Pete made his way back to the tavern. Miguel barely recognized the man who once had a long full beard but now had only a few weeks growth on his face.
Miguel smiled at the man he loaned his truck to. "What happened to you?" He asked.
"Long story." Pete sat at the bar and the tavern owner placed a beer in front of him.
Miguel looked at Pete closely. "You lost weight." As another patron walked through the door he smelled smoke coming from Pete's clothes. "You smell like a person who has been in the desert. And your friend?"
"Not sure of my friend." Pete guzzled most of the beer then surprised Miguel with a note.
"What's this?" Miguel opened the note. He knew the handwriting of his mother. "That village keeps calling her back." He set another beer up for Pete. Looked at the man and set a third beer on the bar for him. "I will be about an hour."
Pete just remembered. "Oh hey Miguel, I need to charge my cellphone. Can you help?"
The tavern owner pulled a box of charging cables from behind the bar. "Sit in the corner there." Miguel pointed to an empty table. "See you in an hour."
Miguel pulled his apron off and called to his employee. He pointed to Pete then left his tavern in search of the items on the list.
Pete found a charging cable and plugged his cellphone in. A few minutes later it had enough power to turn on. He took another long drink of the beer.
Not knowing exactly what he wanted to tell Madeline he first called the Thompson twins. They put him on speakerphone. "Pumpkin! Three weeks Baby, where have you been?"
"A long story, girls." Pete felt good to hear the twins' voices. "Not sure when I am gonna make it home. Just wanted to call to say I missed you two."
The twins spoke together as they did so often. "Awww Pumpkin! Be safe, Baby! Kisses!"
"Bye, Girls!" Pete felt better just by hearing the twin's voices. Then a sinking feeling came over him not knowing what to say as he dialed Madeline's phone.
The Cottage
Madeline, Gwen and the kids returned to the rental cottage. The kids headed inside looking for something to drink as the women sat outside on the deck.
Madeline sat under the umbrella and out of the hot August sun. "This is a nice place, Gwen."
Charlie sat right next to the mother of three and instinctively Gwen began to pet the dog. "It is one of the older cottages but it is spacious. You should stay with us!"
"Oh I don't know ~ but Charlie loves it here." Madeline looked at the border collie. "Look at you and Charlie getting along!"
Gwen seemed surprised at the thought of even sitting near the dog and even more surprised petting Charlie. "A month ago and I would never of believed we would be getting along."
Madeline smiled. "You know accepting his dog will make Harmony a very happy princess!"
Gwen sighed.
"What is it?" Madeline didn't know what to make of her reaction. "Not a good thing, Gwen?"
Gwen slowly shook her head. "Harmony asked where Jeremy was. She thinks he is a really good person."
"Now you are worried he is gone?" Madeline looked over at a devastated woman who agreed by nodding her head several times.
Gwen covered her face as she began to weep. Madeline moved in to comfort the mother of three as her cellphone went off. With one arm around her friend she pulled the phone from her back pocket.
"It's Pete!" Madeline exclaimed.
"Pumpkin?"
"Yeah, Pumpkin." Madeline looked at Gwen.
"Well, answer it!" Gwen pushed Madeline's hand with the phone towards her face then sternly addressed her friend. "Madeline. Answer the phone!"
With a pit in her stomach Madeline accepted the call. "P..P..Pete?"
Pete frowned before speaking. "Yes, it's me. I am just at Miguel's bar waiting for him to return with some things for his mother."
"Ah, Miguel?" Madeline frowned.
Gwen looked at Madeline then pulled the phone from her hand and put it on speakerphone and spoke. "Pumpkin, this is Gwen. How is Jeremy?"
"Oh hey, Gwen. Ahhh, I really don't know." Pete paused. "Miguel's mother is a medicine woman I guess. A little strange but I mean he was almost gone." He shrugged and added. "He is alive."
