Chapter 4

“Buenas noches, Señor y Señora Márquez. Es un placer conocerlos.”

Hector studied the young man standing before him. “Well, his accent is a bit off, but sure, we can go for nachos on the way home, if you want.”

“PAPA!” Karmen was aghast at her father’s comment.

“Don’t mind him.” Sylvia smiled. “He likes to think he’s funny.” Stepping forward, she gave Scott a brief hug. “It’s good to see you again, since we really didn’t get a chance to know you from last year.”

“Thank you for allowing me to visit. It’s greatly appreciated.”

“When did you learn Spanish?” Karmen and Felicia were curious.

“I found an online program a few weeks ago. I’m not that good yet, but I figured it would be a good thing to learn, since someone,” and he paused to wink at Karmen, “sometimes forgets her English when she is excited.”

Karmen giggled.

After getting his luggage, the family was soon heading back home. As Felicia had predicted, Scott found himself in the third row seat with Karmen, but all they did was hold hands as she chattered excitedly, about the next few days.

“I told my teachers that you are going to be visiting. A few said that it will be nice to have a new perspective on some of the lessons! And all my friends want to meet you! You’ll meet most of them at lunch.”

“Have them all wear name tags,” Scott joked. “Because I’m not good at remembering names. At least I know yours and Felicia’s.”

“Sorry. You’re on your own. I have a different lunch period!” Felicia didn’t mention that her boyfriend, ‘Tank’, would be keeping an eye on things, just in case.

“Relax. You’ll be with me. Tomorrow is a normal schedule day and Friday we have shorter periods to allow time in the afternoon for the pep rally!”

At the house, Scott was shown where he would be staying. At first, he was going to sleep on a pull out sofa, but Lupe’s old bedroom was available.

The girls were in the kitchen, as Scott was unpacking. Hector knocked on the door as he came in. “Can we talk for a few minutes?”

“Certainly, sir.”

“I’m not sure just how much Karmen has told you about the family, and me in particular. So I’ll just be right up front and say it now. I’m an asshole.”

Scott blinked.

“As my wife and I have told Karmen, we’re putting a great deal of trust in the two of you to behave. Watching my baby launch herself into your arms, earlier, it was difficult for me. I understand that the two of you have strong feelings for each other, but remember, she is one of the most precious things in my world. And as I mentioned, I’m an asshole, especially when it comes to taking care of my family. I don’t think I need to say anything more, true?”

“Señior Marquez, I will tell you the same thing I told Lupe back in August. I love Karmen and will never intentionally do anything to hurt her. She is too precious to me and I would rather die first. And I do understand that this can’t be easy for you or your wife. Some guy suddenly shows up and your daughter is so excited. But I promise that we will not betray your trust. You have my word.”

“Good. And one final thing. Knock off the ‘Señior Marquez’ stuff and just call me ‘Hector’. Okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Scott called his parents, to let them know he was safe with the Marquez family. His father ended up talking with Hector a few minutes. Greg just laughed when Hector stated that if Scott wasn’t careful, Karmen would be dragging him in front of Padre Alvarez before the weekend was over.

“PAPA!!!”

Scott was confused. “Who is that?”

“The priest at our church,” Felicia smirked.

Scott accepted the fact that he was a topic of curiosity the next day. Karmen had brought him with her to her classes and introduced him to her teachers and friends. He stayed mostly quiet as the lectures were given but at one point during a question and answer session, he had to speak up. The topic was concerning the American Civil War. When the teacher started the lecture, she stated that the primary reason for the war was slavery.

Scott made the mistake of rolling his eyes slightly, and the teacher zeroed in on him. “Would you like to add your thoughts, Scott?”

Feeling that he was about to put his foot into his mouth all the way to his knee, he nodded. “Before I say much, I want to let all of you know that I have family from that part of the country and they fought on both sides of the conflict. Yes, the subject of slavery was an issue, but it was brought up as a reason to fight well after the war had been going on for a few years. The Lincoln administration discovered that a lot of people in the North, or the Union, were at the point of saying that the war was too costly, both financially as well as in lives lost. Slavery was a later topic to motivate the citizens to continue the fight.

“I have walked the fields of Gettysburg, and even after all this time, you can imagine thousands of men, fighting, being wounded, and calling out in agony as they drew their last breath. A person can just dig a few inches down into the dirt and find round-shot or bullets. It’s an area that’s so beautiful and yet has the pall of death hanging over it even after so many years.

“My distant family members moved to California in the 1870’s to escape the aftermath of the war and build a new life.”

“Eloquent,” the teacher nodded. “But the reason for the war, if not slavery?”

“States’ Rights. A number of people believed that they were not being properly represented in the government, and wanted to break away and establish a new nation. Something similar happened roughly eight decades earlier when a strongly worded letter was sent across the Atlantic to some fellow named ‘George’.”

He paused, looking over at Karmen to make sure she wasn’t ready to kill him. She was smiling and he continued. “Initially, the war was to try and keep the Union, The United States of America, intact. Had the Confederacy been allowed to break away, or had won the war, I have no idea how things would have worked out. I mean no disrespect, but please remember that old saying of ‘History is written by the winners.’ I’m going to be quiet now.”