Southern Comfort - Fern Michaels [81]
“Did you ever attend school?” Sandy asked before Rosita continued her story. Being born in Cuba had its downside, but Sandy had been very well educated while living there.
“No, ma’am. I was taught at home. Aunt Constance is very smart. She had all sorts of books. After I finished with the silver, I studied the lessons Aunt Constance prepared. She was . . . is very, very smart. She knew her numbers better than Mateo. When they thought I was asleep, sometimes I would hear them arguing about numbers, though I think it was money numbers.”
Tick cleared his throat, raked a hand through his uncombed hair. “What do you mean by money numbers?”
“I never understood what they really meant. But Aunt Constance always said her payoff was less than it should have been. She said she did all the training, the hard work. I don’t remember ever having a hard time with my numbers, but I think she told Mateo this so he would be nice to her.”
Kate’s hair rose on the back of her neck. “What do you mean, Rosita?”
“When the numbers were high, Mateo was always nice to her and to me. Though he wasn’t always so nice to the others.”
“Others?” Kate interjected. “There were other girls there with you and Aunt Constance?”
Rosita smiled. “Oh yes, there were a lot of girls. Aunt Constance told me they were my cousins though I never remember my mother or father telling me I had so many cousins. I am sure that I was just too young to remember them.”
Kate shot a look at Tick. He gave a slight nod. Now they were getting somewhere. Bird chose that moment to swoop into the kitchen, his wings flapping so fast they created a slight breeze as he hovered above the table. “Get the girls! Get the girls!”
Rosita’s mouth hung open. “That’s what Mateo used to say to Aunt Constance. All the time he would tell her to ‘get the girls, get the girls.’ I wonder why your bird says this?” Rosita looked at Tick.
“Uh, well . . . I’m not really sure why he says that. He’s not really my bird. He just flew by one day and stayed.”
Kate’s eyes rounded like saucers. She bit the sides of her jaws to keep from laughing. They were onto something critical here, and the last thing she wanted to do was laugh. Poor Rosita would think she was making fun of her.
Rosita nodded as though this were the most normal thing in the world. Birds that talked and came for a visit and never left. Bird had yet to reveal his bilingual capabilities.
Not wanting to get sidetracked by talking about Tick’s foul-mouthed bird, Kate quickly took over the conversation. “So, tell me about the other girls. Did they have families in Miami, too?”
Rosita directed her gaze away from Bird and back to Kate. “I suppose. They usually left after a few weeks. Some stayed a long time but none as long as me. Aunt Constance always said I was special, and I had to be in perfect condition before I was allowed to leave. She told me Mother and Father would not want me if I wasn’t perfect. I . . . I don’t know that I believe that anymore. I have done everything that has been asked of me, and I still have not heard from my family.”
Subdued after hearing the child’s story, Kate spoke to her in a gentle tone. “Rosita, do you know why you were brought here to Mango Key?”
“There were twelve of us.”
Tick, Kate, Sandy, and Pete stared at one another. As was becoming customary, Kate took the lead. “Were these twelve girls your cousins?”
Rosita dropped her head to her chest. Small sobs caused her thin shoulders to shake. She cried for a few seconds, then lifted her head. “I am sorry. I get so very sad sometimes.”
“It’s okay to be