Chapter 4: Roast

Reina struggled to wake, with the smell of coffee in her nose.

“Good morning, Tracy, that was awfully nice of you to make coffee. Now pour it out.”

“Wha–?”

“Those little in-room coffeemakers are very unclean and the coffee is lousy. They will have actual coffee downstairs. Give me a minute to pee and dress and I’ll go fetch us some. And how is Cia?”

“She’s really good. She only cried twice, and neither time caused you to wake up. There’s a box of diapers here. What happened?”

“I went to the front desk and did some begging. Are they OK?”

“You bet they are! Thank you.”

While trying not to be obvious, Tracy took in the enjoyable spectacle of naked Reina as she moved around the room getting dressed.

Caffeinated

“Alright, Tracy. I think since we have slept together (hee-hee!) it’s time you told me all about yourself.”

“I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, I’m Tracy Walsh, I am 22, my little girl here is Alicia Hopkins, my niece, 12 weeks old. I call her ‘Cia’ for short. I can see the question mark floating over your head, I will explain. And please, call me ‘T,’ that’s what I like.

“My mother was a warehouse worker, there was never a father for me and my sister in our lives. And very little money. Mom died from flu and sepsis when I was 14 and we were on our own. Diane took off four years later when I turned 18, and I only saw her intermittently in the years since.

“At some point, I gather, she took up with this Hopkins guy, and they were living in Clovis, um, that’s in California up near Fresno.

“Hopkins was in his 50’s and in poor health. He was also a Trump follower, so COVID mowed him down like a dandelion. Cia was born just before he died, and his name’s on her birth certificate.

“I did have some contact with Diane in those first few months of Cia’s life. She sent me a couple of photos, that sort of thing.

“I didn’t know this, but there are unexpected health risks in the months after delivering a child. Two weeks ago, Diane had a sudden fatal stroke.”

“My God! T, I’m so sorry.”

“Cia was lucky because they found her on the floor with the body right away. She was only wet and hungry; it was just a couple of hours after Diane died.

“Eventually the police figured out how to get into Diane’s phone and call my number in Dallas with the news.

“So, Cia is now my daughter to raise. They have provided me with an order of legal guardianship. I was on my way back to Texas with her when the storm caught us.”

“Instant motherhood! I guess you didn’t have the big belly and the 20 hours of labor.”

“That’s right, Reina. But, obviously, I have no titty milk, which would really help right now. No child support, no welfare. I was looking for work when I got the call, and now I’m dead broke.

“To be honest, I am afraid the state of Texas is going to be taking her from me, because I can’t...”

She was so distraught, no more sounds came from her open mouth, her body shaking.

“T, T, oh, honey, be brave. It’s going to be OK.”

The two women were sitting on the edge of the mattress, hip to hip. Reina’s arm was draped over T’s shoulders, for comfort and support. Wisely, Reina simply held on, waiting for the new mother to calm down.

Cia slept on, peacefully, a blessing.

Reina

“Well, there’s less drama in MY life, for sure. My name is Reina Carneros, I’m 31 years old. Please, call me ‘Rei.’ My parents have passed, my father was Mexican-American and my mother was one-half Mexican-American and one-half white. I speak Spanish with difficulty. I live in Phoenix.

“My brother David is married to Rachael and lives in Flagstaff; that’s another half-hour east of here, when the highway is open. I planned to stop there on my way back home from Nevada where I had some business.

“David’s son, my nephew Sam, is only two, so I have had experience with caring for him being his tía, uh, his auntie. Rachael had a couple of bad months post-partum, so I had them staying with me while she was in treatment. David and I took care of little Sam.