Livewire

Chapter 25

The brakes hissed and the coach lurched to a stop, jerking Kyle from his light slumber. His eyes could only have closed for a minute or two. For the whole journey from Veracruz he could not get any sleep. By the time exhaustion won out, the journey was over. After almost twenty four hours on the coach he'd only managed sporadic sleep here and there. Trudie did far better, getting a few solid hours, lightly dozing on his shoulder. She looked much fresher than he felt.

The rest of the coach passengers ambled down the aisle to the door. A middle aged man in a suit let them join the queue in front of him. He gave a nod as a gesture of thanks and they got out of their seats. Outside, the driver was already unloading cases from the luggage hold. His whole torso was hidden in the underbelly of the coach while he passed the cases to the waiting crowd.

He grabbed his and Trudie's cases before the wheels even touched the ground, then they walked over to the waiting area, where Emilio's cousin would be waiting for them. Kyle didn't know what he looked like, so he was relying on him to spot the only two white people in a sea of Hispanics.

A man in a short-sleeve shirt and khaki shorts walked up and looked them both up and down.

He held his hand out in front of Kyle. "Hola. Soy Miguel."

Kyle shook it. "Kyle."

Miguel offered his hand to Trudie and took her bag. She smiled, "Trudie. Gracias."

"Please follow me." Miguel walked across the bus station, toward a pedestrian exit. They emerged on a busy street and Miguel led them across the road to a smaller side street. He approached a white sedan and opened the boot to load the bags inside. Miguel jumped in the driver's seat and Kyle took the front seat next to him. The engine started and Miguel pulled forward, joining the traffic on the busy road.

The radio burst into life and Miguel turned it down. "You will forgive me, my English is not as good as cousin Emilio, I expect. Pero, mi esposa, Anna. Her English is muy bien."

"Your English is better than my Spanish," said Kyle.

"We live in the Panuco barrio, in west Tampico. It's a bit of a drive, but there are frequent buses too."

"Gracias. Emilio tells me you work in construction."

"Si, seis días a la semana. But Anna will be at home everyday looking after los niños."

"We will help out where we can. Gracias for your hospitality."

Miguel flicked his hand. "No es nada."

The conversation went quiet and he felt his eyelids growing heavy. He was in dire need of sleep but he tried to stay awake and not seem rude.

The car pulled up outside a house quite similar in shape and colour to Emilio's back in Veracruz, in a quiet suburb. Miguel got out and the front door burst open, unleashing three children who ran over to hug their father. Anna appeared at the door next, holding a dozing baby in her arms. Kyle and Trudie got out of the car and the children ran around them next, though they were far more interested in her than him. They were chattering away, no doubt asking a hundred questions.

Anna called the children away and they rushed inside the house, letting Kyle and Trudie enter, unhindered.

"Welcome to our home. Please come in. We've put you in the spare room." Anna led them into the house and showed them the room. "I'm cooking up some lunch. Are you hungry?"

Trudie unzipped her suitcase. "Gracias, lunch would be lovely."

"Niños. Comida." Anna rounded up her children like a shepherd calling in their sheepdogs. It was pandemonium for a few seconds then order with everyone sat at the table.