Felipe barged in through the back door and through the kitchen of the de la Vega home.  The sudden intrusion startled Maria as she was preparing lunch, causing her to drop the large pot of beans she was transferring to the stove.  A loud clatter and muttered curse caused his feet to slide to a stop.  He dashed back into the kitchen and fell to his knees beside the petite cook who was trying to clean up the beans and water that splashed across the floor.

“I’m sorry,” he signed between scooping handfuls of beans off the wet floor and dropping them back into the pot with a splash.  When almost half of the beans had been picked up, he reached out to tap Maria on the shoulder to gain her attention.  “Leave it,” he gestured.  “I’ll come back and clean it.  I have to find Alejandro.  It’s important.”

They both stood and the kindly de la Vega servant woman eyed Felipe critically.  “These are ruined,” Maria signed, gesturing to the mess on the floor before speaking aloud.  “I will clean this while you find Don Alejandro.  Then, you will come back and help me sort more beans.  Agreed?”

Felipe flashed a shy, grateful smile before dashing from the kitchen.  

After a quick search, Felipe found Alejandro in the library.  He clapped his hands then waved frantically to gain the caballero’s attention.  As soon as Don Alejandro looked up from his book, Felipe began.  “Miguel said you must come now!  Hurry!” he signed.  With excitement showing clearly on his face, Felipe rushed through the gestures, then forced himself to repeat the story again much slower when it appeared Don Alejandro didn’t understand.  Half way through the second telling, the Don’s jaw dropped and a horrified expression crossed his face.  He bolted from the chair and ran from the room.

“Diego!” he shouted for his son at the top of his lungs.  “Diego!”

Stunned into stillness, Felipe took several moments to follow.  He and Diego reached the elder caballero at the same time, both shocked to see the hunting rifle clutched in Alejandro’s white knuckled grip.

“Diego, hurry!” he exclaimed upon seeing the pair.  “We’ve got to kill the bear!”

“What?” Felipe questioned, his confusion simultaneously given voice by Diego.

Alejandro stopped cold, lowering his rifle.  “What?” he parroted dumbly.

“What bear?” Diego asked, cutting through the stunned silence.

“Felipe.  He said there was a bear in the barn,” Alejandro answered, confused.  “He said it was stealing the chickens.”

Fear momentarily dominated Diego’s features, but quickly melted away as his agile mind realized how absurd the statement was.  “Seriously, Father?” he asked incredulously.  “A bear somehow managed to not only get into the barn but it is stealing chickens that aren’t even kept there.”

Felipe chuckled silently and waved his hands in front of himself as if to bat the thought from the air.  He carefully signed the message again as Diego translated.

“He says Miguel wants you to come to the barn.  He’s found that your prized mare has gone into labor and will probably foal at any moment.”  His father was beyond proud of the mare he’d purchased almost a year ago and had agonized over what stallion to breed her to.  After months of deliberation and countless letters, he’d finally taken the horse all the way to Santa Paula to what was reputed to be a stallion of unmatched lineage.  The resulting foal would be worth a fortune.

“Oh.”  Alejandro’s voice was small and an embarrassed flush crept up his neck.  “So… No bear?”

“No.  No bear.”  Diego smiled indulgently as he returned the rifle to its home hanging on the wall.  “No chickens either, for that matter.  I have no idea how you came about that translation.”

“Oh,” the don repeated meekly then his eyes sparkled in excitement.  “The foal is coming!  Madre de Dios, Diego!  It’s finally here!”  With that, the grinning caballero whooped in joy and dashed from the house in his eagerness to reach the barn.

Diego shook his head fondly.  “As bad as his understanding of sign language is, Felipe, we must give him credit that he has improved quite a bit in recent years.  I’m not sure he would have recognized even the sign for ‘barn’ only a few months ago.”  Diego draped an arm across the boy’s shoulders and began to lead him from the room.  “Thank heavens for your exceptional skill in lip reading.  Without that ability, I’m not sure how the two of you would have been able to communicate to each other while I was in Spain.”

Diego’s agile mind was still working and Felipe could tell the second realization dawned.  His mentor’s whole body stiffened and the arm slung casually over Felipe’s shoulder pulled him impossibly closer to the body at his side and kept him there as they stopped mid-stride.

“Felipe?” Diego spoke in a timid voice while his eyes remained locked on something in the distance, as if afraid to ask the question and afraid to face the answer.  “How did you communicate with Father while I was away?”

