Complicado (Queen of the South, My Season 6)

Part 3 - The Twist

James brushed off snow from his jacket and inhaled the cold stinging air. His goggles had fogged again. Damn it! Maybe they were too loose! He removed them exercising utmost patience and adjusted them as best as his cold fingers allowed.

His two children, however, were neither cold, nor showing any signs of needing to exercise patience. On the contrary, they were thrilled even after 2 hours of private lessons with a ski instructor, which lessons had been useful, he had to admit, as he now had been able to go down the green run a few times without falling. However, he could not share their hype from the morning, their loud voices full of excitement about 'going skiing', them talking over each other and simultaneously to either him or Teresa! All that when he had been trying to enjoy his breakfast after the bad night.

One look at Teresa's tired expression and puffy eyes was sufficient for him to figure out that unless he took the kids out, soon she would be developing a headache. She hadn't slept well, neither had he and it showed!

The best strategy had been to get out each other's space and to assign the anxious teen and the even more anxious 8 year old to a highly paid ski instructor for the next few hours at least, no matter the cost. He had himself been eager to try skiing in the hope that he would master it as easily as he had mastered the surfing, but after last night's encounter, his mind was everywhere else but on learning a new sport.

He knew Chicho had given him the morning to 'get the gist of it' and had promised to show in the early afternoon with his current girlfriend, who was a newbie as well, so that they could 'hit the hills' together.

James hadn't even bothered asking Teresa if she had plans to get on skis herself, as he knew the answer. He rushed the children to get in their snowpants and could read the gratitude on her face as she sipped her coffee and stared at her scrambled eggs. The chalet had a dedicated chef and thus breakfast had been ready in less than half hour after ordering it.

When Suzie inquired of her mother in an overly excited tone when she was planning to join them, James saw Teresa roll her eyes and promise with a half mouth that it 'could be later ...at some point".

He decided to give the green run one more try and then head into the lodge at the bottom of the hill for tea, hopefully not a virgin one, and leave the children to the ski instructor, who was overly eager to practice his English.

His mind wandered to the possible issues Marcel and Chicho's business was in as he sipped the aromatic herbal tea, generously fortified with rum. Teresa was meeting Marcel for lunch; she was bound to find out!

His cell rang and startled him. He pulled it out and was surprised to see it was Pote. The man's booming voice awoke him from his daydreaming: "Is it true, cabron?"

"Yes, it is!' James knew someone had spilled the beans, but doubted it was Teresa as he had been by her side the whole evening.

"Is it Marcel and Chicho? Cabrones! Really? After all these years?" Pote was excited himself. He had delivered them the cash Teresa had left for the development of the NOLA waterfront property and they had parted as best friends. Both men had helped Pote eliminate Boaz, and James was sure that hiding from them forever wouldn't have been Pote's choice.

Pote kept talking: "Tony texted me that some black guy spotted both of you on the plane... and then later met you with another Mexican guy for drinks...and that Teresita got so speechless and so pale that he thought she'd faint...Is it true?"

"Yes, it was quite a shock. No one expected it. She had a very bad night...ahh...we hardly slept...it's the emotions all this time would bring back to memory...she still feels guilt for sending him to jail", James took another long sip. "Didn't you talk to her?" he added.