Work Text:
Te Vas a Arrepentir
Ever since Yesenia came to El Nilo, Coahuila, to get away from the COVID virus, the town seemed more drab. Every time she walked down the cobblestone streets in her heels and straw hat, the women seemed a little duller, and the men more disillusioned with their lives. Five kilometers from San Pedro, El Nilo boasted 1091 residents, surrounded by ranchos. Five kilometers from San Pedro, there was nothing but horses and dust.
“ She’s too good for me.” This was what Imanol thought each time he saw her in town. But there was one Friday night where everyone had too much mezcal, passing around a bottle to fill paper cups at the only taco stand. She had come home with him.
And she stayed. Every day, Imanol wondered why. Yesenia was not comfortable at the rancho, and she made it well known.
“Ayyy… it's chasing me!” Yesenia hid behind Imanol as the chickens pecked at the food on the ground. “They’re going to eat my toes.”
“They don’t eat people,” Imanol tried not to laugh. “But those sandals weren’t the best choice for the rancho.”
“All my shoes are like this, I’m from the city,” Yesenia made a face. “We have sidewalks, not dirt everywhere.”
“Solo soy un humilde ranchero, a veces de huaraches, botas y sombrero,” Imanol led her over to sit on a rock and tried to hand over the tamest duck, but she just hid behind her hands and fanned herself.
Imanol got up each day when the sun rose to feed the animals, before coming back in to cook her breakfast, which she wouldn’t eat. She wouldn’t even drink his coffee. Today was no exception. Imanol served her first, like he always did. Yesenia wiped off the coffee mug like it was dirty before making a face, and not trying it. She just typed away on her phone.
“You want me to eat this ?” Yesenia scoffed. “Chilaquilas?”
“Just try,” Imanol tried to feed her a bite on a chip, but she pushed away the plate.
“I don’t eat this kind of food,” Yesenia smacked him on the back of the head. “This is poor people's food.”
“My mom used to make this,” Imanol said quietly, but she’d already left. He hung his head and went to wash the dishes, appetite gone.
***
“We have an invitation to play at the final posada this Saturday,” Poncho showed Imanol the message as they sorted calabasas for the market. “Unless you have plans with Yesenia?” He waved at her as she stared at them, but she just rolled her eyes and went back to her phone.
“I’m not sure?” Imanol sighed. “She seems mad no matter what I do.”
“Maybe it 's not you. Disfruta mientras puedas porque el karma existe.”
“Don’t start!” Imanol stormed off to the barn to saddle his horse. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
The sound of the sports car engine was a jarring break in the usual quiet of the rancho. Imanol came out of the barn just in time to see Yesenia hug the tattooed man who’d just pulled up in the newest model white Mustang.
“Te vas a arrepentir!” Imanol shouted, his world gone grey.
Yesenia just gave him a sarcastic smirk and got into the car.
***
Yesenia was relieved to be back in the city, away from the first and the dust. Ah, air conditioning at last! She sipped her iced coffee and took a selfie.
Antonio answered his phone, and left the table. He held up a finger and turned away, attention no longer on her.
Yesenia frowned and pointed to her watch, annoyed. They had plans, and now he wasn’t paying attention to her.
***
“You look like you had a bad day,” Ana said as Imanol dusted off his hat and stared at the menu.
“Ella no quiso llenarse de lodo,” Imanol scoffed. “Cambió mi caballo por un carro del año. Her new guy showed up, picked her up in a brand new Mustang.”
“That woman… the one with the hat?” Ana tried to hide her dislike.
“I know, she was rude to you,” Imanol sighed. “I’m sorry about that. There was no reason for her to treat you that way.”
“She must be unhappy in her life,” Ana shrugged. “Pues, maybe now you’ll find a nice woman who appreciates you. Nunca el valor de un hombre lo hace su dinero.”
“Why did you come back here anyway? This is a small town,” Imanol changed the subject.
“Abuelita was sick, so I came to help Abuelito,” Ana smiled. “School is on hold right now, so I have the time.”
“You wanted to come back here?” Imanol asked incredulously. “Why?”
“I missed them, and I missed riding horses,” Ana laughed. “There’s nothing happening in the city right now, everything is closed. So I came home.”
“You should come riding with me?” The words tumbled out.
“I’m not… I’m not fancy like her,” Ana said softly. “I’m not your kind of girl.”
“You don’t know that,” Imanol said. “I don’t think I knew my type of girl.”
“Are you going to the posada at my abuelitos’ rancho tomorrow?” Ana asked.
“I haven’t gone since Panchito died. But they invited my brother and I to play, so I will be there.”
“Good,” Ana smiled. “We already started baking. It's the last one, we’re going to mass after. You can walk with me. Now, do you want the usual?”
“Por favor, y ponle mas jalapenos,” Imanol smiled for the first time all day.
***
“You cleaned up well,” Poncho whistled as he came to pick up Imanol. “I thought Yesenia left.”
