Chapter Nine - Via con Dios
When Diego saw the tall roan appear, he knew his letter had been delivered. Bernardo must have sent one of the mestizo servants on the errand to Rancho Verbena the instant he reached the hacienda in the wee hours of the morning. As Benicio dismounted, Diego felt a clutching sensation in his chest, and he wondered if he had done the right thing. The letter had not asked the younger Bocca, who seemed to be quietly rehabilitating himself at his mother’s rancho in San Juan Capistrano, to come to San Pedro. It had simply told him what was happening and asked him to keep an eye on things in the pueblo during Diego’s absence.
“I shall be away for however long it takes to resolve the situation,” he had written hastily, after explaining the predicament he and his father faced. “As it has bearing on the future of the land grants held by all the hidalgos of Los Angeles, I trust you will watch out for the interests of our community, especially the poor, for as long as I am gone. My servant Bernardo will remain with my family. They are his first duty.” What was between the lines was unmistakable, Diego knew. Make sure Zorro watches out for the people for as long as I am away.
Elizabeth was already overcome by the display of support from their family and friends, so when Don Benicio roared into the center of the gathering she felt suddenly overheated and weak in the knees. She leaned against Diego, who was already holding Esperanza, and grabbed for his arm to keep herself steady. He in turn shifted the baby so that he held Esperanza in his left arm and put his right arm around his wife.
“Are you all right?” he leaned down to ask her.
She nodded. “Where has he come from?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “How did he know?”
Diego made no reply, instead turning his attention back to the scene before him. He knew it would require more explanation than he was prepared to make at the moment, if he were to try to tell Elizabeth about the letter he had sent to Rancho Verbena.
Bocca dismounted and looked around, removing his hat and aiming his smouldering eyes and slow smile first at his mother. Don Francisco snorted.
“How good to see you, too,” Benicio said, eyeing his father briefly. Then his gaze fixed on the young de la Vegas. Diego, given that his hands were literally full, simply smiled back a greeting and nodded. “Thank you for coming, Don Benicio,” he said.
“I am glad I have arrived in time to share the opportunity to wish you well in your journey,” Benicio replied. He looked around. “When I heard the news I felt I must join those who have as much stake in your success as you and your family.”
Diego nodded soberly. Suddenly it weighed on everyone present that the test that lay ahead for Diego in winning a legal fight for the de la Vega land grant in Mexico City would set a precedent for the rest of them in holding on to their property with the new government.
“You will succeed, Diego,” Alejandro said confidently.
The other men nodded in agreement, wanting very much for Don Alejandro’s statement to be true.
Doña Leonara, always thrilled to see her mostly-absent son, stood up to climb out of the carriage she shared with Clementia. This caused Clementia to rise as well, in order to help her mother step down. She had to vacate first, which she did with some effort as she was not the rail-thin woman that her mother was. Somehow her dress got caught on a protruding nail on the baseboard, resulting in a terrible ripping sound. Everyone turned to see that a strip of Clementia’s long blue skirt had not gone with her as she reached the ground and stepped back to help Doña Leonara.
Don Francisco could not resist a new snort, this one at his daughter’s sudden mishap, which inspired several other suppressed chuckles from the men still sitting on horseback.
Rufino saw what was happening and cried out, “Doña Clementia, you have lost the back of your dress!”
Clementia looked behind her to see a blast of white petticoats and gasped. She was deeply embarrassed, but on looking around to see the amusement this was causing, for even her husband the Sergeant was laughing heartily, her mood shifted to indignation. Consuelo jumped out of her carriage and went to her cousin, trying to stand discreetly behind her to cover the exposure.
“It is not as if all of you have not seen a petticoat before!” Clementia exclaimed, getting back into her carriage and plunking herself down. She gave an evil eye to Sergeant Garcia, who sobered quickly and cleared his throat, realizing it was going to be a long ride home. Consuelo stood on the ground, unsure what to do. Alejandro smiled at her, and tipped his hat, honoring her effort to help her cousin. She drank in his kind smile. Elizabeth saw the exchange and squinted up at Diego, who had missed it, for he was watching as Benicio went to his mother and, laughing, lifted her up and swung her around. A dignified woman, she was clearly both thrilled and horrified at his public display.
“I shall pull you out of the carriage and give you a whirl, too,” he warned his sister after returning his mother to the ground. “That will give us all a good look at your petticoats!”
