Think of the Devil

Seventeen

Jane shuffled down the stairs, tugging her gloves on as she went. Alberto was absent-mindedly watching the TV in the corner, some telenovela that he swore he never watched but always seemed to be on. When he heard her on the steps, he turned on his stool to examine her. A warm smile greeted her when she looked at him.

"Mija," he greeted. "I haven't seen you all day. How are you?"

She moved towards him, wanting a hug as much as he wanted to give one. "I'm alright. How are you?"

He answered in Spanish, mind still on the telenovela as they embraced. "I'm okay too. It's been slow today."

Nodding, she replied in his native tongue as well. "Yeah, I only had one client today and they canceled. But it was nice to have a day off."

He laughed. "I can't remember the last time I had one of those."

She frowned at his response. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember the last time he took a day off either. She knew the shop was his only income, that it needed to succeed for him to succeed, but it didn't mean he had to work himself so hard.

"Maybe we should," she suggested. "We keep talking about taking Angélica camping. It could be nice before the weather gets too cold."

Alberto nodded, a sad smile on his face. Her head tilted a bit as she tried to figure out why it was there. He was thinking about how nice it would be to do so, out in nature with his two girls. But Angélica was starting to think about colleges now, and he hadn't saved up as much money for her as he wished. And he was always so tired, his old bones aching by the end of each day. He wouldn't be able to get as far as he used to. He thought he'd hold them back.

Before she could speak up, he sighed and waved dismissively. "I don't know if I can, mija. You should definitely take her, though. I'm worried she's on her phone too much." (All day, all night. You'd think it's glued to her hand.)

A small chuckle blew past her lips. Angélica was a teen, after all. Now that Jane knew she was seeing some girl in secret too, the reply was all too understandable. She still wanted to argue with him, to convince him that he wouldn't be a bother, but she noticed the time on the clock on the wall.

Jane resolved to bring it up later. She wanted Alberto to take a day off almost as much as he needed to. Rubbing a hand against his sore back, she murmured, "You work too hard, papá. You need a break."

He perked up a bit at her calling him that. She did so very rarely, still a bit anxious to use it often. While they were all so close, he still wasn't her real father. She'd never used the term around Angélica for that reason, not that she was sure it would upset the girl anyway.

He turned another smile up to her, taking the hand she'd rested on his shoulder and squeezing it. "I'll take one soon, mija," he promised. "Maybe we'll go to the beach instead."

She immediately smiled. "That's a great idea."

He nodded, kissing her hand. That was when he realized it was veiled in her glove. "Going out?" he asked. (Again?)

Jane nodded, glancing at the clock. It was just past seven thirty. "Yeah, I have a meeting I have to get to."

His full brows lowered in confusion. "A meeting? This late at night? With who?"

She laughed, pulling away as she took a step back. He had more questions ringing in his mind, and they seemed to echo in the space between them. "I have a new client," she answered, having rehearsed what she'd tell him. "I'm acting as a sort of character witness. I shouldn't be too long."

(Character witness? Does this have to do with her friend?) "What does that mean?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I'm speaking to his reliability. He's giving a story to a newspaper."