“Si, ya se fue,” Imanol nodded.
“So, who?”
“Ana…” Imanol picked up the roses he’d cut from the garden, and tucked them under his arm with his accordion case.
“Carnal… que piensas?” Pancho frowned. “She’s not the kind of girl you take home for a night. We know her family.”
“Did I say I wanted to take her home for one night?” Imanol put on his hat and checked the mirror. “I cut her roses from Mama’s plant.”
***
Ana dropped five pesos in the box and lit a candle. She murmured a prayer as Imanol stood behind her, hat in his hands.
“My parents died when I was young,” she leaned against him. “I always light a candle for them when I come.”
“My Mama is buried here too, and Panchito,” Imanol wiped his eyes. “We went for Dia de los Muertos, pero I- I don’t go as often as I should. They wouldn’t like who I’ve been.”
“There’s always tomorrow,” Ana said. “You don’t have to repeat your mistakes.”
“No, no I don’t,” Imanol led her to a pew and they sat, waiting for the mass to start. “I used to be an altar boy here,” he reminisced.
“I remember, you were in my communion class,” Ana laughed. “You got in trouble for falling asleep.”
“Cuántos años hace de eso,” Imanol hid a laugh as the woman in front of them turned to frown at them. “You’re going to get me in trouble now though.”
***
“Does the offer still stand?” Ana asked as Imanol walked her to her abuelos’ door. “To go riding?”
“Please, just tell me when. I’ll come and get you,” Imanol grinned.
“I’m off tomorrow, after church?” Ana offered. “We can go to the graveyard. I need to bring flowers for Mama and Papa.”
“I’ll see you at two.”
If Imanol whistled the whole walk home, well… that was his secret.
***
The ride was a qualified disaster, even if Ana was a really good sport about ending up sitting in the dirt. The horse took offense at the cows in the pasture and decided to go back to the barn. The quick halt and turn left Ana sitting confused in the middle of a row of corn.
“Te voy a vender a los Gitanos,” Imanol muttered to the horse. “Why do I put up with you, grumpy old man?” No amount of pulling the reins convinced him, the horse refused to take a single step forward now that the cows were in front of him. Imanol traded her horses and let her ride his brown and white one, while he fought the horse the whole way back.
***
Ana showed up first thing the morning after their ride, in jeans and a t-shirt.
“I hope you don’t mind, but… you said I could come whenever I was free?” Ana handed over a burrito wrapped in foil. “Careful, it's still warm. I hope you don’t mind chorizo con huevos y papas . I was going to make chilaquiles, but it sounded messy to bring them. They’re better straight out of the pan.”
“No one has made me breakfast, since my mom,” Imanol grinned. “How about some coffee?”
“I can always drink more coffee,” Ana smiled and pulled her own burrito out of her hoodie pocket. “I was so excited, I didn’t eat.”
“Come on in,” Imanol held the door and tried to remember if he’d left dishes in the sink. No, good. “Here,” he pulled out a chair for her. “Let me boil the water.”
***
Ana was excited about everything, even feeding the pigs. She’d dried the dishes as he washed them, humming along with a song that he and his brother had played at the posada.
“Do you want to go riding again, or are you tired?” Imanol asked.
“I’d love to, but you’re probably busy,” Ana offered. “You have work to do today, it's Monday.”
“I have time,” Imanol smiled as a grin broke out on her face. “Do you want to ride El Parrandero, el caballo pinto, otra vez?”
“Yes, at least now I know he doesn’t like cows,” Ana laughed.
***
Yesenia was alone, again. The first few weeks back in the city had been wonderful. Antonio had a huge house, and the pandemic hadn’t affected his income. She wasn’t sure exactly what he did for work, only some vague mentions of shipping and business. But he gave her a credit card she could use with no questions asked.
The sex was good, when they had it. Antonio had to work, again, or so he said. She was starting to doubt that the hushed phone conversations and late night absences had anything to do with work. She flipped through Instagram on her phone and stared at the picture of Imanol on his horse.
“ Te vas a arrepentir ,” his words echoed in her head. She did. Enough was enough.
Yesenia put back on her dress and went downstairs to find Antonio. She’d heard the car, but he hadn’t appeared.
No wonder, there he was, hands on another woman. The woman was even wearing the same color dress, but her hair was curly and tattooed portraits stared off her skin. Antonio never took her hands off the other woman, even when Yesenia stormed off, humiliated.
***
“Quiero que ella sea la primera cosa que vea que cuando abra a mis ojos,” Imanol thought as he sang to Ana in the yard. She’d changed out of her work clothes into an outfit nice enough to go out, but she’d cooked and made plans for them to stay in.
“Por favor, una más?” Ana sighed happily as Imanol put down el bajo sexto, the six string bass.
“Aunque no tenga mucho, lo que tengo es tuyo,” Imanol smiled and patted the ring box in his pocket.