“My Sergeant will have your scalp if you try,” Clementia answered tartly
Garcia, eager to redeem himself after enjoying his wife’s mishap, nodded in full agreement.
“He will have to catch me first, and I am not returning to the pueblo of Los Angeles,” Benicio responded. “However, you are all welcome to come through San Juan Capistrano on your way home, there is room and our food is plentiful now.” He glanced at Diego and Elizabeth. “And I have some new horses that you will want to see, Don Alejandro,” he went on. “A stallion, for instance, which would make a good mate with your Princessa, should you ever decide to breed her.”
Alejandro’s eyebrow rose, for Benicio was never wrong about horses.
The bell on the dock began to clang.
Diego looked at Elizabeth. “It is really time,” he said to her. “I cannot let the ship leave without me.”
Her eyes met his and she nodded. “Let me have the baby,” she said.
“No, we shall all walk together,” he said, keeping a firm grip on both of them. They began to walk towards the dock where the rowboat awaited. Everyone else followed. Sergeant Garcia closely followed his wife, who insisted on again debarking from her carriage and walking with the others to see their friend off.
“Diego…” Elizabeth said. They were several steps ahead of the others and could not be heard. “I do not think I can do this.”
He squeezed her against him as they walked. “You can do it,” he told her. “You have done far harder things than this.”
She shook her head. “I do not believe that I have.” She paused and then added, “No matter what, you have always been here to see me through it.”
They reached the dock and, stepping up onto it, he looked at her. “And I will be there still, at least in a manner of speaking,” he told her. “Here, take her for a minute,” he handed Esperanza over. “I must say goodbye to everyone, darling. They have come so far.”
As the rest of the well-wishers stepped onto the dock, Elizabeth took their daughter. The dock, which was old and not particularly well-built, groaned under the weight of a dozen people walking on it at the same time. Everyone watched as Diego went to each person who had come, shaking or kissing hands depending on the sex of the person before him. Even Consuelo Perez received his departure kiss on her trembling hand. Juan Bottega, in shaking Diego’s hand, slipped a small item wrapped in cloth to his young friend.
“This may be useful, keep it near you,” was all he said. Diego looked at it, puzzled, but accepted it and continued with his goodbyes, to Rosario and then to the Garcias, and finally to the Boccas, before turning to his own family.
As he shook Benicio’s hand, he said, “Do not be a stranger to Los Angeles while I am gone.”
Bocca answered, “You must be careful what you wish for, Don Diego.”
The two men kept their eyes locked for a moment before letting go one another’s hands. Then Diego moved on.
First he shook Don Carlos’s hand, saying, “You will help keep my family together, sí?”
“Of course,” Carlos replied vigorously. “And if your father becomes difficult I will bring Esperanza and Elizabeth home to Casa Matteo.”
Alejandro interceded immediately, proclaiming “They are de la Vegas!”
“Sí they are, Father, but they must feel that they are at home in order to want to remain there,” Diego reminded his father. He could all too easily imagine a collision between Elizabeth and his father that would result in his dear wife’s packing up a wagon and taking her favorite things and Alejandro’s beloved granddaughter home to Casa Matteo while he was gone. He shook his head, dreading such a scenario, and turned to his wife’s aunts. Neither of them appeared to be leaving on the ship with him. “I take it that you are not ready to leave Los Angeles,” he observed in English, taking one hand from each aunt.
“Not yet,” Lydia said dryly.
“Indeed!” Bridget said, her eyes twinkling. “I do not know what my sister is going to do, Diego, but I shall be here when you come home. May it be soon. Travel safely. You have much to come home to.”
“I do indeed,” he agreed. He kissed each of their hands. “I hope to see both of you here when I return. Help my father with Elizabeth and Esperanza,” he added quietly. The next goodbye was to Bernardo, who stood between Rufino and Alejandro. The two men looked at each other and Diego took his servant’s hand. He looked first at Elizabeth and then to Alejandro. Bernardo nodded. Diego grinned at him and mouthed, “thank you.” There was nothing more they could say in the situation. Thus Diego released his servant’s hand hoping that Bernardo's continuing presence in the household would help assure that the situation would be as livable as possible while he was gone.
He then turned to Rufino. “You must help our father keep things together at Rancho de la Vega while I am gone,” he admonished his brother.
“I shall be there often,” the boy promised loudly. “I must help Esperanza and Doña Elizabeth, and if anything happens to you, I shall marry your wife as a good brother should. As soon as I am old enough.”
