CHAPTER THREE

I walked up to the door. I stood there for a moment. My hand was inches away from the door. I took a breath. Just before I knocked on the door, it opened. Reina was standing there. She looked at me. Her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying. 

“Isabella!” She hugged me. “Where have been?” 

I hugged her back. This unusual behavior for Reina. She is usually very mean to me. 

“Is everything okay?” 

I asked. 

Isabella?! Is that you?” 

“Mama!” 

Mama ran to the door and hugged me. “My beautiful mariposa. Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick and your Tia Rosita, God bless her soul.” 

I watched as her hands went shoulder to shoulder and from her forehead to the center of her chest. 

“God bless her soul. Mama did Tia Rosie, did she?” I felt a huge lump in my throat. I tried to speak, but I couldn’t.

Mama pulled me into a hug. She looked past me.

“Whose car is that?” Mama asked. 

“My husbands’ car.” 

“Husband mi hija. Your only twenty-one and you are married. Did you marry some gringo Americano? Is he a drug dealer? Some stupid Americano has soiled my daughter.”

“Mama, I didn’t marry an Americano. I married a Mexicano. And he’s nothing like Don Ricardo.”

Mama stared into the car to see who was in it. 

“Why don't we go inside.  It’s the middle of August;  its blazing out here.” I said as I pushed everyone inside.

We walked into the house. The air was blasting. I looked around the house. There were things in boxes, there were suitcases packed. 

“What’s going on. Are you going back to Mexico?”

“Now that Mama is dead, I need to go back home. There's nothing left for me here.” Reina sighed. 

“What about school? You aren't finished yet.”

“I’ll finish back at home,” Reina said. 

There was a knock on the door. Reina went to the door. She opened the door. Javier walked in through the door frame. 

“How can I help you?” Reina asked flirtingly. 

“I’m here for my wife,” Javier said. 

“Isabella is your wife?” Reina looked up at him. 

Mama looked up and saw Javier. 

“Isabella, this is your husband?” Mama stood up from the couch. “You married your father’s brother?” 

“Mama, he’s adopted; there are no blood relations.”

“He pimps women out, are you a prostitute niña?”

“Mama, no.” 

“Maria, I would never do that to your daughter. I love her.” Javier said. 

“The same way you loved my sister.” 

“Maria.” He looked at my mother, hurt in his eyes. 

“You killed my sister, Javier.” 

“I didn’t kill Missy,” Javier said.

I could see tears forming in his eyes. I looked at Mama. She never talks about Tia Missy. She died when I was two years old. 

“Well, she’s dead, and you did nothing to stop it. If it weren’t for you, she would still be alive.”

“It wasn’t my fault Maria. I tried to stop her from going to war, but it was her choice. Missy was my best friend. But she made her choice I couldn’t protect her overseas.” 

“So, are you going to kill my daughter too.?” 

“Mama! That’s enough!” I said.

“Isabella! Don’t raise your voice at me.!”

“Well, stop trying to ruin my marriage, then maybe I wouldn’t raise my voice.”

“Isabella, I’m sorry, but you deserve better than this cabrón.”

“Well, I’m sorry that you think that Mama. But nothing you say will change the fact that I love him. We have to go.”  

 Javier and I walked to the door. 

“Isabella, if you walk out of the door; with that man, you are no longer apart of this family.” 

I kept walking away. 

“I will disown you.”

“I’m sorry, Mama.”

Javier put his arm around me, and we walked out and went to the car. 

I got in the car. Javier got in next to me. 

“Are you alright, Bella?” 

“Yeah.” I look out the window. 

I felt something touch my hand. I looked over, and Javier smiled at me. He squeezed my hand. 

“Everything will be fine. Your mother is stubborn, but she’ll come around.” He smiled.