The Punishment

_________________________________________

 

 

The riots and demonstrations in the capital, plus the problems and behavior of her daughter, did make Estela take a decision that would change the comfort life of Gabriela drastically.

         Gabriela was going in a light aircraft to Berlin thoughtfully. Berlin was a quaint, little village with adobe houses with high balconies; each house was painted in two bright colors. It was a charming village in Usulutan State. She was going to live with her father as a punishment. She had been expelled from two schools, and the other reason was that she would not come out during the school vacation as she usually did.

         The eastern area will be more careful by the action of the army. They were dismantling secret camps and clandestine hospitals of the subversives in Berlin. Those actions of the army gave her mother confidence that she would be safe there.

         Gabriela remembered when her parents divorced. In the office of the lawyer, she recalled her mother Estela, with serious determined expression, and her father, Esteban, restless, pale and with a slight hope in his eyes that Estela would change her mind. Nevertheless, things continued their unhappy course, and the lawyer gave them the document of divorce for signature. Estela signed and stood up with the farewells of the situation; Esteban, nervous, hugged his daughter and kissed. That was the last day that she saw her father. She was nine years old. Now after five long years, they were going to meet each other again.

         Gabriela was remembering the happy years that she lived in Berlin where the coffee farmer of her family was. Berlin is a picturesque village of Usulutan State with cool weather most of the time, located at 930 meters above sea level, where the thick cloud covers generously the mountain, where the reds coffee trees embraced the wet and fresh air and where the daylight fades on the skyline. She remembered when she played with her cousins Antonio and Mario, older than her, and when they did make her cry with their heavy games, and someone went out to protect her, he was Nanny Milagro’s nephew, but she did not remember his name.

         When Gabriela was five years old, her mother decided that it was necessary to move to the capital and find a good school for her education. Esteban bought a house in an exclusive area of San Salvador and came to see them once a week because he did not like the hustle and bustle of the capital. He despaired and soon enough returned to Berlin, with the promise that he would be back next weekend.

         Gabriela recalled that everything was going well, that they were a happy family. She did not know exactly what had happened between her parents, and she had never asked her mother.

         Estela Alwood was a good family daughter from the capital and well educated and prepared professionally speaking. She was white skin, brown eyes, and honey blonde hair. When she divorced Esteban, she got employment as manager of a bank branch, aided by her connections in society and references of studies and academic qualifications.

         Esteban Bustamante was born in a small village named Santiago de Maria and grew up there, in one of those families where their tradition was the coffee harvest. Esteban was a gruff man, sturdy factions, white skin, and blue eyes, penetrating gaze, tall and imposing. When he married Estela, he was 40 years old, 20 years older than her. He inherited the coffee farms from his father, and his father had inherited them from his father, grandfather of Esteban, who had won a small farm by gambling. However, by his ability to manage and invest well, he had been able to buy more land to continue harvesting coffee.

         For many years in El Salvador, coffee farms were the well investment in which many families had amassed large fortunes.

         When Estela started working at the bank, it was a little time that she spent and dedicated to Gabriela, for that reason she was always doing her will. She needed her mother’s time and tried to get her attention. It was the period of growth where children most need the help of parents. There was the time when she started giving problems and headaches to Estela.

         The first blow to Estela was when she had been called by the school headmistress to talk about the behavior of her daughter. With thousands of promises, she swore that she would behave well. She was intelligent, but very restless; she was a leader among her classmates and that popularity took her to make mischief that she later repented. Her mother tried in vain to mend her until she was expelled from school.

         Estela registered her in another good school, and at the beginning, she did well, but soon enough, she became known for her conduct. Together with Lorena, her best friend, made their teachers burst their patience. It was shortly to the end of her school year when she was expelled for a second time. Estela did not know what to do. She was frustrated and often wondered what error she had made in her education. This child was unbridled, Estela thought and she gave up.

         Then Estela took the decision to send her with her father to the coffee farm, in Berlin. This time there would be no sentimental blackmail, as was usual on many occasions before.

         Gabriela recalled the discussion the night before her departure. She was very tranquil as if nothing had happened, in her room listening to loud music and watching her fashion magazines. When her mother with serious tone told her what she was going to do and began to pack her suitcase.

         “I’ll send you with your father in Berlin and there is no complaining,” said Estela with determination.

         “Will you send me to the coffee farm?” she asked smiling and thinking that it was another threat of her mother who would not carry out. “So, and what will I do there?”

         “Do you think it’s nice that the board of directors made me ashamed because of your unruly behavior? It’s enough, two expulsions in only three years are too much! No, Gabriela! Your pampered mother is over! You killed the golden goose!”

         She turned off the radio and replied,

         “Are you serious?” she asked, seeing her mother, taking her clothes, and putting them in the suitcase.

         “What do you think I am doing?”

         “But Mami, you’ll send me into wildlife, what am I supposed to do up there?” Gabriela asked, getting nervous.

         “Gabriela, I warned you, if you’ll not behave, you’ll have a punishment, well, you’re grounded for the rest of your vacation!” her mother said with determination.

         “But… Mami,” she said scared, as she had never seen her so upset.

         “But nothing, you’ll depart tomorrow morning! I have already arranged with your father, and he will be waiting for you on the runway of Usulutan.” Her mother said, thinking of the talk with Esteban. She swallowed her pride when she called him very humbly to say that she needed his help.

         “I want to be with you, I love you, Mami…I’m going to behave well, I swear, I’m going to clean my room, I will not watch TV shows all night long, I will help you in what you want, ask me whatever… Please, please mami!” she begged and started crying, the best resource that she ever had.

         “I’m tired of the same promises that you have never kept! Your blackmail and whining will not work this time, Gabriela, it’s already late. You’ll depart tomorrow!” she said and slammed the room door.

         Gabriela opened the door and followed her.

         “The thing is that you want to get rid of me because you want to be happy with that stupid Julian!” She yelled angrily.

         Her mother turned around and slapped her face, throwing her a reproachable look.

         Julian Santamaria was a divorced promising lawyer who, for a long time, intended to date Estela. She met him at the bank and began to be friends, but recently that became a loving relationship. Gabriela disliked this situation, who was jealous of her mother’s relationship and tried as much as possible to avoid him. She never answered his calls, and when she answered, she did not give the messages to her mother and behaved rudely with him when he came to see her mother.

         “You’ll depart tomorrow!” she said dryly.

         This sentence stuck on her head. She had never expected a reaction from her mother. She had always manipulated her with flattery, but this time, it had not worked. Another fear invaded her suddenly, she had not seen her father since she was nine years old. Despite her pleas to her mother to let her go to see her father after the divorce, she never left her. Estela, angry as she was, did not want Esteban to see her daughter; for that reason, she enrolled her in swimming classes, French classes, music classes, and ballet, to keep her occupied and had excuses for not sending her to him. Moreover, her father was full of pain as well, never intended to go to San Salvador to see his daughter, even if he wanted so badly to do it because he did not want to meet Estela again.