Page 6 of Sins & Paradise

After I finish with that, I grab my mop and get ready to wipe up the outside dining area.

There are three small tables positioned on a dark brown linoleum flooring right outside the restaurant, but no matter how many times a day I mop up, it always seems like a steady caking of dirt and grime is on the floor.

With a soft whistle, I soak the mop in water and cleaning solution and get to work.

The door to the bakery opens and closes, and I turn my back to the woman coming out. I'd rather people not see me, eventhough I know it's impossible. Everyone around here is so friendly. A real community.

"Hola." The woman speaks to me, and I turn to glance over my shoulder at her.

"Hola." I respond and give a forced smile.

"Eres nueva aquí." She tilts her head and looks me up and down as if she's trying to place me. I do the same to her, but mostly because I'm trying to translate the words she said in my mind.

"Nueva" is new.

She must be asking me if I'm new here.

"Sí, nueva." I reply in my broken Spanish.

With a slight chuckle, she walks forward with her hand extended.

"Welcome to the island. I'm Coca."

I breathe a sigh of relief when she speaks in perfect English.

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Angela." I cringe at the sound of my name. I've been trying to give a false identity, but I always forget. So much for trying to keep a low profile.

"How long have you been here?" She asks, picking up the steaming hot cup of coffee and pressing it to her lips.

"Uh, just a few weeks." I shift the mop to the other hand, hopefully giving her the hint that I don't need to be talking right now.

"Do you have family on the island?" She blinks a few times but doesn't take her eyes off me. Suddenly, I'm starting to feel like this is more of an interrogation than her just being a good member of the community.

"No." The words are more forceful than I want them to be.

Relax. This is normal. Just relax.

The words echo over and over in my head.

She clamps her mouth shut and nods once before taking a step back. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Angela." She turns on her heel and walks away, but just as she gets to the edge of the property, she turns back around and walks in my direction again.

"Look, I could be really wrong, but there's only a few reasons for a woman to just show up in Puerto Rico without knowing a lick of Spanish and no family. You definitely don't look like you're on vacation." She raises an eyebrow, and I fight to keep my face free of any expression. I don't want her to get any ideas.

"Anyway, if you find yourself needing help..." She lets the words linger in the air. "I'm part of a group that's moving back in down the block. We look meaner than we are, I promise. The compound is nearly finished, and we should all be here in the next few weeks. Come find me. If we can help, we will." Coca nods once before giving me another soft smile and turning back around.

Help.

Her words tumble around in my mind. I surely did need help, but I couldn't chance bringing more people into my problems. Not when I'd only just gotten away. I pray that I never need her help, but it's nice to know that there might be at least one person I can come to if I need it.

"Angela, ya lista?" Magda yells out of the small window on the side of the building, and I jerk out of my daydream.

I watch for a moment as Coca continues her walk down the block and take note of which way she's turning. Just in case.

Before long, I refocus my attention on cleaning up the areas and completing my daily tasks without Magda having to tell me. We have a few more interactions where she asks me to do something, but I don't understand because of the language barrier.

The only time I chuckle the entire day is when she storms out of the bakery and comes back with an English to Spanishdictionary before muttering a slew of words in Spanish I'm sure she doesn't want me to understand.

By the time the sun sets, the displays are nearly empty, and both Magda and I are exhausted. If there's one thing I can say about the older woman, it's that she works hard. She bakes from sunup to sundown, barely taking a moment to eat or use the bathroom. Even when she does, there is a line of people waiting for her.