How Tía Lola Ended Up Starting Over Read Free

It’ll be good to have a fun project in town.
    Colonel Charlebois takes a big breath, as if he were about to blow out all eighty-five candles that will be on his birthday cake this December. “I think it’s a terrific idea!”
    A cheer goes up. High-fiving all around.
    “What shall we call our B&B?” The colonel looks around the room.
    “I know, I know!” Cari raises her hand, but she doesn’t wait to be called on. “Let’s call it Tía Lola’s B&B.” She puffs out her little chest with pride at being the first to come up with the best name in the world.
    Tía Lola thanks Cari, but she cannot accept this great honor. “It is Colonel Charlebois’s house. It must be ‘Colonel Charlebois’s B&B.’ ”
    But the colonel disagrees. “Sounds too much like a military barracks. No one will want to stay here. Don’t you see, Tía Lola? Your name adds a touch of exoticism—”
    “What’s exorcism?” Cari wants to know. After all, the name was her idea, so she wants to understand what kind of touch her suggestion is adding.
    “Ex-o-ti-cism,” Colonel Charlebois pronounces. “It means something out of the ordinary, exciting, and enchanting.” The children’s faces light up, but Tía Lola keeps shaking her head.
    Victoria steps in. “We’ll settle it with a vote. How many for ‘Tía Lola’s B&B’?”
    Everyone except Tía Lola raises their hand. Valentino barks his agreement.
    “ ‘Tía Lola’s B&B,’ it’ll be!” Victoria announces. Everyone except Tía Lola is on their feet cheering.
    Cari suddenly remembers. “Doesn’t Papa have to vote, too?”
    It’s as if someone has thrown a big bucket of icy water on their fired-up heads and hearts. They all let themselves slowly back down into their chairs.
    “I guess Papa does have to vote.” Victoria is nothing if not fair.
    “Well, that’s the end of that solution,” Essie says in a gloomy voice. “You know Papa, and how he doesn’t want to impose on Colonel Charlebois.”
    “This is my house!” Colonel Charlebois reminds her. “I can do what I want here.”
    “Try telling that to Papa.” Victoria sighs. Valentino, who understands the language of sighs, comes over and licks her hand.
    It’s as if a glove has been flung in challenge at the old soldier. “I
will
tell him. If I want to turn my house into Tía Lola’s B&B, you better believe I will, no matter what Víctor Espada has to say about it!”
    They’re all back on their feet again, high-fiving and cheering. Which is why no one hears the front door open or the footsteps coming down the hall toward the room where there’s quite a commotion going on.
    Papa is at the door, arms folded, looking disapprovingly at his daughters. “Girls, you need to keep your voices down. This is Colonel Charlebois’s house.” For some reason, his reminder brings on a renewed round of loud laughter.
    “Would someone care to tell me what is going on?” Papa asks sternly.
    The children all raise their hands.
    But Colonel Charlebois pulls rank. “I’ll do the explaining here,” he says. “After all, this
is
my house.”

How the Parents Came Around and Around and Around
    Papa’s first response to the idea of a B&B in Colonel Charlebois’s house is no surprise. “Absolutely not!”
    “But, Víctor, you say yourself you are unhappy practicing law because people are always arguing,” Tía Lola reminds him. “What you love is making people happy.”
    “Where did you get that idea?” Víctor asks. The question is addressed to Tía Lola, but Papa is looking pointedly at his three daughters as if he already knows the answer.
    “I’m sorry, Papa.” Victoria knows her father’s change of heart is a family secret. But Miguel and Juanita are like a brother and sister, and Tía Lola is like a special aunt and second mother rolled into one.
    Papa can’t deny being pleased that his daughters have formed such a strong bond with Linda’s children and aunt.But what good will that do him if Linda