Mariposa

In Oasis Springs, ever since the late 1950s, the house at 415 Mariposa Way has belonged to the Mills family. George Mills bought it in 1958 with his wife Margaret, who was then pregnant with their son Alan. Alan married his girlfriend Molly Chester in 1979 after what many saw as a hasty relationship – but young love is sweet, and the two proved excellent parents to their daughter Emmie. In 2004 Emmie went to Selvadorada to research for her graduate thesis; in 2007 she married Diego Delgado, a Selvadoradan tech entrepreneur whom she had met in Belomìsia. Their first daughter, Maria, was born in 2017 in Puerto Llamante, and the Delgados are saving up to move out of their urban apartment and buy a proper house in the suburbs – one fit for a growing family.

Now, however, the Delgados are having to reconsider…

“Are you sure this is the right address?”

Diego looks around nervously. The house his wife has pulled up at looks nothing like the sunny childhood dream she’s described to him. Weeds infest the yard, choking out any flowers, and the trailer in the driveway has blocked their access to the garage.

“I couldn’t forget the way if I tried.” Emmie hoists her daughter onto her hip, patting the whining child. “Go ring the doorbell. I’ve got to change Maria. I’ll just be a second.”

Diego goes up to the front door a little apprehensively. When he rings the doorbell, he can’t hear any sound. He rings it again, just in case, and waits. A scrawny old cat that was sitting on a nearby folding chair jumps down, scratches its claws on the doormat, and saunters off.

Just as Diego’s about to turn around and go back to the car, a balding man opens the door.

“I’m sorry, is this –”

The man looks him up and down. “You’re not a Jehovah’s Witness, are you?”

“No, I’m – “

“Hmph. We get too many salesmen around here.” The man’s voice is gruff. “I’m not joining Herbalife.”

“Dad!”

The man’s face shifts slightly as Emmie jogs up. “Emmie! We were starting to wonder when you’d turn up.” He looks her up and down. “You’re looking good.”

Emmie laughs. “Sorry. Traffic on the 1-80, and then we stopped for burgers. Diego, this is my dad, Alan. Dad, this is Diego.”

Alan’s face softens as he turns to Diego again. “Sorry about that. Lotta MLM people coming through lately.”

“It’s good to finally meet you, Mr. Mills.” They shake hands.

“Goodness! What do we have here?” Molly stands in the door. “Emmie! And Diego! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” She scoops up Maria. “And who’s this precious little bean? You must be Maria! Oh, you’re so cute! Yes you are! Yes you are!” She laughs.

Emmie smiles. “Hey, mom!”

“Who’s a cutie pie? You’re a cutie pie! Sorry, Emmie, we’ve got a little bunny on our hands. Look at this cutie pie!” Molly hoists Maria with an umph and carries her into the house.

Diego goes and gets the last family member from the car – Polly, the dog. As he brings her in, the old cat hops up from under the porch and slinks into the house as well. Polly immediately barks – but it’s playful, and the cat just gives her a look.

Emmie frowns at the cat. “Mom, is this yours?”

Molly shrugs back. “I guess. We’ve been feeding her a bit…”

Emmie takes a look at the large sack of cat food in the cupboard and blinks. “Just a bit…” She sighs and scoops some out for the cat. “Diego, did you get dog food when we stopped at that Safeway?”

Diego looks over from where he’s hauling luggage into the house. “Uh… no?”

Emmie shakes her head and scoops some more cat food into a second bowl. “Ok, Polly, looks like it’s kitty chow for dinner…”

---

That night, Emmie sits on the bed her old room with her head in her hands. “I just… how do they live like this?”

Diego tries to comfort her. “It’s not that bad – I mean, the main living areas are fine…”

“But the guest room – the kid’s room – oh my god, I couldn’t even get into the garage! And the yard is a mess, I can’t even find grandma’s planter boxes…” She looks up at him. “I just – what do I even do?”

“Cariña…” Diego watches her, sitting on the brink of tears, and wraps her in a hug.

“Dad’s – he’s –” Emmie bites her lip. “He’s so much worse than I thought. He’s so thin… and I think Mom will lose it once he’s gone.” Sobbing, she clings to Diego. “I’m sorry, honey. I thought this would just be a quick trip to help them get set up with Dad’s medical stuff… I think we’re going to be here for a few years, at least.”

Diego nods. “They’re having a really hard time. There’s no way we can leave at this point.” He frowns. “I’ll call the familia. We can get started on the visa stuff tomorrow –”

“In this house?” Emmie laughs bitterly. “God, I can’t – I don’t feel safe having Maria in this place. The heating is bust, nothing works, there’s crap everywhere –“

“Then we’ll fix it.” Smiling gently, Diego holds his wife close. “We have the 40k in savings for the house, remember? We’ll invest it here.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Emmie sniffles. “Are you sure it’s okay? The house was your dream. And Maria –” Her voice breaks.

“It’ll be okay.” Diego’s voice wobbles a little, but he takes a deep breath and plows forward. “Family comes first.”

Looking over at Maria sleeping in an old bed in the corner, Emmie nods. “Family first. We can make this home.”