Chapter 9
Zalli rushed down the stairs and jumped the last two steps in her haste to begin the day. As she stood, she grabbed one strap of her overalls to pull it up, but had to stop halfway in her movement as she got stuck.
Zalli rushed down the stairs and jumped the last two steps in her haste to begin the day. As she stood, she grabbed one strap of her overalls to pull it up, but had to stop halfway in her movement as she got stuck. Her stomp grabbed the attention of Yoltzin, who was currently sipping coffee from her abuela’s mug.
He had his arm stretched out to the side, resting on the back of the couch, and, if Zalli could guess it, he had his legs crossed as well. They made eye contact, with her looking at him straight on, and he only using his peripherals. Zalli was the first to speak.
“Buenos días, Sr. Yoltzin. Sorry for my delay.”
The farmer tried to pull the strap up, but it was resisting to go all the way to her shoulder. When Yoltzin turned around after standing, he found the maiden in a battle with her overalls. Her elbow stuck out awkwardly as she tried to use momentum to get the strap up.
“Buenos días, Zalli.”
He hid an amused smile behind his hand, which he pretended to use to rub his whole jaw.
Zalli, exasperated, got it onto her shoulder, but it was uncomfortable. It felt like there was an odd knot behind her back. She tried to peer behind her large arm joint by swinging her shoulder forward, but she could not gauge the issue her wardrobe had its malfunction in. Instead, the farmer only shrugged her shoulders in defeat and walked over to the CEO, ready as she could be to start their day together.
“Shall we get started?”
“Your straps. They are twisted.”
Yoltzin turned to set the mug down on the coffee table before he walked around the couch to reach the maiden. During his stride, Zalli glanced at the cup and thought, I should put abuela’s mug away. She’ll get mad if it gets left out and does not get placed in the sink. Once her pondering ended, the man was in front of her, too close to be proper personal space.
His proximity deleted all thoughts of the past thirty seconds from Zalli’s mind.
He gently grabbed her by her shoulders and turned Zalli around to get a proper look at her overalls situation. This abruptly brought her out of her reverie, and it got her speaking again. She uttered over her shoulder to look at Yoltzin.
At the rate she spoke at, she was like a faucet suddenly turned on at a high speed.
“Oh, no, no, no. I have it, really. I can do it myself.”
A shiver ran down her spine as his hand moved along the twisted cord that was her straps. His knuckles would casually rub against her at distinct moments, seemingly accidental. Yoltzin walked around to her front and unclipped one side of her overalls. Zalli remained frozen in her spot, but not out of discomfort. It had been a very long time since someone helped her with her clothes. The last time she received help in getting dressed was when she was a child, just over 10 years old.
It was for her mama’s funeral.
Yoltzin moved back behind the farmer with one strap in hand. She could feel him thread the strap around with each brush of his knuckles against her back, this time the contact lasting longer than before. Unconsciously, she would move her back slightly forward with each touch he made; it was a contact she did not mentally prepare for, even with its repetition, so she felt it to be a bit overstimulating.
Once the garment was no longer twisted, the CEO moved forward to Zalli’s front one more time to secure the fastening.
When he was done, he took a step back with hands in his pockets. This time, he wore jeans instead of his conventional slacks. And instead of his usual Oxford, he had a grey button-down shirt with the sleeves reaching his wrist. The cotton blouse was tucked into his pants and the top button remained unfastened, which gave a peek of his collarbones to the farmer.
Zalli didn’t know if she should say thank you or not, so she settled on silence and an attempt to hide the soft blush on her cheeks. Yoltzin awkwardly coughed behind a hand before he went to the couch. He bent over to grab something, and when he returned, the maiden saw he had a hat in each of his hands. As he spoke to Zalli, he brought the arm with the baseball cap up to hand it to her.
“Your abuela said to give this to you.”
“Gracias.”
This act of service seemed much simpler to understand for Zalli, so it was easier to give her thanks to him. As she placed her cap on her head, the CEO placed a sombrero de vaquero on his own.
Crap, how does he look good in that, too? Slightly disturbed by her reflection, Zalli moved towards the kitchen to head to her fields, but then stopped in her tracks by Yoltzin’s proclamation.
“My workers are actually outside in the front, waiting for entrance. Shall we let them in?”
“Ah-hah, yes.”
The flustered farmer did a complete 180 degree flip to walk the other way towards her front door. She moved her arms in a robotic fashion, stiff with exaggerated precision. Zalli tried to move away from the man quickly. Yoltzin followed behind, always willing to follow the maiden anywhere she went. He moved witha relaxed confidence, displaying the ease he felt when around the woman.
As they neared the front door, the farmer’s trembling hand fumbled with the locks for only a split second before she could get a good grasp and turn it assuredly. The two moved outside and stepped into the warm, comforting sun.
No words were exchanged as the two adults walked by the group of people and vehicles stationed in Zalli’s front yard. But the crowd followed behind the two in soft, amiable chatter, carrying equipment and other necessary tools for the day ahead of them.