This brought a hearty laugh from Diego, and smiles from everyone else. “That will be at least nine years, my brother, so I suppose I shall have to come back quickly, as I do not want Elizabeth to have to wait so long for someone to take care of her!”
Still laughing, he turned at last to his father. They looked at one another for a long moment, neither of them having the right words for the other. Alejandro took his son’s hand and shook it hard, and then spontaneously put his arms around Diego’s shoulders and hugged him. Diego hugged him back, and kissed his father’s head. “I shall not let the family down,” he said softly.
“I know that,” Alejandro said gruffly, letting him go. “Bernardo has packed everything; it is in your trunk, all the papers, everything….” He gathered himself for a moment and then added, “Be careful, Diego. Vaya con Dios.”
Diego nodded. He squeezed his father’s shoulder reassuringly. “I will be home soon,” he said. “Until then, my family is your family.”
Alejandro nodded. “I will take care of them,” he promised.
Diego smiled, and then took a deep breath. The last two goodbyes still awaited. He turned now to Elizabeth, who stood on the dock right beside the boat. Lolita was nearby, as she had said her farewells to Felipe while Diego was shaking and kissing hands. Felipe was already sitting impassively in the small boat with the two sailors who would row them to the Esmeralda.
Diego went to Elizabeth and started to put his hand on her arm. Esperanza reached for him. He took his daughter into his arms and hugged her tightly, kissing her face several times. She giggled, thinking it was a game, and did not understand the wetness on his face after the last kiss. “I shall come home soon, muchacha,” he said to her softly. “Remember me. Remember your Daddy.”
Elizabeth’s hand came to her mouth as she tried desperately to keep from bursting into sobs. Diego glanced at Lolita, who stepped forward and took the baby from him. The dock creaked again as she stepped back and Diego was at last facing his wife with nothing left to do but board the boat and leave.
He put his hands on her elbows and looked into her eyes. Before he could speak, she did.
“I am yours,” she said, softly, her tears streaming down her cheeks. “Yours forever.”
Diego felt his heart come into his throat. He swallowed, and then answered, low, “And I am yours, señora. Yours until the end of time.” He leaned down and, cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her gently. Then his lips went to her forehead. After that last kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, “All shall be well, sweet Liz.”
She nodded, and ached instantly as he turned and stepped down into the rowboat. Without another word he nodded and the sailors pulled the ties away and began rowing towards the ship in the harbor.
“Dahdee! Dahdee!” Esperanza cried, waving.
He waved at her. “Adios my little one,” he called to her.
“’dios, Dahdee,” the little girl called back, trying to say goodbye. It was lost on no one that the name of God and the ending of the Spanish goodbye were one and the same, and that Diego’s daughter was the one giving his journey its final blessing.
Thus there was barely a dry eye amongst the small gathering on the dock as they witnessed this last farewell of the little family, separated by the circumstances of fate, an uncle’s betrayal, and the changing hands of empires. Lolita came close to Elizabeth as the boat rowed away, holding the baby and trying to provide some kind of support to her young friend.
Elizabeth was utterly motionless as Diego receded further and further away. She felt nothing but the sea breeze in her hair and the way it brushed away the last of the sensation of his warm lips on her forehead. He is going, she thought over and over. I am watching him go and I cannot go with him. Go with God my beloved, go with God and come back to us soon.
The party of Angelinos remained on the dock and watched from a distance as the rowboat made its way out to the great ship and the passengers and sailors climbed up the ropes and onto the ship. As Captain Rivera had predicted, the wind was picking up, forming small whitecaps on the sea in the harbor. Clouds were forming in the west. Once Diego and Felipe were on board, the crew went into immediate action with raising the sails, lifting the anchor, and heading immediately out to sea. It was impossible to see clearly where Diego stood on the deck, or what he watched as the ship sailed away.
Yet they all stood there for some time, as the ship distanced itself more and more from land. Carlos came and stood by Elizabeth’s side, his arm coming around his daughter. Still she did not move. Finally it was Alejandro who said, “He is on his way, and now we must be on ours. Rain is coming.”