Again Pete said Miguel's name and the two women just stared at each other in disbelief mouthing Miguel's name. Gwen frowned and picked up the cellphone. "Pumpkin, you better not be yanking my chain because I am this close to flying there and kicking your ass!"
Madeline took her phone back and covered the microphone. "What are you doing? Really?" Then she held the phone out and spoke. "Pete?"
In a sarcastic tone Pete responded. "Sounds like Gwen is doing better." But felt confused at this point. "Want to let me in on what I said was so bad?"
Madeline spoke slow and clear. "What is the bar owner's name?"
Pete sighed. "Well, he said his name is Miguel. Miguel Consuelo Rodriguez Garcia." He paused then included the distinguishing difference. "Senior."
Gwen's heart began to race as she grabbed at Madeline's hand. "That's Miggy's father! My Miggy's father!"
"There's a picture of Miguel and his son behind the bar." Pete recalled.
"Is his son there, Pumpkin? Is he there?" Gwen's excitement grew.
"Hang on, I will ask Miguel's employee." Pete left the cellphone plugged in and walked to the bar. "Perdóneme. Esa foto de ahí con Miguel." Excuse me. That photo there with Miguel. He pointed at the photo.
"Si. ¿Qué pasa con eso?" What about it? The man behind the bar asked.
"¿Dónde está su hijo? ¿Está el aquí?" Where is his son? Is he here?" Pete asked knowing it was important to Gwen.
"Si!" Yes. The man answered as he pointed to an urn with Miguel Junior's ashes.
"Oh." Pete raised an eyebrow as he thanked the man behind the bar.
Pete scratched his head as he returned to the table. He sat and chose to finish a beer before speaking. "Hey Gwen."
"Pumpkin?" Gwen spoke slowly.
"Ah." Pete took a deep breath. "Hmmmm." He stalled.
Gwen had enough of Jeremy's friend. "Pete Riddell, tell me if Miguel is there. Now!"
The two women heard Pete take another deep breath. "This is a two part answer so..."
Madeline and Gwen both frowned then looked at the phone waiting to hear Pete's voice complete his thought. "Miguel Consuelo Rodriguez Garcia is here but...he...is not among the living."
Madeline watched Gwen freeze in time. Her Miggy was dead and her heart seemed to explode into a million pieces as the mother of three grabbed at her heart.
She screamed. "Miggy!" Gwen yelled again. "Miggy!" The kids came running out to see their mother convulsing on the deck.
Madeline grabbed her phone. "I'll call you back, Pete!" She ended the call and helped Gwen inside the cottage. The family gathered on the sofa as Gwen explained why she felt so bad.
Harmony dropped her princess magic wand and walked away from her mother after finding out she would not ever meet her father. Charlie stayed close to the youngest daughter who slowly walked to her room. When the crying had finished she hugged the border collie and walked back to her family. "Mom, Charlie wants to help!"
Gwen smiled at Harmony and Charlie gently pressed her head on the grieving woman's lap offering a place to cry and she pulled the dog close.
Madeline could only watch in awe of this uniquely gifted dog taking the sorrow from Gwen. When she released Charlie the mother had a smile for her children.
Charlie sat next to Madeline as if to say Gwen would be okay. The doctor kissed the dog and scratched her behind her ears. "You do that very well, Girl!"
Gwen sat on the comfy sofa with her children telling each of them all the good things in their fathers. The bitterness of the past years could not be heard in her voice. Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, a new woman had been born this afternoon.
At The Tavern
Miguel entered the bar in a happy mood. "I thought my truck was lost for sure!" He waved Pete over from his seat at the table.
Pete gathered the charging cable and returned it to the bar. "Thanks Miguel. You are an angel!"
"No. He is the angel!" Miguel pointed to his son. "My son saved a young family from the cartel. I don't know why he worked for them but he made a good decision and saved the family before losing his life." The proud father patted his chest then smiled as he sighed. "Tequila, huh?"
