C6 A Father's Peace Offering

Dinner at the Almendrez household that night was quiet if a bit strained. Don Ramon was at the head of the table while Louisa sat on his right and Matthew, his left. Louisa had implored Matthew to stay for dinner. She needed him as a buffer in case her father brought up the issue of her arranged marriage again. Having bent Matthew’s ears with all her grumbling and raving, and after losing about fifty percent of her bodily fluids with all the crying she did, she was quite sure she had nothing more to give. But just in case she was wrong, Matthew’s calming presence would help keep her demons at bay. Matthew, being genuinely concerned for both her and her father, had agreed without thinking twice.

Yaya Seling was, as per usual, hovering in the background, calmly awaiting instructions. Louisa knew, however, that despite the old woman’s bland face, her Yaya was bursting with questions. Louisa would confide in her when she’s ready, she always did. Nanay Iling, the cook, having heard of Louisa’s unusually foul mood, decided to lift her spirits by cooking all of her favorites.

Louisa appreciated the old cook’s efforts, but news of her betrothal had left a bitter taste in her mouth confining her to only bits and pieces of the delicious fare. She feared that she would gag if she added more stress to her insides. The two men, not suffering from the same dilemma, were the ones who happily complimented the cook by having second and even third helpings of each dish. Due to Louisa’s self-imposed verbal strike, conversation was kept to a minimum and was centered mostly on business.

“Tío Ramon, Mr. Castañeda approached me yesterday about our stud services. I told him I’d have to discuss the details with you first before recommending a stallion,” Matthew said, breaking the silence.

“Okay. Is he looking for racers in particular?”

“I think he wants to continue breeding racers, but not from his own stallions. He’s been having quite a turn at the tracks lately. Two of his entries did not finish well the last time.”

“And now he wants to compete with us using our own stock?”

“Well, he also implied that he was actually hoping you would agree to a joint venture.”

Louisa’s father snorted at the last. The quiet rivalry between the two men was not a big secret. Don Leon used to be the top horse breeder in the country, churning out thoroughbreds that won races left and right. When the Hacienda Constantina’s horses began making waves, he befriended Ramon. Lately, he had been pushing for a more permanent connection between their families. He even went as far as suggesting how his eldest son, Reginald, and Louisa would make a lovely pair. Her father knew, however, that Leon was more interested in his horses than Reginald’s tender feelings for Louisa.

“Tell him, I’ll think about it, just to pacify him. Louisa and I will be visiting the Montoyas for a few days,” he paused and glanced at his daughter. “I’m sorry to cut your vacation short, dear. But we must visit Fernan. Not only is he my best friend, he’s also your godfather.”

“Si, Papa,” was her meek reply. She took a deep breath and counted mentally to ten. Anger was bubbling inside her and she struggled to tamp it down. Thankfully, her father did not appear to take notice. After a beat, her father turned to Yaya Seling. The older woman immediately rushed to his side.

“Señor?” she said, her eyes darting nervously to Louisa.

“Please help Louisa prepare for our trip. Pack a few things yourself, you’re coming with us. We’ll be leaving at first light. Tell Pedro to get the car ready and to get a good night’s sleep. I don’t want him nodding off on us again.”

“Si, Señor," Yaya Seling nodded, hurrying off to do as told.

When Louisa saw Matthew preparing to excuse himself, she clandestinely kicked his leg. She glared at him when he looked up, warning him to stay put. It was only when Don Ramon cleared his throat in a very obvious manner that Matthew jumped to his feet, mumbling thanks to Don Ramon and a quick goodbye to her. Louisa bit her tongue to stop the bitter words she wanted to scream at Matthew. Before stepping out of the room, he cast a last glance at her, apology written in his eyes. He would be calling to beg her forgiveness later. She would make sure her phone was turned off before then.

Let him writhe in agony for a day or two, she thought bitterly.

Don Ramon took a sip of his wine and leaned back in his chair, a frown marring his handsome face. “Louisa, I really am sorry for not telling you about this arranged marriage sooner. I just thought I had more time,” he paused, waiting for her response.

Louisa sighed. She had already accepted the futility of arguing about her betrothal.

“I understand why you did it, Papa. You only wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be left alone to fend for myself someday. And you believe the Montoyas would be able to protect me,” she paused, taking a deep breath.

Her father seemed relieved by what she said. Still, he remained silent, as if expecting a ‘but’ somewhere.

And he was right.

“But, I’d have to ask you, why Gabriel, Papa? Why did you betroth me to him? As you said, there were four Montoya brothers to choose from. Why did it have to be Gabriel? If the Montoyas really wanted to have me in their family, any one of their sons would have been eligible,” she said, desperately needing to hear the reason.

“It was Fernan who suggested the match. Probably because Gabriel was his first-born son and you were my first-born, too. I wanted to protect you and Fernan wanted to protect his bloodline. Gabriel, being the heir apparent to the Montoya business empire would be the prime target of unscrupulous, fortune-seeking women. Fernan wanted to make sure Gabriel would have a trustworthy wife, one who would not run away with the family jewels, so to speak.”

“Okay, I get that. Tío Fernan was looking out for the family’s best interests. But, why me? What if I turned out to be a shrew or a woman with loose morals? I’m not even pure Spanish!”

Don Ramon smiled, his eyes glowing with affection. “Fernan saw the best in you, chica. He knew you would grow up into a fine, smart, and lovely woman. As for not being pure Spanish, Fernan never cared about such things,” her father chuckled, tweaking her nose affectionately.

Louisa blushed despite herself. “You’re my father. Of course, you’ll only see the best in me,” she protested.

“Fernan’s not your father, but he still saw what I saw. Sure, you were quite a handful as a child, but Fernan did not see it as a black mark against you. He said it only assured him he made the right choice. He believed you would be the perfect match for his Gabriel because you could stand up to him when needed.”

Could she? All she could remember was how Gabriel often terrified her into silent anger, making her react in rather outrageous ways. She wondered if that would still hold true.

“Pero, what about you, Papa? Why did you agree to have me betrothed to Gabriel? Why not to Miguel or maybe Angelo who was much closer to my age?”

“Because you would’ve walked all over them, chica! When you were kids, those boys worshipped you and you took advantage of it, always ordering them about like a general, except for Gabriel.”

“And you think that’s a good thing? You really think I’m better off with the only one who didn’t worship me?” Louisa asked incredulously.

Her father gave her a knowing smile before getting up. He walked behind her chair and bent down to kiss the top of her head. “Go to sleep now, chica. Get some rest. I have a feeling we’re going to have a long day tomorrow,” he said, tousling her hair before leaving her alone with her tumultuous thoughts.

Louisa felt drained, exhausted, and badly needing sleep. It would not come easily tonight, though. She let out a ragged breath and rose to leave the dining room when she caught sight of the small blueberry pie left untouched on the table. She smiled, knowing in her heart that it was her father’s way of saying sorry. He knew it was her comfort food because it reminded her of her mother, of better, happier days.

She couldn’t ignore her father’s peace offering. She needed every bit of comfort she could get. Just one slice, she said, and plopped back down her seat, pulling the pie towards her.

She ended up eating the whole thing.