A Goal for Joaquin Read online

  One Saturday he went with Brian to the Keely family’s cottage two hours north of Lakeshore. The two boys spent the morning with Brian’s dad fishing for bluegills and perch on Round Lake. Fishing was something that Joaquin had read about but had never tried before. He enjoyed the simple relaxation of sitting in a boat tossing a line into the clear blue water. In the afternoon the two boys took Brian’s yellow Labrador pup for a walk in the woods. Though too young to be trained for hunting, the young dog showed plenty of instinct and energy as he chased from scent to scent, testing skills that had been passed down through hundreds of generations. Once the pup scared up a grouse that was hiding under a pine tree. Joaquin wasn’t sure who was more surprised when the bird exploded from its cover—the dog or himself. Both nearly jumped out of their hides when they heard the thunderous beating of wings. These were things Joaquin had never experienced. These new adventures helped reduce the loss of his favorite activity.

  November in Wisconsin was a totally new experience for Joaquin too. He had known cool days in California, but he had never felt the chill of the north wind that he had to walk into on his way to school now. Jessica and Brian laughed when he complained, and they told him he hadn’t seen anything yet. If he thought November was cold, he would get a real surprise in January when several days in a row could go by when the temperature never got above zero. He couldn’t imagine people surviving that kind of weather, but his friends assured him that he’d get used to it. He even got a little excited when they told him about ice-skating and sledding parties. He no longer thought about returning to San Diego and going to school with his cousins.

  To celebrate his birthday, Joaquin invited Jessica, Brian, and another friend named Tara to his house for dinner. His mother said that they would have a traditional Mexican fiesta. The dinner was planned for the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Joaquin was excited about showing his friends the food and customs that had been passed down through his family, yet he was also little nervous. He knew that none of his friends had ever taken part in a real Mexican party, and he hoped that everything would turn out right.

  Joaquin’s birthday coincided with the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. This was a traditional celebration in Mexico, so the Lopez family decided to combine the two parties and share some of their culture with Joaquin’s friends.

  Mrs. Lopez worked many hours preparing authentic dishes to serve. She made tamales, corn-dough crusts filled with ground meat and a spicy chili sauce. She wrapped each tamale in corn husks and steamed them until the filling was hot and the corn-dough was cooked. She also cooked chalupas, tortillas fried with meat, beans, chilies, tomatoes and onions. Finally, she fried chili rellenos, green peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg batter, and fried in corn oil. Once the rellenos were finished cooking in the frying pan, she scooped them into a pan of tomato sauce and let them simmer for several minutes. In addition to the food, two large pitchers of hand-squeezed lemonade were set in the middle of the table.

  The meal was served in the middle of the afternoon, the time of the traditional comida, or main meal in Mexico. Joaquin loved the traditional dishes that his mother prepared. At first he was nervous about how his friends would like the food, but once he noticed how aggressively they all attacked their heaping plates, he stopped worrying and enjoyed his meal.

  When everyone was finished eating, Mrs. Lopez cleared the plates from the table. Joaquin helped her by rinsing dishes at the sink before stacking them in the dishwasher. Mr. Lopez made traditional hot drinks for everyone. For himself and Mrs. Lopez, he prepared cafe con leche, a strong black coffee mixed with hot milk and sweetened with sugar. He offered the coffee to Joaquin’s friends, but no one accepted. For the kids he made steamy cups of frothy hot chocolate with cinnamon, another common drink in Mexico.

  As the group sat around the table enjoying their fragrant hot beverages, Mr. Lopez told Joaquin’s friends about the Revolution of 1910. He spoke admiringly about Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, the two colorful heroes who led the revolt against the tyrant Porfirio Diaz. He proudly recited stories of how the bandit Villa outwitted the federal soldiers on many occasions and how he led his poorly armed peasant followers to victory in many battles. Joaquin was proud of his heritage and proud of his father who could narrate the stories with so much enthusiasm. He was happy when he looked at his friends and knew they were enjoying the party.