Elizabeth looked down at last, breaking her gaze from the ship disappearing into the haze. The wind was picking up more, strands brushing across her face. She nodded and allowed herself to be led by her father off the dock and towards the Tavern. Her aunts, Rufino, and Alejandro followed. The senior de la Vega paused to help Consuelo step down, and then he helped Clementia, who by this point cared not at all that half of her skirt was gone. The dock creaked and shook yet again as Sergeant Garcia stepped off the dock after his wife, causing him to comment that he felt he should suggest that the dock be reinforced in order to accommodate such occasions. The Boccas, including Benicio, came next, Benicio and his father both attempting to help Doña Leonara. The Bottegas followed, and after them Bernardo and Lolita, who was still carrying Esperanza. The moment that this last threesome stepped onto the dry ground, a great creaking sound rose. Everyone turned around and watched in astonishment as the entire dock shuddered, groaned, and then collapsed into the sea. Within seconds it was a pile of rubble along the shoreline.
Esperanza began crying at the huge noise. People came running from the town to see what had happened. Elizabeth hurried to take her daughter from Lolita. “Is this a bad omen?” she asked, attempting to comfort the baby. “What can it portend?”
Lolita looked at the jumble of logs and pilings in the sea. “I think it portends a new dock for San Pedro,” she answered.
Elizabeth then felt a strong hand at her arm and looked to see Benicio standing beside her. He smiled and said, “I am glad you did not stay on the dock an extra minute, or we would all be in the pilings. Diego would come home to half the town being gone. I think that Santa Maria is watching over us.”
Elizabeth smiled back wanly. “Let us hope she goes with Diego,” she said. “If anything is to fall apart, let it happen as this dock collapsed, after he is safely away from it.” She then followed her family and friends towards the Tavern, and she did not allow herself to look back again to the sea.
The darkness lay across the hacienda like a heavy blanket as Elizabeth finished her prayer on the balcony for – or was it to — Diego. She gathered herself to go into Esperanza’s room for the remainder of the night. Diego had been gone for close to four months. She put her hand on her belly, which was beginning to swell. Despite the sickness she had kept her secret from nearly everyone, but she knew this could not last much longer. Her body was beginning to reveal the truth. She turned and stood at her own door, thinking about Benicio in her bed on the other side. Her heart was confused and torn. Zorro was here, in a way. A wounded, broken-legged Zorro, but a Zorro none-the-less. Los Angeles had a Zorro. But did she? She shook her head to herself. Yes, she thought, I have one if I want him.
She went into Esperanza’s room and lay down beside her daughter, who had recently been given a real, if child-sized, bed to sleep in. Alejandro had supervised its construction with tremendous attention to detail, so much so that it had driven the two carpenters who had constructed it to drink. At the time, Elizabeth had viewed it as one more good story to tell Diego on a rainy night. Now she wondered if he would ever see the bed or hear the story behind it. She snuggled under the covers, cuddling their little girl and burying her nose in her hair. The jumble of soft, dark brown curls comforted Elizabeth for a moment. Esperanza had Diego’s thick, curly hair.
”Mahmee…” Esperanza squeaked, mostly still asleep.
“It is all right, sweetheart, Mommie is going to sleep here with you for a while,” Elizabeth said. Esperanza wriggled slightly and went back to sleep. “It is just that he is not our Zorro,” Elizabeth whispered softly into the dark hair at her lips. “What are we to do, Ranzaita? What is Mommie to do?” And where is Daddy? Will he ever come home to us? What has happened to him? Tears formed in her eyes and she blinked them away. She knew that if her tears were to bring Diego back, he would have been home long ago.
Far away in a dark room, Diego de la Vega stood alone, staring out of a small window into the darkness. It was not his first sleepless night of looking down into the dim courtyard below, listening to the muffled sounds of the city beyond the courtyard walls. He was dirty, unshaven, bereft of cash or weapons, and unable to leave the room because of the heavily locked door and the guard on the other side of it. Weeks of the situation had given him far too much time to think. Most of that time was divided between trying to determine a way out and reflecting miserably on the events that had led to his imprisonment. And then there was the guilt. Will she ever forgive me? rang like a constant bell in the back of his mind, waking or sleeping. And there was so much to forgive. Often he found his mind careening back to the first moments after his departure when, in his state of exhilaration, the wind and sea air in his head, he had made his first mistake. Now he could not find his way out of the morass of mistakes that followed, for the labyrinth they created defied even his good memory, strong will, imagination, and physical resourcefulness. And so it was that he was trapped, very far away from his home, his family, and resolving the problem that he set out four months ago to address.
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