Pete smiled and nodded in agreement. Though still not sure how Miguel's son and Gwen were connected, he believed this was getting very interesting.
"You know what? I think I will drive you back out. I think it is a great day for the Garcia family!" Miguel had a huge smile upon his face. "What do you say?"
Pete raised his shot of tequila and returned the smile. "To Emelina."
Miguel nodded. "Si, to mama Emelina!"
In The Truck
Pete watched the people on the sidewalks as Miguel drove through the city. "I love the people here, Miguel. I don't understand why Mama Salina left the village."
This statement made Miguel look at his passenger. "You are of Mixtec? This explains a lot, amigo."
"What do you mean Miguel?" Pete had to ask.
"When you came into my bar. Everyone thought you were a local." Miguel continued to explain what he meant. "It felt like you were their cousin but with lighter skin and more hair!" The tavern owner laughed loudly.
Pete had a closer look at Miguel's truck now that he wasn't driving it. Just riding in the passenger seat made him realize how similar Jeremy's truck was to this one. "Hey Miguel, how long have you had this truck?"
"Oh you like this truck, eh?" The man smiled. "I bought it from an American who was down on his luck. Good deal! In eighty-two I think."
"Forty years, Miguel?" Pete smiled.
"Uh-huh. Bet you never seen one in this shape!" Miguel's pride was showing again.
"Nope not like this." Pete slid his hand on the dashboard just as Jeremy had done. "It's a beauty, Miguel!"
Madeline called Pete again after the kids settled into bed. The fresh air of the lake knocked them out much earlier than usual.
Pete looked at his phone then to Miguel. "It's Madeline."
"Your girl?" Miguel laughed heartily.
"Not my girl. My girls are...let's say, they're different." Pete raised his eyebrows for Miguel to see then answered his phone. "Hey Madeline, just on the way back to the village."
"Hey Pete, Gwen is with me." She looked at Gwen then spoke again. "Do you think you could ask Miguel a few questions?"
"Ask him yourself." Pete hit the speakerphone and cranked the volume. "Go ahead."
Gwen and Madeline looked at each other not expecting this. "Ahhhh hang on, Pete." Madeline tried to cover the microphone of her phone. "Tell him!"
Pete laughed. "Tell who, what?" He shrugged as Miguel looked over to him.
Madeline urged Gwen to talk. "Do it, Gwen! He has the right to know."
Pete looked confused. "Madeline you are making no sense. Tell me what?"
"Not you, you idiot, Pumpkin!" Gwen rolled her eyes and grabbed Madeline's cellphone then yelled. "Give the phone to Miguel!"
"Please." Madeline looked at Gwen.
"Please give the phone to Miguel, Pumpkin." Gwen looked for the okay from Madeline and got a thumbs up from the doctor.
"Miguel Consuelo Rodriguez Garcia?" Gwen asked the the driver.
"Si, Miguel Consuelo Rodriguez Garcia, Senior." Miguel looked to Pete and shrugged.
"Mr. Garcia...Miguel. My name is Gwen. I met your son in two thousand eleven. We had a daughter."
Miguel's eyes grew wide as he looked to Pete who had yet to clue in.
"Ah, what did you just say, Gwen?" Pete watched Miguel stop the truck and got out. "Miguel just got out of the truck."
"Pumpkin, he is Harmony's grandfather!" Gwen yelled.
"Oh. Ohhh!" That connected things for Pete. "I better see how he is." He left the truck to track the grandfather down. "Miguel, talk to Gwen."
The bar owner took a deep breath "Hello. Tell me about my granddaughter." Miguel pulled the tailgate down and sat on it while he talked with Gwen.
"Miguel, Harmony has Miggy's eyes and his beautiful heart!" The mother became emotional as she spoke to the father of the man she once loved.
When the conversation ended Pete headed to the back of the truck. "I'll drive Miguel. Jump in." He took his phone from the older man and patted him on his shoulder.