Read Online Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt - Free Book Online Page B

usher for this church service, had climbed onto a table at the back of the hallway. He clutched a microphone attached to a portable speaker and begged for order.
    â€œ Por favor, la misa va a comenzar. ”
    He repeated a string of gentle commands in Spanish, again and again, but the anxious frenzy did not subside. The hallways continued to pack with people.
    â€œ Se ñ ores y se ñ oras, si é ntense por favor . ”
    He jumped down and started pushing people through the doors and into the sanctuary.
    Alma watched people jam into the space around her and glance nervously at the large doors that separated them from the dangers of the outside world. She knew what they were feeling because she felt it, too. Suddenly, their own neighborhood seemed threatening, and their lives seemed dangerously precarious. Alma followed the crowd into the pews of the church and knelt beside her brother.
    When the scripture readings started, Ra ú l took a pencil from the pew in front of him and scribbled on the back of an offering envelope. He showed the envelope to her.
    Chino
    Javier
    Susie?
    Xiomara
    Loyda
    Rafael?
    Arturo
    They were the names of cousins and friends who were probably working the first shift at the plant. T í a Dolores’s two sons, her niece, Alma’s cousins on her mother’s side, and her brother’s friends from the soccer team. Thank God Chino’s wife quit work when her first child was born a few years ago. Otherwise, what would happen to the kids? Alma felt her body slump. She studied the names. Would they all be deported? Then she remembered.
    â€œLoyda quit, remember? She’s working with her mother-in-law, at the Chinese restaurant.”
    At least there was that. At least he could cross one of them off the list.
    Just as Padre Pancho was heading to the podium to begin the Gospel reading, Alma’s phone vibrated, heavy in her pocket.
    ARE YOU IN TROUBLE?
    It was Evan again.
    Another text came in.
    I’M REALLY SORRY IF YOU’RE IN TROUBLE.
    Alma’s marathon day of yard work and household chores seemed insignificant now, and the month of restrictions that lay ahead was the least of her concerns. Yes, she was in trouble, but this wasn’t the sort of trouble Evan had in mind.
    It was impossible to concentrate on Padre Pancho’s homily. A woman wailed in the pew in front of her, and Alma wondered: Could Evan even imagine this scene?
    She had to reply, but she had no idea what to say.
    A few minutes later, her brother nudged her sternly and glared at the phone. She shoved it back into her pocket, and went forward for the Eucharist. Then Padre Pancho began his announcements. Usually, he talked about church picnics and free English classes. Not today. Instead, he explained that he was gathering volunteers to help families find the locations of their loved ones and seeking attorneys to answer their legal questions.
    Padre Pancho offered a final blessing, and the Mass ended.
    As Alma walked out of the sanctuary and into the crowded vestibule, someone shoved a blue flyer into her hand. There were so many people mobbing the stairway that she just grasped the paper and pushed her way out into the fresh air.
    She and Ra ú l stood together, blinded by the bright August light. Her eyes came into focus, and she saw Mrs. King standing among the crowds gathered in the parking lot, waving her arm above her head and calling out Alma’s name.
    Oh, crap. Alma had forgotten all about Mrs. King.

SIX
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    The air conditioner was running on full blast in Mrs. King’s Buick. Alma got in without saying a word and sank into the velveteen seat. She closed her eyes and let the cool air stream across her face.
    â€œMy heavens, that’s a popular place to be on Sunday mornings,” Mrs. King announced, shifting the sedan into reverse.
    â€œYeah,” said Alma. “It’s always packed.”
    Mrs. King drove slowly past two sobbing women locked in a tight