The Death Date

chapter fourteen

Old Town was surprisingly quiet for one o'clock on a Saturday. The small section of San Diego was a few blocks surrounding the Old Town State Park, which featured a series of buildings that had been restored to replicate the first Mexican settlement in the city. Adobe shops were scattered around a central plaza with a few authentic shops and museums, and it was easy to feel transported back to the seventeenth century.

"The first people to settle here were the Kumeyaay. They were a Native American Tribe that lived here for thousands of years," Vi said, as she, Meghan, and I sauntered past the Wells Fargo museum. "And then the Spaniards came and put a presidio, or a fort, over the area which included the Kumeyaay settlement. The people suffered years of torture and hardship by the Spaniards, which caused them to start a revolt, but it didn't change much in the end. Even though the Kumeyaay had successfully burned down the fort, the Spaniards maintained control over the area."

Meghan's nose scrunched. "Why is history always so bloody?"

"People think having power means having to assert it."

Meghan shifted towards Vi as we continued walking. "Isn't that the definition of power?"

Vi hunched her shoulders. "Having power means having power. It doesn't have to be continually demonstrated for it to remain intact"

Meghan stopped dead in her tracks, sun blaring over her chocolate hair and said slowly, "You really think that?"

Vi slid her eyes from the Adobo building to the ground at Meghan's feet. "Yes. I don't say things I don't mean."

The sunlight continued to shower Meghan as she stood in place. As it had on Fiesta Island, something ignited in the air between them, and seconds later, the corners of Meghan's mouth began to lift in a tender expression. "Of course, you don't. That's what I like about you."

Vi responded immediately. "I like you too."

I felt like someone who had stumbled upon a scene in which they were not meant to see. Should I make up an excuse and give them privacy? But privacy for what? A seed had been planted back at the beach ,and I was now watching my two friends grow something small and fragile. Vi hardly branched away from the close group of people she kept in her life, the people she knew well and was comfortable with. Meghan challenged this rule at every angle.

To quiet the extremely heavy silence, Meghan cleared her throat and stated, "I'm starving. Where are these famous tortillas y'all keep talking about?"

Once we had exited the park, we weaved along a few blocks around more museums and shops towards a small restaurant that had a short menu of authentic Mexican food, including the best tortillas in the area. Meghan scarfed down the shredded chicken quesadilla she had ordered and was now swinging a plastic bag full of flour tortillas.

"That was delicious," she said as the three of us lazily grazed along the street, admiring each shop we saw. I stuck to the outside of the sidewalk as it offered fewer chances for run-ins with death dates. "We had good Mexican food in Texas too, but that was incredible. I can't believe how much I ate!"

"What city in Texas did you live in?" Vi asked.

"Lubbock."

"That's where Buddy Holly was from," Vi said, causing Meghan to grin.

"Yep, and everyone there is as proud as proud can be."

"He pioneered rock and roll."

"I thought the Beatles pioneered rock and roll," I said, dodging a harried looking woman who zipped around the corner of the street.