Woman of Light (26)

That night, she dreamed of nothing—only prayed for morning.





TEN




Heat





“The name’s Avel, Avel Cosme.” The handyman removed his wide-brimmed Stetson as he stepped through the door. It had been several days since Maria Josie had received a note from the landlord. He would not cover the cost of heating problems, suggesting radiator issues were caused by misuse.

“Nope, not as far as I can tell,” said Avel, crouching in his creamy cowboy boots. “General wear and tear. I see it every day.”

Luz sat at the kitchen table with her knees to her chest beneath her wool blanket. Their tombstone radio rested beside the windowsill and was on Leon Jacob’s afternoon hour. Stand up, he was shouting through the airwaves. Don’t let the governor allow your brothers and sisters to starve! Fair wages now. Luz squinted at Avel, who walked tall with a handsome, capable stride. She couldn’t remember the last time any man besides Diego and the potential boarders had entered their home. The ceiling seemed lower with him beneath it.

Avel examined the cast-iron pipes, ran his fingers over the scrollwork. “Did you bleed it?”

Maria Josie stood beside him dressed for leaving. “I can’t for the life of me find a key. So, no, to answer your question, I did not.”

Avel patted his pockets. “I should have one. Say,” he said, “can I borrow that?” He motioned toward a plaid washcloth hanging limp from the stove.

Luz stood from her chair, reached for the washcloth, and passed it over. Avel took it from her, their hands lightly touching, a static shock. He quickly smiled, his expressive brown eyes deep with color.

“Can you fix it?” Luz asked.

“Sure can. I’m what’s known as a jack-of-all-trades.”

A jack-of-all-trades, Luz thought, usually had no trade.

“Oh, I can do it all,” Avel said, as if he had read her mind. He dusted the radiator with a red handkerchief from his pocket, opened and closed the valves. He laid the washcloth on the warped oak floor and removed a brass key from his long chain. He pushed the key into the radiator, turning a knob until a loud hissing sound escaped. Hot water leaked onto the washcloth. Avel moved his gaze around the room, peering down the hallway into Luz and Maria Josie’s bedroom, their makeshift heater visible across the floor.

“Seems like you ladies could really use a man around here.”

Maria Josie sucked in her lips, as if to keep from laughing. The hissing sound stopped. “Did it work?” she asked.

Avel placed his palm against the radiator’s etched metal. He waved his head. “Still cold. Seems to be a bigger issue. I’m thinking we gotta open the wall.”

With a slight bounce to his step, Avel stood and walked toward the front mantel. He picked up a bronze cast of Luz’s baby shoes and held them in his hands, as if to take note of their weight. Pleased, he set them down.

“That’s neat,” he said, gesturing with his hat down the hallway to the bedroom. “My mama has an altar just like that.” Through the open door, Avel eyed Luz’s dried marigolds and old photographs. “Haven’t seen one since I left Califas.”

Luz felt exposed. She made a scrunched face. Why was he searching about their home?

“Excuse me,” said Maria Josie. “How much this gonna cost?”

“For parts and labor, maybe looking at twenty dollars. Can’t know for sure until I open the wall.”

“I could buy a whole new radiator for thirty,” said Maria Josie.

“You could buy a new used radiator for thirty dollars. The new models are upwards of fifty.”

“Says who?”

“Sears Roebuck, ma’am.”

Maria Josie cleared her throat and, for a moment, Luz was worried she’d spit right there on the floor. “Ten dollars. That’s all we can afford.”

“I wouldn’t normally do this, but seeing since you ladies seem to be in extenuating conditions, I can do it for fifteen.”

“Fifteen?” Luz said with irritation. “We can’t come up with that. It’s only heat. It should be free!”

Maria Josie stood over the radiator and slammed her fist. “We’ll freeze like this.”

Avel turned to Luz. When she noticed him noticing her, out of instinct, Luz inched the blanket down around her shoulders, revealing the length of her long and rigid collarbones. She raised her chin into a stream of sunlight, giving full view of what she knew some considered a notable and pretty face.

“Don’t you have a place you can go, somewhere you can stay?” he said tenderly.

“This is where we live,” Luz hollered and Avel flinched.

Avel softened his gaze, revealing his dimples. He was handsome, capable. Luz averted her eyes. “I’m sorry, ladies. Fifteen dollars is all I can do.”

Maria Josie cussed, shook her head in anger. “We don’t have that right now. It’ll take some time.”

Avel paused for a moment. He seemed to be thinking, his face drifting toward Luz. “I could always come back for my pay. Maybe next week?”

“Fine,” Maria Josie said with irritation. “How long this gonna take? I’m due at work.”

“Couple hours. Don’t worry, I’ll get it all patched up right.”