CHAPTER THIRTY

The sun grew hotter, forcing Nyla and Carlos off the cliff edge. They strolled back to the village in silence, both deep in thought. Nyla was sad about her mother, but not in the way she thought she would be. She would never see her again and that had not changed. Being locked up had been an unbearable torture for Rachel. As much as it pained Nyla that her mother was gone, she was comforted in knowing Rachel’s suffering was over.

Nyla reached out to Carlos. He stopped and turned toward her.

“I’m so sorry to bring you sad news about Mother, but you know her spirit was not one to be caged. She’s free now and her anguish has ended. If I’d known she would continue to exist in her personal hell until I helped you keep your promise to her, I might have tried to run sooner.”

Carlos pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She tensed, afraid the authorities would come rushing over to halt the public display of affection, but then realized she no longer had anything to fear. She wrapped her arms around him and held on to him.

As they approached Carlos’ house, Nyla had an epiphany. Her pace quickened until she was jogging down the dirt track leading through the village. The sadness over the loss of her mother eased and was replaced by hope.

Nyla didn’t wait for Carlos as she burst through the door. Her eyes darted from Claire to Jared to Daniel, and settled on Ethan. The group fell silent, all eyes on Nyla as she gasped to catch her breath.

Ethan stood to face her. His clothes were torn and he was covered with dried mud, but she saw very little blood or other visible injuries.

“Well, don’t just stand there,” he said with a sly grin on his face.

Nyla raced to him and threw her arms around his neck. “I was so scared.”

“When I saw the weapons the border agents were carrying and how nervous and clumsy they were with them, I was pretty certain they couldn’t hit the broadside of a building and thankfully I was right. I can’t believe they weren’t better equipped with more sophisticated weapons. There are guns now which have bullets that can actually track the target.”

“Then what took you so long?”

“I found a good place to hide, but I hadn’t made it across the river. I had planned to lay low until they left, but they didn’t. They kept looking and the other shift came on and joined them. I don’t know how long I would’ve had to stay hidden if these two hadn’t lured the agents down the river and out of sight.”

“Daniel, show these men where they can get cleaned up and give them some new clothes,” Carlos stated.

Nyla hated to let Ethan go, but he did look rough and she knew how much better she felt after washing up and putting on new clothes. While they waited, Carlos brought out an album filled with photographs of her mother and Daniel as a baby. She could hear the affection in his voice as he explained why each photograph had been taken. The last page was blank and they stared at it for several seconds in silence.

“I’ll be right back,” Nyla said as she went to the room where she had awoken.

She dug through all the items she had brought with her and sighed with relief when she found what she was looking for and quickly returned to the kitchen.

“Here,” she said as she handed it to Carlos. “These are your in-laws, and of course this is Mother, your Rachel, as a little girl.”

Carlos took the picture from her and gazed at it with affection in his eyes. He had never met Rachel’s parents and siblings, but had heard a great deal about them. He always wished he had the opportunity to meet them—now his vision of Rachel’s family was complete.

“Perfect. I can’t think of a better picture to fill our family album and now we can start a new one,” he said as he secured the picture in the book.

Daniel, Jared and Ethan returned. They were clean and dressed in new starched white shirts and blue jeans. Nyla couldn’t help but appreciate how the shirt brought out Ethan’s strong dark features. His hair was darker than usual since it was wet and his skin always held a bronzed hue from so much time working outside on the farm. Jared looked good too, but his fairer features didn’t contrast as dramatically against the crisp white shirt as Ethan’s.

“Come,” Carlos stated as he led the group out of the house.

Nyla was stunned when she saw the crowd gathered at the village square. As each person arrived, a new dish was added to others on a long table. People crowded around Nyla and her friends, hugging them and speaking so fast their words were jumbled with the next person’s.

An old woman approached Nyla and much of the chatter ceased. Nyla knew without any introduction she was Carlos’ mother.

“Welcome home, Granddaughter. Any child of Rachel’s is a grandchild of mine.” The woman put an arm around Nyla and led her toward the table. “Now eat. You’re too thin.”

The crowd became noisy again and gathered around the food.

“See, Ethan was fine. You were wrong about your gut feeling,” Claire told Nyla as they waited for their turn at the feast.

“I was certain someone had died. I just assumed it was Ethan after hearing the shots, because I was so focused on the present. I’m still certain someone has died, but when I was told the death was coming I was too preoccupied with my own problems to internalize the forewarning. Mother is gone, Claire. She told me the last time I saw her, I just didn’t comprehend her, or at least I didn’t want to understand, so denied what I’d heard.”

Claire consoled her friend the best she could. They kept their voices low so as not to let anyone overhear. The gathering had evolved into a joyful welcome party and Nyla didn’t want to dampen the festive atmosphere or seem ungrateful. She was still full from breakfast, but heaped her plate with food and joined her friends and new family under a nearby tree. They laughed and talked the afternoon away.

As the sun set, several of the village men retrieved instruments and began to play lively music, unlike anything Nyla had ever heard before. A beautiful young woman stood up and began to sing, while others danced and children screamed and ran about wildly.

“Would you like to dance?” Carlos asked as he extended his hand to Nyla.

“I’ve never done it before. I have no idea how.”

“It’s time you learn.” He pulled her to her feet. “Just relax and follow me.”

One song ran into another and before long, Claire and Jared drifted by. They looked as if they had been dancing all their lives and their expressions showed how much they were enjoying themselves. Nyla spotted Ethan talking to Daniel and watching her as he spoke. She smiled and motioned him over. As he approached, Carlos released her to make room for Ethan.

“Looks easy enough.” Ethan slipped an arm around her waist, grabbed her other hand in his and twirled her around.

Nyla laughed and her head spun, not from the turns, but from all the excitement and drama of the day. She was finally home, though she knew a small void would always exist where her memories of her mother and grandmother resided.

The band slowed and Ethan followed the rest of the couples by pulling Nyla close to him. The smooth rhythm helped Nyla relax and she rested her head on Ethan’s shoulder. He leaned over close to her ear.

“I love you too,” he whispered as the song ended and the band regained the frenetic tempo of the earlier songs. Before she could respond, Ethan twirled her away from him so quickly that she was thankful he didn’t let go of her hand or she would have spun across the entire plaza.

Daniel cut in and led her through a new dance before handing her off to Jared. Jared danced in the direction of Claire and Ethan and they traded partners again. Nyla was exhausted and thirsty, but she didn’t want this night to ever end. It was the beginning of the rest of her life and the reason her mother had risked everything to bring her family together in Mexico.

Nyla had held on to her mother’s dream for many years and though it hadn’t turned out the way it should have, Nyla believed her mother was with them in spirit and would now be able to enjoy the peace she deserved for eternity.

The End