Inner Diva Read Free Page B

adorable
voice and Monica knew immediately she was in trouble. She wouldn’t
be able to deny this nymph anything. She looked into the girl’s
eyes. They were the same soft mocha color of her brother’s.
    And for some reason, that made her
shiver.
    Clearing her throat and pulling herself
together, she held out her hand. “I’m Monica. It’s very nice to
meet you, Luisa.”
    They shook hands like mature business people
and then Luisa asked, “How old are you?”
    Monica chuckled. “You’re getting right to the
personal stuff, aren’t you? I am twenty seven. How old are
you?”
    Luisa rewarded her with an amused smile. “I’m
ten. But I know someone about your age. My brother, Carlos.”
    Monica froze, her breath catching in her
throat.
    “Except he’s not twenty seven, is he, Mama?”
Luisa went on, oblivious to the impact her change in topic had on
Monica.
    “No, hija , twenty eight.”
    Monica nodded, and was relieved when Luisa
raced on, “I’m in the fifth grade, I go to Centerville Elementary,
and my teacher is Mrs. Bakewell. My favorite subject is reading and
I just finished all the books in my classroom, so Mrs. Bakewell
asked the sixth grade for more books.”
    Monica laughed. There was no language barrier
here, and no trouble getting the kid to open up. This was going to
be fun.
    Luisa chattered on a little while, then her
mom silenced her with a shush and a hand on her arm. “Little one,
enough. You must be quiet now. Monica wants to come over and visit
you and take you places. Is that good?”
    Luisa jumped up and down, clapped and
shrieked so loud, both the adults had to shield their ears with
their hands. To Monica, it was the perfect reaction. It felt good
to be appreciated and wanted.
    Mrs. Garcia turned to Monica. “Tuesday,
Thursday and two weekend days a month. Too much?”
    Monica looked at the little girl bubbling
over with excitement. “Not too much at all.”
    An hour later, Monica gathered her things to
leave and asked Mrs. Garcia for a private word in the kitchen. The
older woman joined her and patted her on the shoulder. “See? I told
you you’re a good girl. A strong woman. Smart. You’re good for my
Luisa.”
    A wash of emotion filled Monica. “Thank you.
She’s a great kid. I’m really looking forward to getting to know
her better.”
    Mrs. Garcia nodded. “She likes you. I can
tell.”
    “I hate to bring this up again, but I’m
curious. This whole arrangement seems perfect, except for
Carlos.”
    Mrs. Garcia stomped her foot and got a look
about her like a solid oak tree. “Carlos will be fine. He works so
hard, but he doesn’t understand about the needs of a young girl.
Luisa needs someone in her life besides us. He’ll understand,
you’ll see.” She patted Monica’s shoulder again and nodded
vigorously. “He’ll be okay.”
    Monica smiled but she had her doubts. As she
made her way to the door, Luisa was at the desk near the phone,
writing something on a piece of paper. She gasped when she saw
Monica approach, and hurriedly tore the paper from the pad and
folded it sloppily. She ran over to Monica and presented it to her,
her face beaming.
    “This is for you.”
    Monica accepted it. “Why, thank you very
much.” She began to unfold it and Luisa stopped her by squeezing
Monica’s hands.
    “No! Read it later.” Then she stood on her
tiptoes, motioned for Monica to lean down, and placed a prim kiss
on Monica’s cheek.
    The smile that lit Monica’s face emerged from
the warmth in her heart for this little girl. “Thank you.”
    After waving good-bye, Monica left. When
she’d gotten in her car and fastened her seat belt, she unfolded
the paper. Scrawled in Luisa’s handwriting was the message, “Your
Little Sister, Luisa,” and a phone number. Scattered around the
rest of the page in red pen, quickly blurring due to the sudden
welling of tears in Monica’s eyes, were hearts and stars.
     
     
     

Chapter Two
     
    On Thursday evening, Monica arrived