Protecting your family is every person’s basic instinct, it is why we would do everything to make sure the ones we love stay safe and out of harm’s way. — Unknown

A spirit of anxious anticipation hovered over Ramona. The minutes ticked by, and the end of Mrs. Aleric’s lunch break drew near. In a short time, she’d be sure to see the petition in her email, and Ramona’s imagination couldn’t stretch enough to imagine her taking the news in stride. The Alerics certainly weren’t known for their tolerance of opposition. 

Ramona’s thoughts oscillated between anxiety and intrigue. The girl Paloma who had been in her office minutes ago with her family… had to be the same one Gael had talked about many times over the weeks. A spirited girl with a petition and an agenda to stop the deforestation. It had to be her. 

Despite the weight in the back of her mind, Ramona found herself laughing to herself for a moment. It almost seemed comical how many times she and her folks had run into Paloma or her family at this point. If God didn’t have some plan for the Jaramillos to have some sort of partnership with Ramona and her family, he must have been having a field day making it seem so. 

Before she knew it, the door to her office swung open, and Mrs. Aleric stormed inside with a piece of paper in her hands. Her fingers curled like claws and crumpled the edges. With only a glance at the formatting of the words on the page, Ramona identified it as a print-out of the petition from earlier. 

Mrs. Aleric slapped the petition on Ramona’s desk and spun it around for her to read. “What do you know about this?” she demanded, stepping back with folded arms. 

Ramona pretended to read a few lines before shrugging with one shoulder. “This is the first I’m seeing of it.” she lied, “Some sort of appeal?” 

“You read it, didn’t you? This came from your email address, after all.” 

“Oh, of course. Whenever I see the header’s not addressed to me, I don’t read any further. I just forward it to you or whoever else it’s addressed to.” 

“That’s all fine and good, but I want you to read it now.” 

Sucking in a breath, Ramona read over the petition more thoroughly, feeling her boss’s gaze boring into her scalp all the while. One thing was for sure, though; Paloma’s entreaty balanced directness and respect perfectly, coming across as an earnest citizen rather than a disgruntled rebel. For Mrs. Aleric to take such offense was her fault, not Paloma’s. 

Finally, Ramona let her gaze climb Mrs. Aleric’s stout form until she met her eyes. She immediately regretted it but tried to convey nonchalance as a counter to the tension. 

“Well?” Mrs. Aleric demanded, “How’s it strike you?” 

“It’s…interesting.” 

“I need to hear more than that from you. Surely more comes to mind upon reading that than just ‘interesting’.” 

Ramona nibbled at her lip. “I don’t know what to make of it. These people seem to think you haven’t thought the deforestation and its impacts over thoroughly.” 

“Ridiculous, isn’t it? In our era of advanced medicine, these people dare to suggest primitive herbalists should halt the progress of society.” 

“It does seem a little backward, I guess. All the same, I understand where they’re coming from a little bit, maybe.” 

“How so?” the floor creaked when Mrs. Aleric shifted her weight from one foot to the other. 

“Well, if you’ve worked as an herbalist all your life, I can imagine having that job snatched out from under you would be frightful.” 

“That concern is still foolish. We’ll be creating hundreds, if not thousands of jobs to replace anything taken away.” 

“That’s true.” 

Mrs. Aleric snorted. She unfolded her arms and clomped around to Ramona’s side of the desk. With her palms, she smoothed out the creases she’d made in the paper by grabbing it so hard. 

“Your last name is Davenport, correct?” Mrs. Aleric asked. 

Ramona nodded. “It is.” 

Mrs. Aleric jabbed one of the signatures on the bottom half of the petition, one Ramona instantly recognized as belonging to her brother. Her shoulders tensed and her throat went dry, though she did her best to pretend nonchalance. 

“No relation?” Mrs. Aleric asked again, eyes probing deep. 

“No relation. I don’t think I even know a Gael.” 

“Interesting you can read that. All I can make out is the ‘Davenport’.” 

“Must be one of my hidden talents.” Ramona managed with bated breath, “I’ve always been able to make out people’s sloppy writing.” 

“I see. You’re sure you’ve never known a Gael?” 

“Pretty sure, yeah.” 

Mrs. Aleric produced a folded piece of paper from her blouse, unraveling it with a gravity that concerned Ramona. She spread it out on the table before Ramona, prompting her face to flush. Her extended identification document had been placed before her, including information on relatives, educational history, and anything important to know. And sure enough, Gael’s face appeared in the family tree, his name written over him clear as day. 

“Never known a Gael, is that right?” 

Ramona’s hands clutched her armrests on either side, whitening her knuckles. “I meant—” 

“I may not have made the same name for myself that my husband has, but you’d best not take me for a fool, Davenport.” Mrs. Aleric spat, face uncomfortably close to Ramona’s ear, “You’d do well to think twice before trying to trick me, because next time, I may not be in such a good mood.” 

“I’m sorry, Mrs.—” 

“I wasn’t done! You remember our little talk this morning, don’t you?” 

Ramona gulped. “About spying on the mayor of Newhill?” 

“See, you’re not a fool either. Yes, you had all your little reasons why you wouldn’t be up to the task, and how you’d have to quit if I forced your hand…in light of what I’m seeing on this petition here, it appears you have no choice.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“My husband is a very ambitious man, Ramona; you know this. You know he doesn’t take very kindly to people who get in his way.” 

“Naturally.” 

“Your brother’s a fool to involve himself in this movement to oppose my husband’s greatest project yet.” Mrs. Aleric paused. “But if you make yourself useful and do what you’re asked, maybe we can overlook his folly. How’s that sound? Your family gets off the hook, and we get a spy in turn.” 

“You have no right!” Ramona said, “All he’s done is ask us to reconsider. That can’t be so bad, can it?” 

“You’re adorable when you’re this naive. We Alerics are smarter than that; we know unfulfilled requests turn into resentment and rebellion over time. And we have no qualms about taking preemptive action. So unless you can convince me otherwise…” 

“So you’re saying if I agree to spy on Mr. Ortega, you’ll leave my family alone. Right?” 

“Right. If you want us to overlook your brother’s involvement in this affront to my husband’s authority, you might want to make it worth our while. Do we have a deal?” 

Ramona’s mind raced. Her heart pounded. On the one hand, she could hear her own voice echoing in her head when she’d promised her mother she’d quit rather than be used as a pawn by the government. But on the other, Mrs. Aleric’s thinly veiled threats against her family rung loud and clear. In essence, a choice had been laid out before her that was no choice. 

Shuddering from the gravity of it all, Ramona met Mrs. Aleric’s gaze. “Deal.” 

                     
                          ★★★★★

Dun Dun...

Did Ramona just make a deal with the Devil? 👀😢

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