There was a woman ready to marry him before that. Maria and her family lived on the neighboring land and had been friendly for a long time. As the oldest of each family, it was arranged from the time they were young as long as neither of them had fallen for another person of similar or better prospects.
But then there was Jose, Maria’s brother. He was handsome and sweet and just a year younger than Nic. He flirted constantly when no one else was around. He was very excited about the prospect of Nic marrying his sister.
When Jose first kissed Nic, it made his whole body shake. It was wrong, but it felt nice.
Before long, they were meeting after dark for kisses and then more. The night they both decided to go to bed together had been the night after the Dia de Muertos festival. Everyone was still giddy with the celebration and the air was thin.
And Jose’s hands were all over Nic. They were warm and so was every inch of Nic’s body. There was no urgency.
The next morning, Nic awoke with a start as the door slammed. His father and Jose’s were screaming. Maria was sobbing in the hallway.
Jose’s father was sending him to a convent to pray for the forgiveness and healing of their son’s illness. He would be able to return as soon as the nuns helped him heal.
Nic got no such promise. He was told to leave and never come back. All he was able to take was a small bag with some clothes. His guitar was strapped to his back.
His mother sobbed and pressed a Bible to his chest. “Stay safe, by son.” She begged softly before his father took her away without a backward glance at Nic.
It had been several weeks of wandering until he found the Blanchard farm. Mrs. Blanchard was leaning against the barn. She was covered in sweat and blood and she was crying softly.
“Pardon me?” Nic said softly.
She jumped and wiped hastily at her tears, smearing more blood across her face.
“Hello, my name is Nicolas. Could I have some water?”
She smiled and nodded. “The pump is over there. Have you eaten today?”
He shook his head.
“Get some water and I’ll have one of my kids bring you something. We just lost a calf and a mother, so it’s a little crazy around here.”
Nic looked around. He could see the little garden was struggling. Chickens pecked at the ground. They looked fat, but there weren’t a lot of them. He could hear a cow moo in the barn.
“I can help in exchange,” Nic offered.
Mrs. Blanchard looked uncertain.
Nic held up his hands. “I just want to help. It looks like this place could use an extra set of hands.”
“Let me think about it.” She went into the house.
Nic drank greedily from the well pump and scrubbed his face. It had actually been a few days since his last meal. He’d managed to procure some jerky from his last stop in exchange for helping to pull a calf. But he’d eaten the last of that the previous day.
She came back out in a fresh dress with a clean face and a young man that looked just like her. “This is my son Billy.” She handed over a plate that held a few slices of bacon, some scrambled eggs, and a biscuit. “We could use some help. My husband is gone fighting the war and his father and brothers have their hands full with their own places. They help when they can.” She nodded to Billy. “He’ll show you to the loft in the barn. You can fix it up however you like.”
“I don’t need much. But I appreciate it.”
“I’m offering you a job, Mr…?”
“Cuevas,” he finished for her.
“And I am Catherine Blanchard. It is lovely to meet you and I would appreciate any help you can give even if it’s a few days. In exchange, I will feed you and mend any clothes you need mended. And I will pay you a small sum as we are able. It’s almost time for the cattle drive and I wasn’t sure how my father-in-law would manage it with him lot and ours, but if you would help there, I would gladly pay you a bit more upon a successful return.”
Nic swallowed the bacon and nodded. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Blanchard.”
Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital has a world class, fully equipped Accident and Emergency department. Our 24x7 department is prepared with full time consultants providing specialized and advanced medical care for all kinds of accidents and emergencies.The Accident and Trauma centre has a total of 12 beds for priority care. Our highly experienced team is even trained and equipped to council family members and friends to deal with accidents and emergencies.Additionally, our internal pharmacy is fully stocked with supplies to deal with disaster and mass casualties and can offer treatment for up to 20 patients at a time without delay. We also provide ambulance services equivalent to an ICU on wheels.
