Chapter Thirty-Nine, Part Two

Later that afternoon Sophie sat at the table in the back room of the store, reading. She was so absorbed in her book that she didn’t even notice when Mateo returned from his deliveries.

“I said what’s so interesting?” he asked again.

Sophie started. “Oh. Just…stuff.”

Mateo leaned in and took a closer look. “Trying to learn more about your mom and dad?”

“That’s not why I’m reading it. I just like history, that’s all.”

“Yeah, and that’s why up until now the only books you ever read for fun were about horses.”

Sophie slid the book into her bag. She had been willing to brave Ms. James’ disparaging glances at her boyish attire and her raised eyebrows about her choice of reading material. The opinion of a grownup, much less a librarian, wasn’t of much importance. What her friend thought was something else again. “I can read about other things than horses. Besides, everyone goes on so much about the civil war, I figure I might as well learn a thing or two about it.”

“You’ll study it in seventh grade. That’s when they teach USS history.”

“Well, I want to learn more about it now.” She decided not to mention she would be long gone from Castaño by the seventh grade.

Mateo shrugged like it was all the same to him and began organizing his delivery confirmations so he could turn them in to Norma.

Sophie was tempted to take the book back out. She had been reading about how Grandpa Miguel had organized a militia in the northern reaches of the state during the Resource Wars. At first his only objective was to ensure free elections so the citizens could decide whether to secede. But when the U.S. federal government objected to the election outcome and tried to prevent the secession, Miguel fought a successful campaign to free the north from United States rule. While he had been doing that, a pro-secession U.S. Army general was working his way up from the south, fighting where he had to, but preferring to negotiate peace and oversee elections where he could. He was assisted by two talented aides. One of them was Robert Dubeck.

Mateo had finished sorting and smoothing his crumpled papers and now he dug in his pocket and took out a handful of coins. “What to see how much I got today?”

“Sure.” Sophie pretended to be interested but her mind was elsewhere.

“Everyone was really happy that the Thanksgiving stuff came in on time.”

“Yeah. Those are good tips.”

“And your dad said I could have a can of cranberry sauce and a bag of sweet potatoes in addition to my usual grocery credit. We’re going to have a great dinner at my house.”

“I’m glad.” And she was. But something else was on her mind. “My father hardly ever mentions the war. I mean, he talks about it sometimes, but he almost never says anything about what he did. It seems like other people who were in the war talk more.”

Mateo considered. “My dad doesn’t talk about the war, but that’s because it messed him up.”

“My dad isn’t messed up.”

“No.” Mateo meant it sincerely. “But he was important. Not like a general or anything, but important enough that he’s in our textbook. Maybe he’s embarrassed. Maybe he thinks people would think he was bragging if he said anything about what he did. He’s the closest thing we’ve got to a real hero around here.”

Sophie scoffed. “No one ever treats us that way.”

“What do you want, a parade?”

For a moment, Sophie was angry, but then realized her friend was teasing her. “Stop that.” She forced a laugh, but wished she could swat him with her book. “I really want to know. Why does no one ask him or me any questions? Why do they treat us like everyone else?”

Mateo rolled his eyes. “Because you are like everyone else. If you’d grown up here, you’d know. We’re small and isolated. If some people are better than others, we won’t be unified any more. And we all have to stick together to survive.”

“Is that why the girls are so weird about me not dressing like them?”

“Maybe a little, but it’s probably just them being girls.”

“And what about no one wanting to open the roads, or to even get the phones working again?”

“We don’t want outsiders. A few came during the wars, but we don’t want any more. Every new person brings new ideas and new ways of doing things. Too much of that and we might end up working against each other.”

Sophie sighed. “The wars are over. It’s silly to keep living as if this was the only way to survive. Don’t the grownups see that?”

“Some do. But I think it’s hard for them to change.”

“They expect us to change.”

Mateo grinned. “That’s because we’re kids. Adults get to live in the past because we’re the future, you know.”

“Maybe so,” Sophie said, “but the future would get here a lot quicker if we were all in it together.”