Sweetwater Valley || Shawmila

4.

At two in the morning, Camila got out of bed to grab a glass of cold water. She made her way down the stairs, half-asleep, her hair tousled, only a loose white shirt covering her. She was still lost in a haze of dreams until she turned the corner to the kitchen and noticed the light was on.

At the table, she saw Valentina with her head in her hands, the glow of her laptop casting tired, almost ghostly shadows over her stressed face. Realizing her sister was there, Valentina jumped slightly. "What are you doing up at this hour?" she asked in her usual big-sister tone.

"I just came down for a glass of water. But why are you still here?"

Valentina slumped in her chair, too exhausted to keep up any pretense. "I'm trying to balance the accounts. We're on the brink of bankruptcy, Camila. If things keep going like this, we'll lose everything by the end of the year."

Camila sat down beside her and glanced at the screen. "I had no idea things were this bad; you never told me."

Her sister shrugged. "What difference would it have made?"

Comments like that always drove Camila crazy. Valentina treated her like she was some clueless kid, barely capable of handling herself, let alone helping others. She never let her show she was part of the family. "You know, this family business involves me too!"

Valentina rolled her eyes and stood up from the table. "You didn't seem so interested when you left and disappeared."

Camila felt a sting in her eyes as she tried to hold back tears—not from sadness or shame, but from anger. "Did it ever occur to you why I wanted to leave? Try living with someone as controlling as you! But that doesn't give you the right to cut me out of everything!"

Valentina seemed taken aback, her gaze intense but surprised. Camila was always bold and outspoken, but usually kept her criticisms to herself. "Fine, then, sit here and figure something out. I'm done with everyone and everything." She walked out, leaving her younger sister to handle it all on her own.

Now fully awake, Camila decided to do exactly what her sister had said. She spent the next hour poring over their bank account, listing all the expenses and debts that needed to be paid that month, and brainstorming ways to bring in money.

By the time she came up with a solution, dawn was breaking over the valley, and sleep felt like a distant memory. She made breakfast for everyone, just as their mother used to on Sunday mornings. She brewed coffee, squeezed oranges, mixed eggs with flour, buttered the pan for pancakes, fried bacon, and toasted bread.

Valentina was the first to come downstairs, puzzled by the smell of breakfast and the sight of her sister so focused on her work. Before Camila could say anything, Valentina spotted the notes with all her calculations from the night, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure this could work?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Camila shrugged. "I mean, I'm not sure, but I think it will. We don't have much of a choice, do we?"

Valentina nodded, sitting down to eat in silence, looking resigned but somehow lighter than usual, and Camila could see why. After running those numbers all night, she'd seen that their family property really was hanging by a thread, battered by one unfortunate event after another: drought, ruined crops, sick livestock... The only way out for the Cabello sisters was a drastic one.

Selling the land wasn't an option, and firing Uncle Jimmy and Shawn hadn't even been discussed. But Camila thought renting out some fields to local farmers and selling some of their livestock might ease the load and bring in income. Plus, selling fresh produce at the local market might make them a little extra cash.