It wasn’t until they crossed Zalli’s gate that Yoltzin delivered his agenda to the farmer.
“I was thinking of having my workers start the digging at the tree near your house.”
“You mean the roble tree?”
She continued her walk to her back patio, her intention to grab her basket and shears. Zalli minutely turned her head as she spoke to the CEO, and she looked forward again when he replied.
“Yes.”
“Sorry, but no.”
“Why not?”
With her supplies in hand, Zalli spun around at a breakneck pace. Yoltzin had caught up to her, finally, but with her sudden movement, it threw his balance off. He became forced to a sudden halt, and rooted to his spot, unsure about what the farmer would do next.
“Because I said no. You can start in the outer fields. You said it was likely there.”
Zalli crossed her arms and shifted her body weight to lean to one side. The handle of the basket settled in the crook of her elbow. Her hair was free for once, considering she had no time to deal with it in her morning rush. But it added shadows to her face along with the baseball cap, making her stern expression appear dark to Yoltzin.
He stood awkwardly, not expecting her aggressive disagreement. Yoltzin knew she would be against it, as she showed an emotional attachment to the tree, but he thought he could convince her enough to lean the outcome in his favor.
“I said there were two locations, that being one of them.” He pointed to the tree, only a small distance away. “But according to my advisors, between the two, the treasure is more likely by the roble tree.”
“Even if your advisors are right, I am against it. Start at the fields.”
“I really don’t think you want me to start there.”
The hand Yoltzin used to point at the tree moved in front of Zalli’s face. With his palm facing up and his fingers in the direction of the maiden, he wiggled his digits minutely as he made his assertion. Zalli found it odd he would move his fingers like that, something she noticed he had a habit of doing. But she pinned it to him stimming since she would do little things like that herself.
Even weirder though, was when he finished moving, a sudden brain fog entered her mind. She felt like it was a good idea to not fight Yoltzin on the matter. If anything, it would be to her benefit to let him have his way. He knew better when it came to the treasure. What does it matter if he would disturb her mother?
“Wha—well ... wait. I can’t think straight right now.”
Zalli’s hands came down to her sides, and her shoulders slumped in what felt like defeat. The basket she held high slid down to her hand with only the curve of her fingers holding it up. The only thing keeping it there was static friction, but even that held weak.
Though her body appeared to be relaxed, her facial expression scrunched up in confusion and tenacity, as if she were having an inner battle between herself and some unknown opponent. Zalli was fighting an unknown sensation.
“Truly. You should have me start there.”
Yoltzin was mid-way in bringing his arm down, albeit at a slow pace, with his palm facing down this time. But his fingers wiggled again as he spoke.
“I—I— ... I think ...” Zalli could not form a coherent thought in her brain. The fog felt so thick, she could not even focus on what was in front of her. But her heart pounded hard in her chest. It made her feel anxious every time she considered agreeing to the man in front of her. And if she felt anxiety as she thought it could be a good idea to give in to Yoltzin, then maybe she actually shouldn’t do it. “I think not.”
“But—”
“NO.” With her strong declaration, Zalli felt a sudden warmth fall over her body and her hand grip tightly on the basket that was going to slip out at the very next moment. The sensation started at the top of her head, and it rolled down her form like a comfortable blanket. She thought she saw a pretty green haze in her peripherals, but it was gone before she could register it as real, or just a trick of the sunlight coming into her eyes. “If you want to keep disagreeing, then grab your people and leave. I can do the work by myself, anyway. I have done it before, so I can do it again.”
Yoltzin stared at her hard for a mere moment. He did not look upset in his frozen trance, but he did not seem to be happy overall. His eyebrows hung low and his jaw tightened. Concern grazed his eyes, but he twisted his head away and brought both palms up, as if trying to pacify the situation.
“Alright, alright. We can start in the fields. Look, I apol—”
“I’m going to harvest the lirio leaves now. If you need me, I will be just beyond there.”
She pointed past her mama’s tree.
Zalli didn’t want to wait to see what the CEO had to say. She marched past him with a desperate need to remove herself from the situation, but she froze when Yoltzin spoke. At least she was further away from the man with her back turned to him.
“As promised, you will have helpers.”
She processed what he said and nodded her head before speaking to him one final time.
“Yeah, sure. Just have them follow me.”
Zalli walked toward her mama’s tree, leaving Yoltzin behind. She heard some people following behind her, but she didn’t turn to check who they were.
When she and her small group arrived at the small clearing where most of the lirios were, she gave simple instructions to the few workers Yoltzin had lent to her. After that, the farmer worked in silence for the entire morning. Unfortunately, her mind was not silent as she harvested long leaves and green flowers. It was obsessed with replaying her interaction with Yoltzin from earlier.
Like a game of catch, her thoughts would focus on his touch when he was near her back, then it would switch to their argument. His scent of sweet tobacco, to his persistent attitude. His caring actions for her outfit, to him fighting her authority on her land. It felt mentally exhausting.
