Everyone looked nervous now, looking around warily.
An old Mexican woman, probably almost a hundred years old said, “Tonta! Pendeja! Stupid. She makes the Mexicans do the...the…work of the gutter. She don’t like us cause she says we’re wetbacks. My family has been in Texas since it was Mexico!”
“Total bitch,” a woman said who looked like she had been some sort of professional. “She won’t talk to any of us. She stays up on the second floor and looks down at us. I know she’s behind them doing some sort of weird questionnaire on everyone.”
“Yeah. That was kinda weird and scary,” Amy agreed.
“Esta tonta! Pendeja! Tocha,” the old Hispanic woman muttered.
Jenni giggled, reminded of her own late Mexican grandmother. The woman was on a roll with her insults.
“Things are not good here,” Amy said to Jenni. “Not at all. We’re all hungry. We’re all scared. Nothing is getting better. It only gets worse.”
Bill folded his hands on the table and looked at the people gathered around. “The fort has room for everyone here. I just don’t think the Senator will let y’all go there and live with us. I think she’s gonna try to take over our home, too.” Murmurs of discontent spread through the group.
“Is it really better for y’all? Really?” Amy’s expression was hopeful.
Jenni looked around at all the tired, smelly people with their desperate expressions. “Yeah. It is.” The old Mexican woman hit the top of the table with her cane. “Then we go with you. The puta stays here.”
Everyone laughed until Bill coughed nervously as the Senator appeared on a walkway above them. Everyone lapsed into silence, a few people drifting away.
“I’m not sure what is going on,” Bill said at last, when the Senator walked away. “But I’m sure if we can get you good people to the fort, you are more than welcome there.”
Expressions of hope appeared on the faces around them and Jenni looked at Bill nervously. She leaned toward him and whispered, “Bill, how are we going to get all these people there?”
“Dunno…but…damn..they gotta have hope,” Bill answered. Jenni looked up to see the people talking around her and realized that what had been missing since she had arrived was a sense of hope. Now it was spreading like wildfire and the very desperate expressions were giving away to smiles.
“Gotta have hope, Jenni,” Bill repeated. “Gotta have hope.”
2. Preparing the Way
Travis could always tell when his wife was on edge. She’d stand with her legs slightly apart, arms crossed, one hip shifted to one side, her chin set firmly. Walking into the lobby of the hotel, he saw her posture and thought “crap.” Moving up behind her, he looked over her shoulder to see at least fifteen people sitting around on the sofas and love seats, backpacks, suitcases and even pillow cases, all packed up and ready to go.
“Do I want to know?”
“They’re waiting for the army to come rescue them,” Katie answered in a low voice. “Ingrates.”
“Katie,” Travis chuckled.
“They are! We risked our asses to go out there and rescue them and this is the thanks we get? Them ditching their chores and sitting around waiting for the army?” Her eyes were flashing with indignation.
“You know,” Travis said with a slow smile. “You’re kinda sexy when you’re feisty.”
Katie frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“Hormones,” Nerit whispered walking by.
“I am not hormonal!” Katie said passionately. Travis grinned and chuckled. “Right.”
Katie narrowed her eyes even more and pointed at him with one long finger. “You’re just lucky I love you.” Turning on her heel, she stomped away.
“Pregnant lady coming through! Step aside!” Calhoun shouted as Katie walked toward the dining room. “She’s loaded and dangerous.”
Katie flung up her hands at Calhoun before vanishing down the hall. “She’s really cute pregnant,” Travis decided to no one in particular.
“I can’t believe they’re pulling this shit,” Curtis said joining him. “There are more coming down the stairs, all excited that the army is going to come rescue them.” “You can’t take offense, Curtis. I’m a little peeved, too, but they just hope things are better somewhere else.”
“But it’s bullshit. After everything we’ve done for them!” Curtis’ young face was scrunched up with his anger. “Rescuing them, bringing them in, giving them shelter, giving them food...”
“We’ve all done it together. Just some of the latecomers don’t realize how much the original group did.” Travis tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and watched the little crowd grow larger. He noticed some dark looks among those walking by. This was not going to be a pleasant situation, he realized.
“They’re not country folk. They’re not used to having to pull it together and keep going. Working together to beat the odds,” Curtis said in a low voice.
Looking over the group Travis realized it consisted mostly of people from either larger towns or the city. “Well, I’m from the city and so is Katie and Jenni and a few others.”
“Exceptions. They’re just lazy,” Curtis scoffed.
“Curtis, you’re too young to be so bitter,” Travis said with a little frown. Peggy appeared out of the hallway that led to the hotel offices. She was flushed and anxious, “Travis! Travis! The military is calling us back.”
“Told you!” Calhoun whooped. “I told you!”
Travis ran across the lobby as the small group of people began to applaud. Curtis threw them a nasty look, then followed Travis into the communication center.
*
Katie sat down next to Juan’s bed and gave him a smile. In her hand she had a bowl of grits, hot and buttery, for him. He had awakened early in the morning and it was her first chance to see him.
“Katie,” he whispered in a dry voice. “Anything yet?”
Katie shook her head and stirred the grits slowly. “Not yet. But you know Jenni. She’s okay.” Juan looked better than he had, though a bit pale. He sighed and ran a hand over his curls. “I wanted to wake up and see her beside me. I was hoping the stupid shit with that puta shooting me was just a nightmare.”
“Blanche was a total bitch,” Katie agreed. “And according to Calhoun, a dead stupid bitch.” Juan slightly smiled. “Can’t say I feel bad about that.”
“Me neither.”
“I miss Loca, Katie. I just want her home.”
“We’re working on that,” Katie answered softly. “I miss her, too. I want her back here with us.” “If she doesn’t come back, I don’t think I can take that,” Juan said after a beat.
Katie set the bowl down and took his hand between hers. “Juan, there is one thing I know about Jenni. She will do everything in her power to get home to you. She loves you.”
Juan exhaled slowly. “I know. I know. She’s just so loca.”
“You need to get better so when she does get home she can jump your bones at will,” Katie added with a grin. “She is a horny little loca bitch,” Juan conceded with a smile.
Katie grinned and picked up the grits, stirring them again. “So, are ya hungry?”