She's Up to No Good(29)

No one was sitting on the porch at the house that Tony stopped his car in front of, and the children who ran across the lawn did so on their way to other houses. But it looked tidy, with freshly painted shutters, a porch free of the debris of kids, and well-cared-for flowers lining the small beds bordering the porch. A pear tree grew next to the house, showing the beginnings of the young fruit it would eventually bear, and Evelyn smiled, remembering her climb through the blossoms of her family’s own to find Tony.

“Ready?” he asked, offering her his hand.

“Are you?”

He shook his head, handing her the flowers for his mother. “Come on, then.”

A young girl pulled the door open excitedly before they were even up the steps. “They’re here,” she called over her shoulder, then looked up, gawking at Evelyn. “You’re so pretty!” She turned to her older brother. “Tonio, she’s a movie star!”

Tony made a gesture that Evelyn caught out of the corner of her eye, and the little girl’s face fell. Evelyn knelt to her level. “It’s just the lipstick,” she whispered, winking. She cupped a hand under the little girl’s chin. “And you’re one to talk! That Natalie Wood better watch her back.” The girl turned pink and squirmed happily. “Now, are you Carolina, or Francisca?”

“Carolina.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Carolina. I’m Evelyn.”

“Miss Bergman,” Tony said.

“Evelyn,” she corrected. “Don’t you start all that formal stuff now.” She stood back up and looked at him playfully. “Tonio.”

“Lina, go tell M?e that we’re here.”

“I already know,” a voice from the hall said. “Lina, let them in, filha.”

Carolina moved aside, and Tony pressed a hand to the small of Evelyn’s back to guide her inside.

Before Evelyn could even offer a handshake, or the flowers, she found herself being kissed on both cheeks by Tony’s mother, who then pulled back and grasped her by her elbows to look at her. Evelyn, unused to such effusive greetings, hid her surprise. “Prazer em conhecê-lo,” she said, mimicking Tony’s earlier inflection perfectly. He raised an eyebrow. She had been messing with him at the mispronunciation.

“Bonita.” His mother kissed her one more time, then released her arms to clasp her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you too.”

Evelyn offered the flowers. “Thank you for having me, Mrs. Delgado.”

“Maria.” Her brown eyes, a perfect match for Tony’s, twinkled warmly. “I don’t care for ‘that formal stuff’ either.” She was a petite woman, perhaps five feet tall. And while she was slender, she looked sturdy—she’d have to be. She had borne eight children, though only six survived infancy.

“Where is everyone?” Tony asked, looking around.

Maria smiled. “I said I wanted to meet your Evelyn first.” She turned to Carolina. “Go tell everyone they can come downstairs now.”

Carolina went only as far as the foot of the narrow staircase. “M?e says you can come down,” she yelled.

Shaking her head, Maria handed the flowers to Tony and then took Evelyn’s arm. “Come. We have so much to talk about.”





Dinner was the ever-present cod of the north shore, fried with eggs and potatoes and seasoned with garlic and a spice Evelyn couldn’t identify. “I made sure this was something you could eat,” Maria said to her quietly as she served the meal. “Tony said fish was fine.”

Evelyn smiled. Miriam kept a kosher home, but Evelyn decided in the car that she would eat pork if that was what was served. “Thank you.” Maria squeezed her shoulder.

“What happens in the fall?” Felipe asked.

“What do you mean?”

He turned to Evelyn. “Aren’t you going to college?”

Carolina and Francisca gaped at her. Apparently that wasn’t an option for the women in the Delgado family, let alone a requirement. Everyone stopped eating, looking at Evelyn with great interest. Rafael, Tony’s father, studied her through narrowed eyes. Evelyn glanced at Felipe, whose smirk told her that he knew his father wouldn’t approve.

“I am,” Evelyn said measuredly. “I’ll be the sixth member of my family. My father insists.”

Rafael made a chuffing noise, but a murderous look from Maria kept it at that. “And what will you do after?” Maria asked, trying to pretend this was a normal conversation.

“That question sounds like my family.” Evelyn smiled with false sheepishness and the mood lightened. “I have no idea. One of my sisters is a nurse. Another a teacher. I haven’t figured that part out yet.” She turned to the four younger children, who ranged in age from seven to sixteen. “Is Lipe this tough on all of Tony’s girlfriends? I know you’ll tell me the truth.”

“What girlfriends?” Francisca asked.

“You’re his first,” Emilio said.

“Unless you count Clara.”

Evelyn looked at Tony in mock outrage. “And who’s this Clara? Should I worry?” Tony started to sputter an answer, but Evelyn turned conspiratorially back to Carolina. “I want all the details later.”

A deep rumbling laugh from the top of the table made Evelyn turn her head. Rafael slapped a hand on the table. “Clara was the dog,” he choked out.