Page 16

“What a cute little shop!” smiled Annie. “I love all the beach and nautical attire. So adorable!”

“I love this lightweight sweater,” said Alice.

Deanna held up a beautiful sundress, the bright colors making her complexion seemingly glow in the midday sunlight. The off-the-shoulder number would show off her beautiful shoulders.

“Oh, you should try that on,” smiled Annie.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s awfully short, and I’d have to wear a strapless bra, and I’m not sure how I’d look in that.”

“You’d look beautiful,” said Alice. “Try it on.”

“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly. The two women looked at one another then back at Deanna.

“What’s holding you back? It can’t be the price. It’s very reasonable. The colors are perfect for you, and you could wear this in Louisiana as well.”

“I guess, I mean, when I was younger, my parents didn’t spend a lot of money on clothes. I wore a lot of second-hand things, which I didn’t mind at all. Mom always made sure they looked good as new. They were very, um, frugal, shall we say. We had money for new things, but they just couldn’t seem to make themselves buy new for anything.”

“And you’ve inherited some of those traits,” smiled Annie. “It will be something that my son will appreciate, Deanna. But he’d also tell you to treat yourself. You’re both hardworking adults who know the value of a dollar and how to save money. It’s alright to buy things for yourself now and then as long as you’re not suffering any financial insecurity.”

“That’s something you won’t have to worry about with our family,” smiled Alice. “We all work and share in the profits of the businesses. You’ll always be okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” said the women in unison. Deanna took the dress into the dressing room, and Annie handed her a pair of high-heeled sandals over the door.

“Try these on with it,” she smiled, winking at Alice. The two women smiled at one another remembering how it felt, the nerves when you first fall in love. Although, according to Deanna and Pax, they’d been in love a long time.

“Have you heard anything?” whispered Annie to her friend.

“Nothing. Just tourists and locals out and about on a beautiful day. Maybe we’ll have better luck when we stop for lunch,” said Alice. They heard the dressing room door open, and Deanna stepped out. Their jaws dropped, staring at the beautiful young woman.

“Okay. That is going home with you today!” said Annie. “Holy shit! Woman, you’ve got legs for days. Why don’t you show them?”

“I don’t know,” she said, squirming in front of the mirror. “It’s that whole conservative upbringing thing, I guess.”

“Honey, you look amazing. My son is going to crap his pants,” she laughed. Alice giggled with her, and the shop owner stared at her.

“They’re right. It’s really beautiful on you. It’s as if those colors were mixed just for you,” she smiled. “And your skin color is beautiful. You must tan regularly.”

“No,” frowned Deanna. “I don’t lay in the sun or go tanning at all. I’m from the South, so I have naturally tan skin.”

“I see,” nodded the woman. “You’re Hispanic?”

“No,” said Annie, looking at the woman with a frown. “She’s from Louisiana. Look at her coloring, her hair and eyes. She just has a naturally tanner complexion.”

“Of course,” nodded the woman. “Well, it’s lovely on you.”

“I think you should get them,” smiled Alice. “We could arrange for you and Pax to have a nice dinner somewhere tonight.” Deanna nodded, returning to the dressing room. Annie pulled Alice aside.

“Did you think that was odd?”

“Very,” whispered Alice. “I got the feeling that she might not have sold it to her if she had identified as Hispanic.”

“Same,” muttered Annie.

The women paid for the dress and shoes and left the boutique, visiting several others before stopping for a late lunch. The weather was picture-perfect, the temperatures in the upper seventies, no clouds and the beach was crowded with surfers and swimmers alike.

“Ladies, here are your salads. I’ll bring out some warm bread and refill your iced teas,” smiled the waiter. Annie looked at his name tag and nodded.

“Juan, how long have you worked here? You’re very good at your job.”

“Thank you,” he smiled. “I’ve been at this restaurant for ten years now but also work shifts at the other hotels on the island.”

“That’s so wonderful,” said Alice. “I know how expensive it can be to live in San Diego.”

“Oh, yes, ma’am. I don’t live here, though. I drive back and forth across the border every day. I don’t live that far. It’s just that the traffic is so bad. The border agents know me now, so it’s pretty easy to come back and forth. I know a lot of people who do it. The pay is good here. The cost of living is good there,” he smiled. “I’ll be right back with that bread.”

“What do you think?” asked Deanna. “Should we ask him some questions?”

“I don’t want to get him into any trouble or put him at risk,” said Alice, “but maybe we can get him to speak to us in a low voice.”

A few minutes later, Juan returned, setting the warm bread on the table and refilling their iced teas.

“Juan?” whispered Alice.

“Yes, ma’am?” he smiled, kneeling beside her, leaning in with a smile.

“Juan, keep smiling.” He nodded with a big smile. “Juan, do you know anything about what’s going on with the boats that have been sinking with people chained to them.”

Annie and Alice stared at the man, seeing the pained expression on his face as he struggled to maintain the smile.

“Beautiful ladies such as yourselves shouldn’t talk of such horrible things,” he said, still kneeling.

“I know, but we want to help to stop this,” said Deanna.

“Miss, I don’t think you understand. No one can stop this because no one really cares. No one here,” he whispered. He was still holding tight to that smile on his face. “On the other side of the border, others don’t really care either, but for different reasons. They’re doing this intentionally.”

“Honey, we know they’re doing it intentionally, but why? These people pay their money to come across, and then they kill them. They could just let them try to survive and charge them a second time, or third.”

Juan slowly stood, still holding that smile. He looked around the outdoor deck, his fellow waitstaff running from table to table, tourists drinking too many cocktails in the sun, and locals bitching about the tourists.

“The U.S. government wants to control immigrants coming into the country.” The women all nodded. “Some in your government think it should be easy to come through, that you should welcome all immigrants with open arms. What’s the saying, ‘give me your tired, your poor, your hungry.’

“They understand that Americans can be very, what do you say, soft-hearted at times. If children, women, anyone is dying on a boat destined for this country and enough die, they’re hoping that people will come to their senses.”

“That’s insanity,” said Deanna. “How many people have to die before they realize that won’t work?” Juan stared at her and nodded.

“How many people had to die in concentration camps before something was done?” He walked away from their table, and the women all stared at one another, shaking their heads.

“Could he be right? Is someone in our own country manipulating this horror show?” asked Alice.

“It’s not like we haven’t seen it before,” said Annie. “The problem will be that Luke and the others all agreed to not get involved in government issues any longer.”

“No, they agreed to not take jobs from our government any longer,” said Deanna. “This sounds to me like a humanitarian mission. At the very least, we need to stop what’s happening before more people lose their lives.”

Juan returned a few moments later, quietly refilling their drinks. The women said nothing, just trying to give a smile to him. He stopped, staring at them.

“I apologize if I was rude,” he said.

“You weren’t rude, Juan. You’re upset by this, so are we. Our husbands are looking into this.”

“Are they police?” he frowned.

“Not exactly, but it’s something their business often does. We investigate things that others will not.” Juan nodded and smiled at the women.

“I hope they are very powerful because no one has been able to stop this yet.”