Nevado shouldered his guitar, squinting into the relentless sun, and reminded himself to steal another pair of shades the first chance he could. Normally, he never left the casa without them, but in his haste to be gone before Lupe came to, he must have left them behind. She was probably still lying in the little bed that squeaked every night until somebody moaned or until she cried out, “No me embarazes! Don’t get me pregnant!” the way she did last night. Lupe had every reason to fear having another mouth to feed. Still, it was a curious thing to say since she never entertained a man without a raincoat— at least not anymore. Lupe was careful if nothing else. No, it was more likely she was saying it to please her customer— make him feel like a man.

Click to read more ...