The Red Umbrella

“Lucía, Frankie woke up with a fever.” Mamá poked her head into my room. “I need you to go pick up some medicine for him at Machado’s Pharmacy.”

I was just about to complain about being woken up when her words made it all the way to my brain. During the last few weeks, errands had been my only way out of the house. “Está bien, Mamá. I’ll be ready in cinco minutos.”

I quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed some clothes, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and gave myself a light spritz of perfume. “I’m ready!” I yelled before Mamá had a chance to change her mind.

Mamá waited for me by the front door. “Just go to the pharmacy and come straight home. No side trips to Ivette’s or anywhere else, understand?”

I nodded as she handed me some money.

“I’ve given you enough for some baby aspirin and camphor, but there’s a little extra there, too.”

“Uh-huh.” I tapped my foot, eager to leave. Running errands had never been high on my list of fun things to do, but at least it gave me a chance to breathe some fresh air and get away from Mamá’s watchful eye. Plus, there was a chance I’d run into some friends along the way.

“You can buy yourself a pretty nail polish or some face powder.” Mamá fought back a smile.

“Okay, sure.” Did she expect me to jump for joy over face powder? If I were allowed to cut my hair short or wear makeup, then maybe …

A huge smile broke out across Mamá’s face. “You’ll want to look nice for the dance on Saturday.”

It took a moment to sink in. I couldn’t believe it … she was going to let me go! I threw my arms around her neck. “Thank you, Mamá, thank you!”

She squeezed me back. “I spoke with your father last night. You deserve to have a little fun. You are fourteen; we’ve got to let you grow up a little.” She pulled away and looked me straight in the eye. “But I’ll be there chaperoning.”

I did a little dance in the doorway. “That’s okay.” I jumped up and down. “I love you so much!”

“Well, thank your father, too, when he gets home. But now I need that medicine, so go!”

I turned and skipped to the sidewalk. It felt like I could float all the way to town. When I finally reached Machado’s Pharmacy, I headed straight for the cosmetics counter, where Doc Machado’s sister, Señora Garra, sat on a stool facing the front window.

“Buenos días, Señora Garra.”

Señora Garra spun around to face me. “Oh, Lucía, what can I do for you?”

“I’d like a bottle of Mademoiselle Pink nail polish.” It was a color I’d seen advertised in one of my fashion magazines.

Señora Garra’s attention went to the front door as someone else came inside. She glanced over at me and gave me a slight smile. “Perdóname, what did you ask me for?”

“Mademoiselle Pink polish.”

Señora Garra stole another glimpse at the door.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Sí, sí. Machado’s just running a little late this morning. As for the polish, we haven’t had that in a while. But we do have some other very nice shades of light pink. Is this for anything special?”

I looked down and felt my cheeks get warm. “Um, for a dance.” I wasn’t sure why I was embarrassed to say this out loud.

“Oh my! I can’t believe it!” She shook her head. “Seems like only yesterday you were in a baby carriage.” She held up one finger and eased off the metal stool. “I have one bottle left of a color that’ll be just perfect for you. It’s a little more red than what you were asking for, but it’s just right for a young lady growing up.” She bent down, took a small bottle off the bottom shelf, and placed it on the glass countertop.

It was a light berry-colored polish. Perfect for the dress I planned on wearing.

“I’ll take it!”

“Anything else you need?”

“Children’s aspirin and camphor.”

Señora Garra peeked out the store window. “Somebody sick?”

“Frankie has a bad cold.” I opened the little bottle and put a drop on my fingernail. The color made me feel glamorous. I’d fix my nails the moment I got home.

Señora Garra walked back over with a small brown bag and dropped the polish inside. “Hope Frankie feels better. Tell your mother to call if she needs to speak to Doc Machado. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.”

I nodded, paid, and left the pharmacy with dreams of dancing with Manuel.

The rumbling of the cars passing by, the hum of conversations too distant to really understand, and the jingle of bells as people entered stores created a rhythm that soon became the soundtrack to the dance I was imagining. Manuel would have his hand on my back and we’d glide around the dance floor like in the movies. He’d look into my eyes and whisper how I was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. Then the music would end and he’d continue holding my hand for the rest of the night.

