Ramón smiled and said, “Josefina, you have much to learn in the next several days.”
“What is the mountain?” she demanded.
“It is your inheritance.”
“My inheritance? You mean, along with the beach house I am inheriting a mountain?”
“No, your inheritance is the mountain.”
“What? What about Las Olas del Sol? We are not inheriting this property?”
“No.”
“Oh, it’s going to our dad.”
“No.”
“Who is inheriting this?”
“No one.”
“I’m confused. I thought I was Uncle Sol’s heir.”
“And that you are, my dear.”
“Wasn’t this his house?”
“It was his home.”
“His home, but not his house?”
“That is correct.”
“Who owns the house?”
“The Tribe.”
Ruby, Danny, and Ben are not going to like this, thought Jo. And so much for my plans to sell the beach house and finance the learning center and the rest of what I’m planning to do in Richfield. “I see,” said Jo, though she really didn’t see at all. “So, someone else will be staying here, then.”
“No, my dear one, this will now be your home.”
“My home!”
“Yes, of course.”
“Wait a minute!” cried Jo. “I’m not moving to the Dominican Republic—I have a life—I have my ministry in New Jersey. I can’t come here!”
“Josefina, you really must talk with the lawyer. He will explain everything.”
Jo’s head was reeling. “I want to talk with my father,” she insisted.
“And so you shall. Let us go up to the house. Your brother and sisters are no doubt waiting for you.”
“And also—no doubt—getting in the way of Doña Lucia.”
Don Ramón smiled, “As you say.”
This was indeed the case, as Jo knew it would be. Ben was sitting in the kitchen when they arrived, eating from the various pastries the chefs were preparing. Ruby was barking orders to several patient helpers who had been moving furniture, and they listened to her deferentially as if she actually knew where everything should be. Daniela was among the missing. Jo guessed shrewdly Danny was up in the bathroom gauging the damage that the trip had caused her hair and her makeup. After that, she would be laying out the new beach attire she had bought in their one obligatory stop on the way.
When Jo finally rounded up her three siblings, they were none too pleased that they would not be staying at the beach house.
Jo tried to lay it out for them. “Many important people are coming from every tribal center to honor Uncle Sol. They must talk with each other and plan the celebrations and meetings and what they have to do.”
“Well, we’re important,” huffed Ruby. “We are the heirs after all!”
Jo decided to let that lie for now. “We have the best of accomodations. We will be staying next door at Los Diamantes del Mar Hotel.” Well, that changed everything, as Jo knew it would.
“Oh, that’s great,” enthused Ruby. “I love Los Diamantes.”
“Yes, the proprietor, who is a staunch friend of all of us, is always gracious and willing to serve you,” said Don Ramón.
“I’m for Los Diamantes!” agreed Daniela.
“I, for one, would rather stay at the Bravado Beach Hotel. I love Los Diamantes, of course—who doesn’t—” started Ben, “but . . .”
Jo shot a glance at Ruby.
“No, you don’t!” ruled Ruby in her most definitive coach-makes-the-rules style. “All you want to do is belly up to the gaming tables there. You’re staying with us so I can keep an eye on you!”
“Hey, Rube, you’re not my mom.”
“Mom isn’t here. I’m the stand-in!”
“You’re younger than me!”
“Yes, but a whole lot smarter—and I’m not broke.”
“But, I got a system I got to try out . . .”
“I’ll go with you some night,” offered Daniela to try to bring back peace.
Ruby shot her a withering glance.
“Let’s get back to business,” said Jo. “We can sort this out later. Right now we need to see how we can be helpful around here. There’s a lot to do.”
“If we’re moving, I’ve got to go over to reserve our rooms,” contended Ruby.
“Me, too, I’ll go with you,” agreed Danny.
“Don’t look at me. I’m not the organized one,” grumbled Ben, still miffed at being thwarted from camping out twenty-four hours a day at the Bravado Beach casino.
“Fine,” said Jo, resigned as always. “You all go ahead. I’ll be there later. I can walk over.”
As the three piled out to the car, Don Ramón Romero leaned toward Jo and confided, “It’s just as well, Josefina. For you will be staying here.”
10
The next night, Basil and Star Heitz stood at the entrance to the casino of the Bravado Beach Resort, surveying the layout through the glass.
“Let’s go shopping,” said Basil, pushing the revolving door open for Star to enter. His manners were always gentlemanly in public. You never knew who was watching.
Both of them glanced around the entire room, taking in the present population with practiced eyes, and then centered on Daniela, standing beside Ben, as he played blackjack with fierce abandon. Ben had wasted no time in pursuing his goal. As promised, Daniela had tagged along. This was the first time they had ever seen this part of the city.
Through all the years as children they had been in Barahona, they had mainly stayed in the beach house, frolicking on the long, isolated stretch of beach, playing among the rocky promenades that loomed above it, strolling through the town, discovering. Being children, they could not enter the casino alone as they were underage and their parents had forbidden them to go there.
