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15.
MONDAY MORNING HADN’T COMEaround quickly enough. Gabi had spent most of her time since visiting the bookshop worrying whether Aisha was okay, whethertheywere okay, and what Aisha was doing. She had worked hard trying to curb her irritation with not being able to see Aisha and failed miserably. She’d walked miles around the city and still couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling. It was ridiculous because they weren’tthey. Though Gabi felt there was something between them, and she’d sensed the shift in Aisha’s mood like lead closing around her heart. She’d done a lot of rationalising with all that walking and decided she would let Aisha go if she had to. So the weekend had passed like when she was the kid watching the grandfather clock again. Tick, not knowing, and tock, waiting to find out. A sick feeling about her decision to let Aisha go had given way to secretly hoping that when they next met, Aisha would be back to how Gabi thought of her, and then perhaps Gabi could stop trying to protect her heart with false declarations of being able to walk away.
She’d read a few of Lorca’s Gypsy poems, over and over again, about love and the moon. She didn’t grasp it all, but she’d been captivated by the pictures he created with his words and learned how the gypsies had lived and died at the hands of the Guards. It hadn’t been a fun or a light read, but she’d felt the power in poetry that Aisha had described. Lorca had been murdered by the Civil Guard for being a homosexual. It was hideous, and the uneasy feeling set deep in her gut as she’d wondered whether this kind of persecution was still being perpetuated within Aisha’s culture, by her own people, against Aisha. It had been hard to sleep after that.
Excitement and anticipation weaved through her now, as she stood at the bus stop.
Nana had insisted that they use local transport to get to the Alhambra even though Gabi had voted that they take a taxi. Nana leaned on her cane with one hand and propped her sunglasses higher up her nose with the other. “We need crockery for the apartment,” she said.
Gabi smiled.
Nana’s offer on the two-bed had been accepted, and the owners had agreed they could rent the property until the sale was completed. They’d cancelled the holiday rental and were moving into the apartment on Friday. “Do we need anything else?”
“I will go to the market for herbs and spices later in the week. We need to think about feeding ourselves again.”
“Home cooked food is going to be great.” Gabi was grateful for the slight breeze that took the burn out of the sun. “It’s going to be a hot one,” she said.
Nana looked skyward. “Did you put sun lotion on?”
Gabi laughed. “Yes, did you?”
“Of course.”
Gabi linked her arm through Nana’s. “Did you ever meet Lorca?” she asked.
“What makes you ask?”
“I read some of his poems. Aisha’s abuela met him, and I wondered if you had. Maybe you’ve met her too.”
“I met him once. Such a clever man. We sat around the fire as he read.” She sighed. “Juan had been so excited that he rode to my house and threw stones at my bedroom window to wake me. I sneaked out. Everyone was excited by Federico, except the Nationalists of course.”
“Weren’t you afraid to get caught?”
Nana clasped her hands in her lap. “I was young, and the thrill was worth it. When my parents found out, they stopped me from seeing Juan, of course.” She scratched her chin. “He was smart and quick. We never got caught. That’s why he was the best ratcatcher.”
Gabi frowned. “Ratcatcher.”
“All the boys and young men hunted rats. They needed to eat.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Not when you’re starving, cariño. For some, it was their only protein. I once stole mutton from our fridge and gave it to Juan. One of our servants got blamed and lost his job. I didn’t steal meat again, but I did give Juan eggs, and cheese, and rice when I could.”
“Have you eaten rat?”
“Yes.”
Gabi shuddered again, wondering if it tasted anything like chicken or beef.
“His mother asked me to eat with them. It was a goodwill gesture for the food I had given them. It would have been wrong to refuse their generosity and besides, I would have done anything to be with Juan.”
“They were okay with you and him?”
Nana shook her head. “They insisted he marry a girl from the village, and I’m sure he would have after I left. We talked of being together, but if the war hadn’t separated us, I have no doubt the Guardia would have. His parents wanted him to stop seeing me, but they didn’t trust that I wouldn’t have had him killed in revenge.”
The omelette Gabi had eaten for breakfast turned in her stomach. The bus arrived, and she stepped onto it. A thick cloud of tobacco smoke, potent perfume, and the smell of old fish oil, and the omelette turned sour. She swallowed the acid back down and headed for a window seat. Nana gave a cheery good morning to everyone she passed before sitting next to Gabi.
“You like this girl?” Nana asked.
