Chapter 6

In the ensuing weeks, Margarita took two lengthy runs with me in the rig, one to Boise, Idaho and the other to Los Angeles. On each trip, our English/Spanish lessons made the time speed by, and I found myself more relaxed on those long-distance runs than I had felt in many years.

Margarita proved to have a razor-sharp mind and quickly began to pick up the language. After a few days of the basics, we adopted a system of informal story-telling, wherein I would relate a lengthy "story" in English -- often a more-or-less true, if not-necessarily-exciting, incident from my past. Then Margarita was obliged to repeat the story back to me, in whatever mixture of English and Spanish she could manage. The Spanish sometimes proved necessary in order to communicate the fact that she had actually understood what I had just told her.

As the days went by, she was more and more capable of answering entirely in English, adequate-enough English that I could be certain she was following the pattern of my speech in the new language. Gently, I would correct her grammatical construction and phrasing, explaining (as well as I could) the reasons for the grammatical rules I was teaching.

Between times, when we were at home, the lessons continued, broken by periods during which Margarita helped Carol with her children. With Margarita available to greet the two school-aged Turner children when they arrived home each day from school, Carol was able to extend her working hours a little, thus augmenting the family's income. Margarita was offered, but would not accept, payment for her childcare and housekeeping services.

One week in late June, Earl and I teamed up to run a load from Amarillo to Milwaukee, leaving the Turner Family and Margarita back in Albuquerque to fend for themselves. We had some dead time on the wrong end of that run before we could secure a load for the return trip west. We were away from home for six days, and the evening I returned home, Margarita greeted me with undisguised enthusiasm.

She gave me a very adult hug the moment that I came in the front door, and before I could close the door behind me. Earl, who'd just left the rig and was preparing to walk to his own home, witnessed the whole thing.

I knew he'd have something to say about it, the next time we were alone.

The big hug was the first intimacy that Margarita and I had ever shared, and she hadn't asked my permission before wrapping her arms around me and affording me a sudden and shocking introduction to her well-cushioned breasts, pressed closely against my chest.

I automatically returned the hug, but didn't squeeze back as long or as hard as Margarita did. She was in no hurry to let me go, and her warm little body was plastered up against me so closely we couldn't have gotten a Kleenex between us.

I began to get an erection and I started trying to pry the young girl off my chest before she could notice.

But she noticed, all right.

"I am very glad that you are home!" she said, in perfect English.

"I'm happy to be here," I said.

"I could tell!" Margarita said, laughing.

I'm pretty sure I blushed. She might be not-yet 18, but she had a wicked, and very adult, sense of humor.

"I'm sorry about that," I told her.

"It's only five more weeks now," she said, "before my birthday!"

"Yes. But there is the English to learn. And the independence to earn."

"My English is getting pretty good," she said.

"Yes! It's very good! You learn more, in my absence, than when I am here, teaching you!"

"It is because of Carol!" Margarita said. "She has no Spanish. And the children. I must speak English to them, or say nothing at all!"

"Motivation," I said.

"Que?"

"No-no-no -- not 'que, '. The word is, 'what?' You don't know the word, 'motivation, ' so when you want to ask me what it means, you say, 'What?' Or you can say, "I - don't - know - what - 'motivation' - means."

So she did. "I don't know what it means, this word, mo-to-vacation."

I laughed. "Not 'motovacation.' -- Motivation. It means, when you were with Carol, you were forced to speak English, in order to be understood at all. So you had a stronger reason to learn it, and to use it. You had 'motivation.'"

"Yes! Because, with you, if I don't have a word, I can say it to you in Spanish!"

"But, no more!" I said. "You have learned so much already. From now on -- no Spanish! Not until I pronounce you ready to talk to anyone -- in English!"

"Even to the President!" Margarita said.

"Oh, Hell! Our President?" I said. "You speak English better than him, already!"

She laughed at my joke. I think it was the first time I'd said something, entirely in English, as a joke, and made her laugh.

Of course, it wasn't really much of a joke. It was almost the truth.

Two days later, Margarita was at Carol's with the kids and Earl came by my place in the early afternoon to pick up the rig for a short run to Flagstaff, Arizona.