On Zalli’s way back to her house in the afternoon, she could finally think of other things, like her plan for tonight. The green entity would surely return. That was at least her assumption, considering how Tepi said her sleep was disturbed every night. This theory only stayed for a moment as Zalli became distracted with the approach to a favorite spot of hers.
When the small group neared the roble tree, the maiden waved to the others to meet her inside of her house, where they would weave the leaves next. She got closer to the tree with guilt on her face. It had been a few days since Zalli had stopped to say hello to her mamá.
Carefully stepping around a root, she placed her palm and forehead on the trunk of the tree. With eyes closed and a heavy breath departing her body, Zalli felt momentary peace.
Her mamá’s grave was on the other side of the tree, marked only by a large stone, with a poorly carved heart, laying on the ground. Zalli didn’t enjoy visiting her mamá there, though. She felt her spirit was within the tree, and not at her burial site.
Feeling like she was being watched, the maiden turned around to find no one around her. But the sensation was still present. She moved forward to see if she could find the spy, but with her focus on everything in front of her, she didn’t see the adjacent root where she stood. The foot she picked up to step onward got caught on it, and she tripped.
Zalli didn’t fall to the ground—able to catch herself within a few steps—but she still felt heat rise to her cheeks at the awkward maneuver. Looking up again, she could catch the individual who was snooping on her personal moment.
Just from afar, stood Yoltzin with a shovel in hand and his shirt tucked into the side of his pants. The sweat covering his chest glimmered in the sunlight. The hand he hand on his hip came up to cover his laugh when he realized Zalli caught him staring.
He used his same hand to wave to her, but it caused her to turn away immediately. Her cheeks became hotter since she had focused on the flexion of his chest in his arm movement. She also carried a fraction of her emotions from earlier, so she left for her house in a huff. There she found her abuela already teaching the helpers how to weave the lirio leaves.
Zalli didn’t see Yoltzin again until evening came around. She had just placed the last of the leaves into the basin of shallow sugar water mixed with vinegar. Her living room was crowded with woven leaves and buckets of roses. She had some workers harvest the flowers when they returned from their foresting. Tomorrow, she and her family would put together the bouquets and deliver them by late morning for the festival.
The rose farmer was standing by her fireplace when she heard a knock from behind her. She turned around and saw the CEO leaning against the arch of the vestibule. He stood thankfully clothed again, but to Zalli’s luck, he still had his hat on. It went against etiquette to keep it on while inside, but she would not bring up the matter, not really seeing the need to.
Zalli stood with hands grasped in front of her and her blue highlights framing her face. She was adamant about not speaking first, curious to see what the man before her had to say. He cleared his throat and pushed himself away from the frame before he spoke.
“I am sorry for my persistent behavior—from earlier.” Yoltzin grabbed his sombrero de vaquero and took it off before continuing. “My tenacity for the treasure got in the way. I should have ... I should have listened to you the first time you said no ... It was wrong of me to force a certain outcome of the situation on you.”
Zalli moved toward a nearby bucket to pet some roses. It brought her one step closer to the CEO.
“It’s fine.” Yoltzin took one step in, happy to hear her forgiveness. “But if you ever fight me again on what is mine, the deal is off.”
“Understandable. I promise to obey your command when it comes to your land.”
He brought his hand up to display his vow to Zalli. She nodded silently, then took another step in as she asked him a question.
“Do you think you could get me a truck or van for tomorrow? I would hate to burden Churro with all of our inventory, and I would rather make the delivery in one trip.”
“Done. Is 11 AM a good time for the van to arrive?”
As Zalli contemplated the schedule of everything, Yoltzin unconsciously took a step in.
“Yes, I think that could work. Thank you.”
“Great. I will see you tomorrow at the festival, then.”
His movement forward caused Zalli to bring her attention to his hair, now that she was closer to notice the disparity of it. His usual comeback was a mess. It was most likely because of his sweat from working in the sun, which broke down his hair product. Also, his hat must have messed up the structure of his hairstyle. She was captivated by its appeal. Made it seem like he was allowing her to see a vulnerable side to him.
Being closer to his own bucket of roses, Yoltzin bent down to smell their pleasing scent. Another step came from Zalli as she asked him a question, which brought her to be just a quarter of a meter away from the man before her.
“Why are always smelling the roses, are you like obsessed with them?”
Yoltzin took one more inhalation before he responded. He turned his head slightly and looked at Zalli from the corner of his eye.
“The scent reminds me of you.” As he stood back up, he pleasantly noticed how close he was to Zalli. A blush appeared on her face; it usually only covered her cheeks, but this time it also spread across the bridge of her nose. Yoltzin smiled at the sight and brought his index finger up, lightly tapping the maiden’s forehead once.
“Sweet dreams, little thorn.”
Warmth emanated from his digit and spread across Zalli’s brow, before darkness covered her vision and she felt herself slip from her consciousness. The last thing she saw was Yoltzin moving in to catch her as she fell fast to the ground.
Michelle Alva