As I rounded the first corner and passed the hardware store, I peeked inside the bag to take another look at my purchase. That’s when I smacked right into Laura Milian.

“Lucía!” She turned our collision into a light hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Oh.” I was surprised she was even talking to me. “Hi.”

“What have you been up to lately?”

“Me?” I shrugged. “Nothing much.”

“Yeah, me neither.” She smiled. “Guess we have a lot in common nowadays, huh?”

I gave her a blank stare. Laura Milian and I had nothing in common. She was queen of the popular crowd and I, well, I had Ivette.

She lowered her voice and gave me a little nudge with her elbow. “You know what I mean. People not really talking to us anymore because we don’t go to the Jóvenes meetings and all.”

I remembered that Ivette had told me that Laura’s father had been arrested for spreading anti-revolutionary lies. That was probably why her friends had all stopped talking to her. “No, that’s not really happening to me.”

Laura looked surprised. “Oh. Well, anyway, it’s nice to talk to you. Are you going shopping or something?”

“No, I’m on my way home. I had to run a quick errand.” I felt the shape of the bottle in the bag. Laura would probably think it was silly or unfashionable. I decided not to show her.

“Oh well. Maybe we can do something later. I know we’ve never hung out or anything, but things are different now and I thought, maybe …”

I had to admit, I liked the idea that one of the coolest girls in school wanted to be my friend. Then again, she was now a former popular kid, which was probably the only reason she was talking to me. Plato de segunda mesa, as my mother would say. “I don’t know. My parents aren’t really letting me do much.”

Laura’s face fell.

I could see the disappointment in her eyes. I’d always had Ivette to count on, but she didn’t seem to have anyone left. “Well, maybe one of these afternoons or something,” I offered.

“Okay.” She perked up. “Hey, you said you’re going home, right?”

I nodded.

Laura got a little closer to me. “I wouldn’t go down Central Avenue. Something was happening over there a few minutes ago. There were a ton of soldiers, and that many of them can’t be good. I think …” She paused as an old man passed by us. “Just be careful.”

“Sure.” I glanced down at my watch. “My mother’s waiting. I’ve got to get going.”

“Oh, right. We’ll talk soon, okay?”

“Mmm-hmm,” I said, and turned to head home.

It was strange the way Laura was speaking before that old man walked by us. A bit overly dramatic and, like my parents, a little too paranoid for my taste. I shook the thoughts about Laura Milian away and concentrated on Manuel again. I glanced at the little spot of reddish pink on my nail. The color seemed to sparkle under the dazzling morning sun.

I crossed the street, opened the pharmacy bag, and pulled out the polish. I held it up, admiring the truly perfect shade. I was going to look so pretty. I couldn’t wait to tell Ivette that I’d be able to go with her to the dance. She’d be so happy for me.

By the time I passed the old courthouse, with its large front steps rising to meet the columns near the front doors, I realized I’d been walking down Central Avenue. It was the way I always went home, but Laura had said there were a lot of soldiers in the area.

I spun around.

The street was empty … too empty.

My heart raced.

Where were all the soldiers? Where was … anyone? Either Laura had lied or something was very wrong.

I saw the city park up ahead. I could cut through there, cross over to José Martí Boulevard, and get home that way.

I closed my fist over the bottle and ran down the large tree-lined promenade. My eyes focused on the flowered park entrance. I made a sharp turn past the blooming azaleas and stopped short.

I gasped in horror.

There, from the oak tree on the corner, hung the body of Doc Machado! A scream escaped from the back of my throat and I dropped the little bottle. It shattered against the sidewalk, leaving a pool of red next to my shoes.

I didn’t know what to do. My heart beat so loudly I couldn’t think. I wanted to fall down, but my legs wouldn’t bend.

A police car drove by slowly … watching.

The next thing I knew, I was running. I didn’t know where I was headed until I saw Papá’s bank in front of me. I wanted to run inside and have him hold me in his arms, but something made me pause. I inched toward the large front window and peered inside. Papá sat at his desk, calmly talking with a few soldiers. I turned and leaned against the glass. A group of young brigadistas walked by, laughing. There seemed to be soldiers, or kids pretending to be soldiers, everywhere. I took a deep breath, got my bearings, and took off running again. This time, I didn’t stop until I was home.