Chapter 7
Hospitality
Langtou (Villalobos), Qingmu County, Shanbeixi Province
Yasuko sat in front of the mirror with a screwdriver in hand. She started to unscrew the supports for the neck brace. As much as she favored her flexibility, she was a long ways yet from being fully healed, so she decided to keep most of the body brace, but she at least wanted to be able to turn her head freely.
She managed to unscrew the support in the front on the left side without too much trouble, but reaching the one on the right side was more of a problem. The brace only allowed her to move her arm up and down. She couldn't really rotate her shoulder any. She didn't know how she was going to reach the screws on the supports in the back, but before she could worry about that, she had to finish the front side.
While she was struggling to get at the screw, trying desperately not to drop the screwdriver, she felt a hand on her own.
"I have never seen such a stubborn child in all my years," SeƱora Villalobos said. "You could ask for help, you know."
She took the screwdriver from Yasuko and started unscrewing the support.
"I'm all I've got," Yasuko said.
"No, you're not," SeƱora Villalobos said. "Someone brought you into this world, someone raised you, someone took you to that hospital, someone brought you here, and someone's been taking care of you these past two weeks."
It had only been nine days, not two weeks yet, but that was besides the point.
"There won't always be someone there."
"Not if you keep pushing people away, there won't," SeƱora Villalobos said as she went around to the back. "Now, I know you plan on leaving us and I'm not going to try and stop you, but you need to know you can't keep going on like this. You've already nearly gotten yourself killed once. You may not be so lucky next time."
Yasuko glanced down at her stump.
"You call this lucky?"
"You're still alive, aren't you? There."
She finished undoing the last support and took the neck brace off Yasuko. Yasuko tried turning her head. The muscles were so stiff they would barely move and it felt like her head was ten kilos heavier than she remembered. While she was struggling to hold her head up, SeƱora Villalobos put some kind of soft brace around her neck.
As she was securing it, she said, "Carmen thought you'd be needing this. You can still move your head some, but this will take some of the strain off your neck until the muscles get stronger."
"How did you know?" Yasuko asked.
"A mother's intuition," SeƱora Villalobos replied. "I've raised five children and thirteen grandchildren. I can tell when one of them's going to do something stupid."
"I can't stay here," Yasuko said. "I've stayed too long as it is. I'm putting you all in danger by being here."
"If we were worried about that, we would've told Carmen to leave you on the mission's doorstep. Now, we haven't asked you a thing about your past, not even your name, and we'd be just as happy to keep taking care of you until you're all better. Even longer than that. Whatever it is you're running from, I don't think it'd find you out here. We'd be more than happy to make a place for you if you wanted it. You're a good kid, Angelita. You've just gotten caught up in some trouble, but you could start over here."
Wouldn't that be something? The daughter of Lady Masako of House Suzuki, assassin of the Emperor, a one-armed milkmaid making goat cheese out in the middle of nowhere.
"You don't know the kind of people who are after me," Yasuko said.
"You're right. I don't. I do know a scared girl trying to act tougher than she is, but like I said, I'm not going to try to stop you if you have your heart set on moving on."
"It's for the best."
"Human history is full of bad decisions that are 'for the best'. At least we can give you a fighting chance."
* * *
SeƱora Villalobos helped Yasuko get dressed. She was given a hand-me-down dress that used to belong to one of SeƱora Villalobos' daughters. Said daughter was quite a bit meatier than Yasuko, but a more loose-fitting dress was easier to put on over the brace. Yasuko hadn't worn dresses since she was a kid and she didn't really like them, but it was the more practical choice in her unusual condition and there was also some benefit in not dressing the way she would usually dress. She had no way of knowing how much the people Prince Sturla would send after her had studied her, but not acting the way she'd be expected to act was bound to help.
