look in Ethan’s eyes as he pushed her away was etched in her memory. The determination in his expression made her leave and showed her how much he cared. He selflessly put his friends’ lives before his own.

She bit her lower lip to hold back the tears as she crawled out of bed. Nyla washed her face, neck and arms with the warm soapy water. Using her fingers, she worked the tangles and twigs out of her hair before running a comb through her short blonde locks. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. Her skin was covered with scratches and bruises, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying and from being flushed with dirty river water. She looked haggard, not radiant like Claire.

Nyla reached for the shirt and skirt on the chair and was taken aback by their beauty. The skirt was hand-stitched with brightly colored designs, which made her feel less sad just to look at it, and again thoughts of her mother filled her mind.

She dressed and took another look at herself in the mirror. For a moment she could see her mother standing behind her, beaming with pride, but the image quickly faded. Nyla could imagine her mother in this very room and could feel her presence all around her. The feeling gave her comfort, but also renewed her sadness. Nyla forced back the grief and decided it was time to face Carlos and thank him for all he had done for them. She only hoped she could sound grateful through the sorrow that consumed her.

The bedroom door opened into a dimly lit hallway. Nyla followed the scent of frying food and the hum of conversation to the kitchen. Carlos stood in front of the stove frying something and Claire sat at a small table cradling a cup of steaming coffee. When Claire saw Nyla she jumped to her feet, ran over, and gave her a hug.

“You look beautiful. Can you believe these clothes? Carlos’ mother made these for us, since they knew we wouldn’t have anything when we reached Mexico. I can’t wait to meet her and thank her,” Claire bubbled.

Nyla appreciated Claire’s attempt to lighten the mood, but couldn’t understand how she could be so upbeat after all the tragedy. “How can you be so happy after losing Ethan?”

“Look Nyla, we don’t know if he’s been shot or captured. Even if he was shot, it might not be fatal. Until I know otherwise, I believe we’ll all be together soon. Jared and Daniel didn’t come back with us. They went to look for him.”

Nyla wanted to share Claire’s optimism, but someone had died. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she was certain someone had. It was more than a feeling, it was a fact in her mind and in her heart and she couldn’t shake the belief.

“Have some breakfast. It will make you feel better,” Carlos offered. “I agree, Daniel will find the truth, and until he tells us otherwise, we must believe your friend is safe.”

“Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Carlos was right about the food. As Nyla ate the eggs scrambled with onions and chili peppers, the fresh hot tortillas and crisp fried bacon, a happy ending began to seem a little more possible. The coffee’s flavor was far better than anything she had ever tasted at the Java Joint, the food was new and flavorful and her clothes were fun and made with love.

“I’ll clean up and then let’s go for a walk,” Carlos suggested.

“You two go and I’ll clean up. Someone should stay here in case the guys come back,” Claire offered.

Nyla stepped out into the bright sunshine. Chickens wandered through the streets and roosters continued to crow even though dawn was long past. Shy children peeked out from behind doorways of the small houses lining the streets, waved to them, and giggled happily as she and Carlos walked through town.

The village was only a couple blocks long and soon they had left the squat buildings behind and were gradually ascending a narrow path. After a short climb, the terrain leveled off at the edge of a cliff. Carlos sat on a rock and motioned for Nyla to join him. She gathered up her skirt and eased down next to him. When she looked up, she gasped.

“This is the place. The place mother dreamed about. The place she would sit with you, holding Daniel, looking out over the Rio Bravo into America. It’s more beautiful than I ever imagined. She tried to explain, but I just couldn’t see it, but now I know why she was so determined to share this with me.”

“Yes. I come here almost every day and think about how different all our lives would have been if Rachel had been able to bring you to me then.”

Suddenly, Nyla was stricken by overwhelming guilt. “Why are you helping me? If it wasn’t for me, your life would have been so much better. Don’t you resent me?”

“I knew Rachel loved you more than anything else in the world. She had you and loved you before she even knew me. I would have never wanted her to give you up and the fact that it was never even considered by her was one of the many reasons I loved her so much. She knew Daniel would be fine with me, but she couldn’t bear to leave you behind. Rachel didn’t even think about the risk to herself when she left. She only thought about bringing all of us together.”

Nyla completely understood. It was Ethan’s selflessness that made him so dear to her, which was the same quality that had made Rachel so dear to Carlos. Nyla had tried to tell Ethan how she felt, but she didn’t think he had heard her through all the chaos the night before, and now she would never have another chance to tell him what was in her heart and make him understand how much he meant to her.

“I am so happy you are finally here. Rachel wanted that more than she wanted it for herself. We had some wonderful times and she wanted you to experience life to its fullest. She wanted you to see things you’d never seen, taste foods you never had, do things you probably hadn’t even dreamed of, love and be loved, and most importantly she wanted you to have the option to make your own choices about your future. In this country, life isn’t black, white, or even gray, it is full of color. It may not be perfect or always safe, but that is our choice.”

During the few hours she had been in Mexico, her mother’s wishes for her had already begun to be fulfilled. Fried food in America had been outlawed because it was deemed unhealthy, but her first breakfast in Mexico was something Nyla knew she would never forget. She looked down at her hand-sewn skirt and was amazed at the intricate detail and vibrant colors. Nothing was handmade back home, so everyone pretty much looked alike in their mass-produced clothing. But, the most astonishing thing was that people who didn’t even know her had opened their hearts and their homes to her and her friends, and as she studied the man next to her, she knew she was loved.

“It is lovely and you are even more beautiful than your mother described,” Carlos said as he watched Nyla trace the design of her new skirt with her fingers.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can ever repay your kindness.”

“You being here is payment enough. You have helped me fulfill my promise to Rachel. I would love to hear about her. How is she doing? Did she send any messages for me?”

Nyla looked at Carlos, his soft brown eyes pleading for information about the woman he loved. As she stared into his kind eyes, hers began to fill with tears. She didn’t know how to tell him and she wasn’t sure she could utter the words. She wished he would look away, but he was hungry, starving for any news of Rachel. She couldn’t deny him what he deserved to know.

“She died,” Nyla whispered.

“When?”

“The night before last.”

“How can you know? You had already left.”

Nyla looked down at her fingers, still rubbing a small piece of the skirt’s fabric. She was ashamed of herself for not realizing it sooner.

“The last time I saw her I asked her what she would tell you if she had the chance. She said she would tell you to take care of her babies and that she loved you until the day that she died.”