“What about Marcia and that nice boy, Joel?”
“Yeah, well, Marcia’s been nice, but Joel is just a…a…well, you know, a boy.”
“And what’s the matter with a boy?” her father asked with his head cocked to one side.
“Oh, Dad, you know what I mean.”
“He’s not older like that creep, Raymond. Is that it?” her father said.
Beth’s eyes flew open. Her parents had never once mentioned Raymond, and she had presumed they hadn’t known about him.
“Look, young lady, your mother and I realize you’ll meet a lot of different people, but right now you’re rudderless,” her father said in his gruff manner. “You’ll learn one day that your actions must be governed by more than just spurts of mindless energy.”
“Next year you’ll be a senior, and it’s important you keep your grades up.” Her mother justified all discipline with this argument.
Beth raised her chin. “My grades are okay.”
“Okay isn’t good enough these days.” Her father’s fair skin was bright red from his day in the sun, but it made him appear angrier than Beth thought he ought to be. After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong. “Are we expecting too much from you?” her father asked.
“No.” Beth had trouble controlling her breathing. “But you’re both mad at me and each other all the time now.”
“I don’t recall yelling at you, Beth.” Her father cleared his throat; a look passed between her parents. “You’ve got to take responsibility for your actions.”
Beth felt it was her fault her parents didn’t get along any more. No matter what she did, it was wrong. She leaned over and stroked Muffin’s silky head.
“We’ve decided,” her father said, standing up, “that you’re going to visit your godmother, Lucia, in Mexico this summer.”
Beth’s mouth dropped open. This was the last thing she’d expected. “Does Lucia know? Will she want me?”
Beth’s mother smiled. “We talked to Lucia earlier about such a visit. This isn’t a spur of the moment idea, although today’s events pushed us to a decision.” The tick of the hall clock stroked through the silence of a long pause before her mother continued. “She’s looking forward to your visit. You’ve always enjoyed her visits here.”
“My Spanish isn’t that good.”
“You always get As in Spanish,” her father said and sat back down. “Being in the country will improve your linguistic ability. It’s the best way to learn.”
“You can speak to Lucia in English if you need to,” her mother said. “She takes teenagers on her archeology digs. They help out. You’ll enjoy it.”
“You’re not just trying to get rid of me for the summer? You won’t separate or anything while I’m gone?”
Her father raised his eyebrows. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
Her mother’s gaze faltered. Was she trying to convey a message to Beth? Something was wrong, but Beth was too scared to ask.
Chapter 2
It had all happened too fast. When school let out for the summer, Beth flew to Mexico City. After going through customs, Beth found everything muddled as people pushed, shoved, and greeted each other in chattering Spanish. She understood only a smattering of words. At least she could read the signs pointing the way to the street. The people reminded her of geese swarming onto a lake, and she was caught in the middle. She searched the crowd for Doctora Lucia Delgado, her mother’s long time college roommate and Beth’s godmother. At last she heard a familiar voice.
“Beth. Beth Sorenson, over here.”
There was Lucia, smiling broadly and waving her arms over the head of the woman in front of her. Beth hurried forward to be greeted by a loving embrace.
“Hola, my chiquita. Welcome to Mexico.” Lucia’s black eyes flashed with love and joy. “Come along.” Lucia grabbed Beth’s shoulder bag and let Beth wheel her heavier suitcase.
In a whirlwind of greetings, well wishes, and small talk, they bustled off to the parking area. Astonishment spread across Beth’s face when they stopped next to a beat up green pickup truck. The frame perched higher above the chassis than a normal truck. It was so unlike the Lucia that Beth knew. Even now in the summer afternoon heat, Lucia’s maroon business suit was impeccable, her black high heels spotless, and her short dark hair glistened with a gold barrette. Beth, who had worn jeans on the plane, felt raunchy next to her.
Lucia opened the tailgate to the camper shell and tossed Beth’s shoulder bag inside and motioned Beth to put her suitcase in the back. After settling in the truck’s cab, Lucia hesitated, leaned against her door, and took stock of Beth.
“You’ve gotten prettier since I last saw you, more of a woman, more like your mother.” She patted Beth’s hand as she said this. “I’m delighted your parents had enough sense to send you to me.”
“Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Why they sent me here?” Beth studied Lucia’s face. “They’re mad at me, and I think they’re having marriage troubles and wanted me out of the way.”
“That’s news to me.” The truck’s engine rumbled as Lucia turned the key. “Elaine sounded happy over the phone, and Paul has always been the quiet Nordic brooding type. There was no hint of anything amiss. The felt you needed a change of scenery and a good dose of Mexican happiness. Sometimes our imagination begins when we don’t understand something.”
“What don’t I understand?” Beth asked.
“That only you can say.” Lucia maneuvered the truck out onto Avenida Rio Churubusco.
“Is this truck yours?” Beth asked, changing the subject.
“Surprised? I need it for my trips to the various archeological digs. I’m off to a dig this weekend, so you’ll get a full lesson on what life’s like in the jungle. You’re dressed for rugged work, I see.”
“Yeah, but I hadn’t figured on the jungle. Are we going through downtown Mexico City now?”
“Madre de Dios. Not if I can help it. I take the bus or a peso cab when I go into town. I live in Colonia San Angel near the University.”
Lucia’s short arms and heavy torso seemed to encircle the steering wheel. Beth grinned at the picture she made, then she looked out the window. It was all so unbelievable to be here. Only a few hours ago she’d said good-bye to her parents at the Los Angeles airport. “What time is it?”
“Thirteen fifteen. You’ll get used to the twenty-four hour clock system here. We’re on what you call Central Time, two hours later than Los Angeles. Perhaps you know that we have our main meal at midday and eat supper around twenty two hours. That’s ten o’clock in your time system. Rosario, my landlady, is having a barbecue for us. She’s a great cook, and I often buy meals from her, so I don’t have to prepare them myself.
“Tomorrow I must be at the University early, but later we’ll go into the city to meet a friend of mine, and I’ll take you on a short tour of the Museo Nacional De Anthropologia. What do you say to that?”
Beth shrugged. “Whatever you think.”
“Good. I think it best, because the following day we leave for the state of Guerrero and the Local Institute of Man in the town of San Jeronimo. That’s on the coast. There you’ll meet the other students who work and study in connection with the University in the fields of anthropology, paleontology or archeology. Also there’s a special site at San Jose