At ten-thirty, only one box remained unreported. The race had tightened. Garza still trailed, but only by 22 votes. He had received almost 80 percent of the last district to report. Now it was down to the final precinct. The crowd had begun to regain life. The clamor of excitement had returned, and so had some of the people who had left earlier.
Eleven-thirty, and still no change in the totals. The final box was still being counted by hand. The reporter announced, “The auto tabulator has malfunctioned and we’ll just have to wait for the election judges to complete the count.”
About ten minutes later, the music was interrupted for a special election update live from the county courthouse. “This is Roy Berry with the final results of the sheriff’s race. It’s now official. Rio County has a new sheriff. Rey Garza has won this special election by only eighteen votes. Garza 4009 to Causy’s 3991.
The customers were jubilant. Tony rushed to turn up the radio when Berry said, “And now a few words from Sheriff-elect Garza.”
Rey began to speak. “This is a new beginning. We will finally have justice in Rio County.” Sierra thought he sounded nice and well educated. “I want everyone to know that I’ll have an open door policy at the sheriff’s office. My office is there for all the people regardless of race or creed. God bless you all.”
Both the crowd at the courthouse and in the Magic Valley cafe was cheering. Sierra noticed that almost everyone was hugging someone. She felt so alone and betrayed. “I hate you Randy,” she said in a whisper. Then she realized she had no one to blame but herself. It’s not Randy’s fault any more than it’s mine, she thought as she carried a tray of cups and glasses back into the kitchen. She washed them alone. Everyone else was out front celebrating the new justice for this part of South Texas.
Chapter 8
The sun was already high when Sierra woke. Quietly she turned in her bed to see if anyone else was still asleep. She stared at the huge Lady GaGa poster over Sandra’s bed, but Sandra was already up and her bed made. Rosemary was gone. Her bed was made in her usual haphazard “best I can do” way. Sierra was alone in the bedroom and, as she listened, the house was quiet.
She opened the door and walked through the house, a little surprised to find no one at home. Her mother had left a note stuck on the refrigerator with a magnet-Gone to Mass and then to the Garza victory celebration in the park. “I guess they’re too ashamed of me to take me out in public, except to work. Well, that’s okay by me,” she pouted.
After a long warm shower, she wadded up the note that was on the refrigerator door. Then she opened the door to get some milk for her bowl of Froot Loops. It was ten-thirty and there was nothing on the TV except religious jerks asking for you to send them money. She turned the set off and stacked her dirty dishes in the sink.
The rules to wash what you mess up don’t apply when you’re not home Mama, she thought. Sierra went back into her bedroom, turned on the radio and found a station out of San Antonio that played only the wildest rock. She curled up against the headboard and pouted. “How could I have been so stupid? I hate you Randy, and your secret invention. Phooey on you and your Sangria.”
Lunchtime came and went. About two-thirty Sierra ate some Snack Well chocolate cookies and a glass of milk, then went back into her room. She looked at the clock. It was six-twenty when she heard the car drive up.
“Sierra, get out here and clean up this mess in the sink,” her mother hollered.
“Que tienes?” her dad asked. Everyone was staring at her.
“No me heches a mi la culpa!” she stammered in frustration.
“Quien tiene la culpa? Me parece que la culpa es tuya. Whose fault do you think it is Sierra? Your mother’s or mine? Perhaps we should hold your sisters to blame for you staying out all night and then pouting for two days. I told you that we’d not speak about Friday night again and I won’t, but you’ve got to get your head back on straight. Escuchame!” Then in a softer voice her dad said, “Oyeme, mi hijita, I love you and I always will. But none of us are going to put up with you acting like a six-year-old.
“Desculpame. Lo siento mucho, I’ll clean up the dishes and then I’ve got to study. I’ve got one more test Monday and then I’m out for the summer. I’m sorry about the dishes, okay?”
Everyone seemed to disappear somewhere in the house as she washed and dried the dishes. Her mother watched with sad eyes as Sierra went into the bedroom to study.
Chapter 9
At school, three boys asked her for a date for the next Saturday night. It seemed that every boy in school was looking at her and smiling as if they knew. How could everyone know, she wondered? Surely Randy wouldn’t tell everyone in school. No way, she reassured herself. At lunch break, Connie Gonzales came and sat down beside her in the cafeteria. She had no more than opened the small milk container when she said, “Well, you did it, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“Randy’s telling everyone in school you and him did it.”
“Oh my God, how could he? Connie, he’s a liar, a liar. I hate him.”
“I told everyone he was lying, but it’s all over school.”
Sierra saw Randy sitting at a table near the wall laughing with several other boys. She got up and walked toward his table. When he looked up and saw her coming, his grin seemed to fade a little. She walked around to where he was sitting and, when he started to get up, she punched him as hard as she could right in the eye.
He was so taken aback by the fact that she had hit him, and by the power she wielded, he tripped over his own chair and did a backward somersault under the table. The cafeteria roared with laughter. Mr. Ramirez grabbed her elbow just as she kicked Randy in what he had been so proud of last Friday night. Randy rolled on the floor in pain as Mr. Ramirez pulled her off, forced her out the cafeteria doors and led her to the Principal’s office.
“Sierra what’s gotten into you? My word, young lady, hitting a boy in the face.” Mr. Ramirez was the school principal. Most of the time Sierra liked him. He’s sort of sexy, she had told Connie one day last week. Now he was red-faced and angry. “You leave me no choice but to suspend you for three days. Since this is the last day of school this year, you go home now. I’ll count this as one day. Then you’ll take the first two days off when school starts in August. I’m calling your mother to pick you up.” Sierra didn’t say anything. She stared at the floor in the Principal’s office.
“Go on Sierra. Wait for your mother in Mrs. Thompson’s office. I’ll see you next year on the third day of school, understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
The waiting in Mrs. Thompson’s office seemed to last two hours, but Sierra knew it was only about ten minutes before her mother came. She signed the withdrawal slip and motioned for Sierra to come. Neither said a word until they were in the car.
“Why Sierra? You’ve never done anything like this before. You’ve always been a good girl. Then you disobey your father and come home at daylight. You’ve pouted and shirked your responsibilities for two days. And now you’ve been expelled from school for fighting. Que lio! Cada uno tiene su modo de matar pulgas. You’ve gone too far this time. Your father is going to hit the roof when he finds out. De los dos males, cual es el menor, tell me or tell your father?
Sierra was quiet for a while. When her mother did not start the car, she decided she had to talk with someone, but she knew it could not be her mother. How could she tell her mother that she had gotten drunk and let Randy have sex with her?
No way. I’ll talk with Sandra, she thought. No, Sandra would tell Mama as soon as I left the room. I’ll talk with Connie tomorrow or whenever I can get out of the house again. She said nothing and looked down at the floor