  At dusk, the fiesta moved outside to the small patio in back. Mr. Lopez had strung paper lanterns around the patio and the flickering candles gave off a soft, friendly light. Joaquin refilled everyone’s cup with either coffee or hot chocolate, and the entire group formed a half-circle with lawn chairs and sat enjoying the fall evening. Once everyone was seated, Mr. Lopez brought out his guitar and placed a stool at the opening of the group and started to fumble with the strings. He ran his fingers along the frets producing a soft harmonic blend of melody and chords. He twisted the tuning keys at the head of the guitar until he got just the sound he wanted.

  Then he began to play. His first song was El Condor Pasa, a folk song known throughout Central and South America. He sang the Spanish lyrics, his rich baritone voice blending perfectly with the sounds coming from the guitar. Next he fingered the introduction to La Bamba, a song familiar to everyone in the group. Once he started the song, Joaquin and Maria joined in on the verses, and everyone sang the chorus. He repeated the verses and chorus several times. When the song finally ended, everyone cheered and clapped. Mr. Lopez stood up and took a deep bow. Everyone laughed and cheered louder.

  “Just one more song,” Mr. Lopez announced, “then we have to go inside to see what we can find in the living room.”

  “I know what it is,” shouted Maria. “It’s a pinata. I saw Joaquin hanging it from the ceiling when he went in to fill our cups.” She jumped from her seat, unable to contain her excitement. “I get first chance to break it open! I’m the youngest!”

  “Just wait, Maria.” Mrs. Lopez spoke softly. “Your father is going to play one more song. Then you can have first turn at the pinata. Now sit down and help your dad sing.”

  “Yes,” said Mr. Lopez, “just one more song. This one is about a nasty bug that sneaks in to many houses. The people in the houses jump around trying to stamp on these insects. Before long everyone is jumping around, and it looks like they are doing a dance. That is how this song and dance came in to being.” He paused and looked at Tara and Jessica. “Do you know what kind of bug it was that everyone was trying to stamp on?”

  The girls shook their heads and giggled. Joaquin guessed that they really knew what song was coming, but they didn’t want to spoil their host’s lead-in.

  “The bug was a cockroach,” shouted Mr. Lopez as he strummed the familiar opening chords to La Cuceracha. Everybody joined in the singing. Mr. Lopez jumped off his stool and started to dance around as if he were stomping on cockroaches. Maria leaped out of her chair and joined him in the dance. Before long everyone was dancing around the patio, stamping on invisible insects. The dance lasted for at least ten minutes. When it was over, Mr. Lopez returned to his stool and sat down. He was puffing and laughing at the same time.

  “Come on,” shouted Maria, “let’s go inside and break open the pinata!”

  “Okay, okay,” said Mr. Lopez, “just let me catch my breath.”

  The party moved into the living room where a colorful, homemade pinata hung from the center of the ceiling. It was made out of papier-mâché and was in the shape of a chubby burro. It was painted red and green and had yellow crepe paper streamers taped to its tail, hooves, and head.

  Maria was anxious to take her turn at hitting the pinata, so she ran to the garage and returned quickly with a broom handle. Joaquin brought a large red bandanna which he tied around his sister’s face for a blindfold. He spun Maria around several times to disorient her as to where she was in relation to the stuffed burro, and then he let her go. Maria made several wild swipes at the pinata, and everyone laughed and cheered. F
inally, she connected with a ferocious swing, and the papier-mâché ribs burst open and candy flew all over the room. Maria quickly removed her blindfold and dove to the floor to gather the miniature Mounds and Snicker bars as well as a variety of hard candies. Joaquin and his friends joined in the frenzy, and for several minutes wild shrieks and giggles filled the room. Even Mr. and Mrs. Lopez gathered handfuls of candy.

  When the loot was all gathered and divided, it was time to break up the festivities. Joaquin’s friends thanked Mr. and Mrs. Lopez for the great fiesta. Joaquin beamed with happiness and pride. He could tell that his friends were sincere when they said they had a really great time. It was a birthday he would never forget.

