Chapter 2 - THE SIX JARS
The kitchen at Rancho El Nogal looked frozen in time.
Valentina noticed it immediately.
There were copper pots hanging above the stove.
A candle burned beneath the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Three chairs surrounded the table even though four people now lived in the house.
And on the highest pantry shelf stood six jars of peach preserves.
Perfectly aligned.
Rodrigo saw Valentina looking.
“Those don't get touched.”
His voice changed when he said it.
“Okay.”
No questions.
That seemed to surprise him.
Then footsteps sounded behind them.
Mateo stood in the doorway.
Tomás was behind him.
The brothers were twins, but only physically.
Mateo looked like a closed fist.
Tomás looked like a question he was afraid to ask.
“This is Valentina.”
Rodrigo gestured toward her.
“She'll be helping around here.”
Mateo stared at her stomach.
“For how long?”
“Mateo.”
“What?”
Rodrigo's jaw tightened.
Valentina stepped in before the argument grew.
“Until your dad doesn't need me anymore.”
Mateo looked directly at her.
“We didn't need you before.”
“Enough.”
Rodrigo's voice cracked through the kitchen.
Mateo finally looked away.
But he wasn't finished.
“Is she going to use Mom's things?”
Silence.
Tomás stared at the floor.
Rodrigo's face became stone.
“I said enough.”
Mateo walked away.
Tomás hesitated.
Then followed.
That evening, Valentina made beans, rice, and tortillas.
Mateo took one bite.
“The beans are watery.”
Rodrigo looked at him.
“They're fine.”
“Mom made them thicker.”
Valentina continued eating.
The next morning, Mateo complained that she folded the towels wrong.
At lunch, the tortillas were too small.
At dinner, she put Tomás's cup on the wrong side.
Every correction had the same invisible ending.
Mom did it better.
Valentina understood.
So she never argued.
Days became weeks.
Slowly, Tomás began speaking to her.
First about the chickens.
Then about school.
Then about the old dog that slept beneath the porch.
Mateo remained suspicious.
One night, Valentina woke thirsty.
As she passed the boys' room, she heard Mateo whispering.
“She wants Dad's money.”
Tomás answered softly.
“You don't know that.”
“Everybody wants his money.”
“She doesn't.”
“You'll see.”
A pause.
“As soon as that baby comes, she'll take whatever she can and leave.”
Valentina stood motionless in the hallway.
Her baby kicked beneath her hand.
She returned to her room without getting water.
The next morning, she smiled at breakfast as though she had heard nothing.
But Mateo noticed something different.
May you like
She didn't eat.
And for reasons he couldn't explain, that bothered him.
