Twenty-Six
Elena made a nest for herself and Tina on the unfamiliar couch in the safehouse that night. Wrapped in blankets, propped up by pillows, and surrounded by all the stuffed animals Camden helped Tina pack, Elena read Tina her favorite bedtime story,The Wind in the Willows. Camden was in the shower with a promise to join them as soon as he was done.
They were on chapter seven, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” about an adventurous young otter named Portly who goes missing one night. Elena almost skipped that chapter, thinking it was a little too close to home right now and afraid that it might upset Tina. Okay, the truth was, she was afraid she’d get too choked up to read it. But as always, the book pulled them right out of their world and into its story of the river and the friendly animals who lived there and went in search of little Portly. By the time Rat and Mole found the little otter as the sun rose—protected by the great Friend and Helper, the Piper—and brought him home to his family, Elena had almost forgotten her own troubles. Almost. Tina seemed much calmer too, and thoughtful.
She touched the illustration of the Piper. “I like him, Mama. I like how he kept Portly safe.”
“I do, too, Baby.”
“Mama?” Tina looked up at Elena, her sweet brown eyes filled with curiosity.
“Yes, Pepita?”
“In the story, when the sun rises, why does the Piper make Rat and Mole forget him?”
Damn, how do I answer that one?“Well, if he didn’t, then he’s all that Rat and Mole would ever think about, because he’s so powerful and they love him. They wouldn’t be able to let go of their image of him. Instead, he makes them forget so that they can go on with their lives on the river.”
Tina scrunched up her forehead. “I still think it’s sad that he makes them forget.” She looked back down at the illustration. “Camden makes me feel safe, Mama. Just like the Piper.” She looked back up at Elena. “Just like Papa used to.”
Elena’s heart cracked in half. She touched her shirt and felt Antonio’s wedding ring under the fabric. She’d put the necklace back on before rushing from their apartment. “You still remember him, Pepita?”
Her daughter tilted her head and fixed Elena with a look that said,duh.
Elena tapped the tip of Tina’s nose. “What do you remember about your Papa?”
“I remember how he used to pick me up and carry me around when he got home. When Camden carries me like that, I think of Papa. He helps me remember how it felt. So I feel double-happy.”
Elena couldn’t stop the tears coursing down her cheeks.She remembers. My God, Camden isn’t making her forget. Just the opposite.
Tina wiped one of Elena’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“Baby, no, these are happy tears. I am so, so, happy that you told me that.” Elena pulled Tina to her and hugged her tightly.
“I love Camden, Mama. Do you?”
“I love Camden very much, Pepita.”
“You should ask him to marry you.”
Elena laughed and looked down at her daughter. “You think so, huh?”
Tina nodded. “I asked Robert from school to marry me.”
Elena’s eyes went round. “Robert who?”
“Robert Brogan. But he said he’d have to think about it. He said maybe when we’re older.”
Elena laughed again. “I like his style.”
“Like, in second grade.”
Oh, boy.
“But I think you should ask Camden to marry you tonight.” Tina looked serious as she pulled at Elena’s necklace until Antonio’s wedding ring slipped out from the top of her shirt. “You could even give him Papa’s ring. Then it wouldn’t keep hiding in your shirt. You could see it all the time on Camden’s finger, and it would remind you of Papa, and it would make you double-happy too.”
Elena inhaled quickly and bit her bottom lip. Her heart skipped a beat. How could her daughter be so wrong and yet so right at the same time? Elena was hiding the ring—from Camden or from herself, she didn’t know. Maybe both. What she did know was that as long as she hid it, she’d never be able to let Antonio go, or let Camden fully into her heart.
“I have an even better idea, Mermaid.” Elena slipped the necklace over her head and put it in Tina’s hand. She closed her daughter’s fingers over it. “I’m going to give it to you to keep. We’re going to find a safe place to keep it for every day, but you can wear it on special occasions.” Elena stuck her finger up. “And don’t let me catch you giving it to Robert Brogan, now or in second grade. Deal?”