  Chapter 8

  About two weeks after his birthday dinner, Joaquin came home from school quite late. He and Jessica had stayed and worked in the library until about four-thirty on a project for English class. Then they went to Jessica’s house to type their report on her computer. Normally, he’d have called home and told his parents that he was going to be late, but for some reason the time had gone by so quickly that he didn’t think about calling. When he walked in the house at about six-fifteen, he was embarrassed and a little afraid that he was going to get in trouble for not letting anyone know where he was. He was surprised when his father met him at the door with a wide smile on his face.

  “Come on, Joaquin, we’ve been waiting for you. I’m taking the family to the city for dinner. Hurry, we’re all ready.” Mr. Lopez grabbed his son’s book bag and set it in the coat closet. “We thought you got lost or something. Where have you been?”

  “He was probably at his girlfriend’s house,” Maria blurted out. “He’s probably been smooching some more!”

  Joaquin looked confused. Everyone was rushing around. Even his mother was wearing her jacket and had her purse looped around her forearm.

  “What’s going on?” He finally asked. “I was doing some school work with a friend, and I forgot to call. Why are we going to the city on a week night?”

  “Don’t ask so many questions.” His father said with a sly smile. “You just get yourself ready to go. I have some news to share, but I want to tell you after we have dinner.”

  Miguel Lopez loved mystery and ceremony. Whenever he had something important to tell the family, he always took them out for dinner first and then made a dramatic announcement. Normally, Joaquin enjoyed these events. He liked to see the excitement in his father’s eyes as he built up the suspense of the approaching revelation.

  Joaquin quickly ran to his room and grabbed a clean shirt and sweater from his closet. He was still tucking in his shirttail when he rejoined his family by the door. “I’m ready,” he said. “And I’m hungry, so I hope you drive fast.”

  “You’re hungry,” his mother chided, “well, what about the rest of us? We’ve been waiting for half an hour for you to get home from school.” She straightened her son’s collar as she spoke. Everyone was in a great mood. Joaquin couldn’t wait to hear his father’s latest news.

  Like always, Mr. Lopez kept his secret until everyone had finished eating. No amount of cunning or outright begging could get him to unravel the mystery until he was ready. Finally, when all of the dishes were emptied and taken away, he looked at his wife and smiled. Louisa looked up from her coffee and said, “Well, Papa, are you ready to tell us your news now?”

  “I hope it is good news for the whole family. I know leaving California has brought us good fortune, but has also caused us some pain. I hope what I’m going to tell you now will not bring any sadness. I am excited, but I am not making this decision alone. This will be a family choice.” Miguel Lopez spoke slowly, trying to say just the right words.

  Joaquin guessed that his father was talking about going back to San Diego. He had mixed feelings about this. It is true that he missed his old school and his old friends, and he certainly missed his old soccer team, but still he was reluctant to get excited about going back. First of all, he felt guilty because he knew that moving back was not his father’s dream. Moving back to California would be a step backward for his father who loved his new job. But there was another reason Joaquin didn’t want to move back. During the past month he had actually developed a strong fondness for his new home. He enjoyed the peace of the Wisconsin countryside. He had come to appreciate living away from the city. Of course, most importantly, he had made new friends here that he didn’t want to leave. He was about to express these feelings when his father continued speaking.

  “One of the things I’ve always dreamed about was owning my own home,” he started. “I have lived in apartments all my life. I have always wished for a house in the country with a little land for a garden and maybe even some goats and horses. In California this was only a dream. But now I feel like this dream might come true. That is the news I want to tell you. But I want everyone to speak their true feelings when I’m finished talking. This is my dream, but I won’t be happy with it unless I know my whole family is happy too. So don’t be afraid to speak your mind.”

  Maria was radiating excitement and anticipation. Her eyes were wide and her smile showed most of her teeth. “Did you say we could have horses?” She could hardly get out the words one at a time, she was so excited. Even though she’d never been around horses, Maria had always had a special passion for them. She was always drawing pictures and writing stories about horses. She had posters on her walls of horses and unicorns. She could not believe her dream was this close to coming true.