Felipe took a deep breath and managed to bring a smile to his face then stepped around to face his friend.  “Silly,” he signed then slapped Diego on his upper arm.  “You just said I am very good at lip reading.”

Diego wilted.  “‘Exceptional’ is what I believe I said, and it’s true.  But, that’s not what I asked you.”  Diego sighed as he tiredly dragged both hands down his face.  He drew a breath and, with a new resolve, ushered Felipe to a chair and encouraged him to sit then dropped heavily into the chair next to him.  He leaned forward, catching Felipe’s eye, and tried again.  “I asked how YOU were able to communicate with HIM.”

The young man shrugged dismissively.  “We managed.”

Diego jerked as if the words had been a physical blow.  He signed, “Meaning, he spoke to you, but you were unable to speak to him.”  Aloud, he added, “I’m sorry, Felipe.  I know my father’s ability to understand sign was… lacking when I left, but I never for a moment imagined it would be so difficult for you or that he wouldn’t improve.  I should have made sure there was someone…”

“Enough!”  Felipe stilled the words with a slashing gesture.  “Your father is a good man and he took excellent care of me while you were away.  So he has trouble learning sign.  It’s okay.  I have trouble with Latin and he doesn’t.”  When he saw Diego was considering this, he continued.  “Don Alejandro taught me to read and write and that was hard.  Until then, I had my friends Tomas and Pepe and others at the Mission.”

“Who you saw only once a week at the most.”  Diego rested his elbows on knees, twined his fingers, and cast his eyes to the floor.  Felipe’s words hadn’t offered the reassurance he’d intended.  “Learning to read and write was quite difficult without being able to associate the letters with the sound they represent and you were amazing to pick up on it as quickly as you did, but it still took years of hard work.  In all that time, there was no one at the hacienda for you to talk to, to confide in, to go to when you were sad or happy or ill…”

Again, Felipe cut him off, this time by pinching his bicep.  “Stop that!  I was fine.  I AM fine!  Don Alejandro took good care of me and I had Maria.”

Diego’s head snapped up and his back straightened.  “Maria?” he asked, puzzled.  He looked through the doorway in the general direction of the kitchen.  “What do you mean?”

Felipe released a breathy laugh.  “Your father hired Maria after Inola decided she was too old and went to live with her daughter.  It was only a couple of weeks after you left.”

The young caballero looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Yes, I remember that news was in the first letter I received while in Spain.  Maria knows sign?”

The teen shook his head then signed, “Not before she came here, but she was eager to learn.  She borrowed a book from your father.  The first one you found – the one with pictures.  Two days after she was hired, she told me her name in finger sign and asked me to help her learn more.”

Seeing his mentor’s pleased expression, Felipe continued.  “She learned quickly and I talked to her a lot.  So you see, I was fine.  I had someone.  Maria is a good woman.”

A wide smile spread across Diego’s face.  Just as he was about to speak, the woman in question appeared in the doorway.  

“Felipe…”  Seeing her patron sitting with the boy, Maria quickly apologized.  “Oh, Don Diego!  I’m so sorry to interrupt.”

Ever the gentlemen, Diego and Felipe stood.  “Perfectly alright,” Diego assured.  “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh, no, Patron,” she replied quickly.  “I was just looking for Felipe.  I wanted to make sure he didn’t forget.”

Diego didn’t miss her subtle signing of ‘Come when you can’, but chose to not comment.  Instead, he turned to his charge.  “Forget what?” he questioned.

“I promised I’d help sort beans since I made her drop the last pot,” Felipe explained.

“Ah, I see.”  Diego rubbed his chin as if in thought.  “Why don’t I help Maria with that while you offer your assistance in the barn, hmm?”

“But…”  Felipe’s fingers fumbled over the words in his confusion.  “But, I promised.  It’s my responsibility…”

“It’s alright,” Diego soothed.  “I’ve sorted more than a few beans in my time and am quite capable of handling the task.”  When Felipe would have protested again, Diego signed, “Go, before you miss everything.” 

Still unsure, Felipe edged around Maria and backed out of the room.  Once out of sight, rapid footsteps could be heard rushing to the door and outside.

When they were alone, Diego gallantly offered his arm to Maria.  “Let’s see to those beans now.  Shall we?”

Smiling, Maria wove her arm into his.  “Si.  Thank you for your help, Don Diego.”

Diego leaned forward to plant a small kiss on the petite woman’s cheek.  “You’re very welcome, Maria, and thank you.  For everything.”

THE END