The dress had baggy sleeves that made it less obvious she was missing an arm. She was given a long weather-beaten jacket to go over it. A bandanna was tied around her neck in case she opted to venture into the wastes and another one on her head to hide her still mostly absent hair, which would stand out a lot on a paisana. The look was completed with an old cracked pair of goggles and a wide-brimmed straw hat. She had an old pair of SeƱor Villalobos' boots which were big enough to accommodate Yasuko's feet in their braces. She'd have trouble keeping them on if she took the braces off, though.
SeƱora Villalobos put a satchel on Yasuko's shoulder, saying, "There's beans, coffee, rice and some jerky. If you're careful with it, it'll last you a week. You've got a cup, plate and fork, and this." She pulled out a paring knife. "It's nothing fancy, but you can use it to protect yourself and you don't need a license for it. Otherwise, I'd give you one of Eduardo's guns. You've also got 20,000 chips." She patted the pockets of Yasuko's jacket. "Here, here." Then the satchel. "Here." And then her boot. "And here. Can't carry your money all in one place. Not safe to carry much more than that. You find some little out-of-the-way place and it should last you a while."
She then slung a canteen over Yasuko's shoulder and said, "This holds about three liters. Be sure you refill it every chance you get. It's not going to be enough if you go out into the wastes on your own. I know youāre not wanting to be seen, but I wouldn't suggest you straying from civilization too much. The wastes are more likely to kill you than whatever it is you're running from."
"Thank you," Yasuko said. "For everything. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Don't think about paying us back," SeƱora Villalobos said. "We've got plenty. Pay it forward."
"Pay it forward?"
"Yes. Instead of returning the kindness someone paid to you, spread it to others. It may not seem like it now, but there'll come a time when you can help someone else. Remember what's been done for you and do the same for them. Just think. If you did ten good deeds for others for every good deed done to you and then those ten people did the same, the world would be filled with goodness before you know it."
"The world isn't that good, Abuela," Yasuko said.
"No, but it's never too late to do your part to make it better."
This was doing a fine job of making Yasuko feel exceedingly guilty for making these people a target on her account.
Clutching at SeƱora Villalobos' sleeve, Yasuko said, "Listen, Abuela, if the people who're after me come here, don't lie for me, don't try to fight them. Maybe they'll be more interested in going after me and they won't give you any trouble. I can't guarantee that, though. These people..."
SeƱora Villalobos just smiled and hugged her.
"Don't you worry about us, Angelita. We knew what we were getting into when we agreed to take you in. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have gotten to see Carmen again. It was so hard for her when she lost Alonso and Angela. I was so relieved to see her back on her feet after all these years. I thank God for it."
Yasuko bit her tongue to keep from saying that she didn't see much to be thankful to God for. If it comforted SeƱora Villalobos, it was enough.
"I need to get going," Yasuko said.
"Can't we at least take you into town?"
"Thanks, but no. The less you're seen with me, the better."
"A girl your age shouldn't be carrying a load like this. You should be out dancing, flirting with boys, dreaming about your future."
"That's not me," Yasuko replied. "Never was."
"It should be. I wish you could find a place where you didn't have to run anymore, where you could be an ordinary girl."
"I don't think there is such a place."
"And that makes me sadder than you'll know. God be with you, Angelita."
"Goodbye, Abuela."
SeƱora Villalobos hugged her again and walked her to the door. SeƱor Villalobos was waiting there. They hadn't interacted much, but he still made a point to see her off.
"You goin'?" he asked.
"That's right, viejo."
SeƱor Villalobos grinned.
"Give 'em hell. I'm pretty sure you can do that even one-handed."
"CariƱo!" SeƱora Villalobos scolded him.
Yasuko returned his grin and said, "I'll see what I can do."
"Take care a' yourself out there."
"Yeah."
"Well, daylight's burnin'. Git if you're gonna git."
"I'ma gittin', viejo. An' thanks."
SeƱora Villalobos hugged Yasuko one more time before she went out the door. A few of the hands milling about out front waved to her as she went and after she'd gone a short way, she turned back to see SeƱor and SeƱora Villalobos standing there on the front porch. She gave them one final wave before continuing on. If God was out there and listening, she prayed thee people's kindness wouldn't seal their doom.