  “Let me finish my news. Then everyone can ask questions and tell me how they feel,” Mr. Lopez continued. “Since we moved here, I’ve been looking at houses to buy. I’ve talked to many realtors, telling them just the type of house I have been looking for.” He paused and took a swallow of coffee. “Two days ago I got a call at work about a house in the country that just came up for sale. The realtor called it a farmette. It has a three-bedroom ranch style house and eighteen acres of land. It also has a small barn and a fenced in pasture. And,” he smiled and looked straight at Maria,” and it has two horses that the seller wants to leave with the property.”

  “Two horses,” Maria shouted. “What color horses?”

  “Well,” Miguel continued, “I thought you’d want to know about the house before the horses, but I guess I can tell you about the horses first. There is one brown one with a black mane and tail, and the other one is a pinto—white with brown spots.” He paused to let his daughter respond.

  “Wow, an Indian pony. Does he have a name? How big are they? Can I take care of them?” Maria was off her chair and standing next to her father.

  “Now, just hold your horses a minute,” Mr. Lopez said. Then realizing how appropriate the old expression was, he started to laugh. The whole family broke into laughter.

  “Okay,” Maria jumped at the chance to get back into the conversation, “I’ll hold my horses. You just have to tell me where they are.” Everyone laughed again.

  Joaquin was happy too. It was great to see his father and his little sister so excited. He wanted to hear more about this new house. He noticed that his mother hadn’t spoken yet. She had a guarded look of joy on her face. Joaquin knew that his mother was being cautious until she knew that her whole family was happy with the move.

  “If we have lots of land,” Joaquin broke in, “maybe I can get a dog like Brian’s, and I can teach him how to hunt and retrieve.” His parents’ faces both revealed their happiness at hearing both of their children reacting excitedly about the new home.

  “Yes,” Mr. Lopez said, “you can have a dog. A boy should have a dog to take care of. And it would have lots of room to run, and it could also be a watchdog.”

  Louisa Lopez still looked hesitant to jump into the revelry. Joaquin noticed that she still had a look of concern. Something was bothering her. Finally, she spoke, “Miguel, you have told the children the good news about the house and land that we looked at, but don’t you think we should tell them the rest? Before the kids get too set on the new p
lace, you should tell them where it is located.”

  Her words fell like a heavy curtain on the joyous scene that was being acted out. Three sets of eyes looked at her. Maria was still smiling, but Joaquin looked concerned and Miguel looked a little embarrassed. “You’re right, Louisa, I should’ve said something about the location.” He looked at Maria and then at Joaquin. His voice got serious. “There is one thing, kids. The land is only about ten minutes from where we live now, but it isn’t in the same school district as we are in now. If we buy the new home, you kids will have to switch schools. You’d go to Willowdale. It’s a small school. The high school has only two-hundred and fifty students, and the middle school is slightly smaller. Your mother and I have driven past the schools, and they look very nice.” His voice rose as he said this, but then it dropped again. “But it’s only fair if you have a voice in this decision. I know it isn’t easy to change schools. And if we decide to buy, you would be switching at the end of this semester. You need to think about this and tell us how you feel.”

  “I don’t care if we change schools.” Maria’s response was immediate. “I don’t have that many friends in school now, so I don’t care if I move. I want to have horses, and Joaquin could have a dog. Let’s move, Daddy.”

  Joaquin was caught off guard by his father’s latest announcement. Ideas were swirling in his head. How did he feel about leaving Lakeshore? Certainly, his months there hadn’t been the happiest that he’d ever had. He thought about his horrible soccer experience. Did he really have any loyalty to Lakeshore? Then he thought about Jessica and Brian. They were his close friends. How would he feel about leaving them and starting over in a new high school? He knew his sister and parents were watching him, waiting for a response. He wasn’t sure what to say. He picked up his glass and took a drink of what was left of his Pepsi. It was mostly melted ice in the bottom of the glass, but he swallowed it anyway. He knew how disappointed Maria would be if he spoke against the move. He knew that having horses was a dream come true for her. Besides, he thought, it’s only ten minutes away. He could see his friends every weekend or even more often once he got his driver’s license. He didn’t want to be selfish. And he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted himself. Maybe he’d like Willowdale.