Chapter 1 – Coriander

(Rewritten)

Another wonderful day. The summer had just started. Matthew Daniels was sitting on a plane, flying to his parents’ house for the summer. They owned a big mansion in San Diego near the borderline with Mexico. His father Michael Daniels was a well-known senator. He was very loved by Mexicans as he hired many legal immigrants. Though Matthew was studying law, he also loved drawing. Matthew smiled at that. He was so happy to leave the apartment near Yale Law School, where he was studying.

“Would you like a drink sir?” the flight attendant asked, clearly flirting. She was a lovely brunette in her early twenties. Matthew was used to women doing that. He had to admit, he wasn’t the ugliest man on the planet and that attracted the other sex. The money he had, didn’t do bad either. Michael had been a successful businessman before becoming a senator so his children’s future was secured.

“No thank you, but I could use some coffee. Black, no sugar please,” Matthew smiled at the woman. Though he was very devoted in his studying, there was no point in ignoring the woman. In New Haven, he had dated a few women. Two to be exact, but they both didn’t last long. After all, they were only after his money and looks.

“Of course,” the woman smiled back.

Rest of the flight went quickly. The flight attendant kept flirting with Matthew and he kept smiling back. He also got a few hours sleep. Less than 6 hours later Matthew stepped into the house. It looked liked the place had been frozen for the last 9 months. Everything looked the same. Even the same flowers were in the vase. Tiger lilies, Matthew’s favorites.

The first one to see him was Margarita, their old maid. She had been working for them for as long as Matthew could remember. She was in her late sixties, but had the energy of a twenty year old.

“Matthew my boy! I’m so glad to see you!” she said with a Mexican accent.

“Margarita! You have no idea, how much I missed you,” Matthew smiled and dropped his bag before wrapping the older woman into a tight hug.

“You have to tell me everything that you did at school. Are you studying well? Did you eat properly? Are you glad to be back?”

“Yes. To all three.”

“Oh I’m so glad to hear that. I thought all you’d be eating would be that greasy takeout pizza and hamburgers. I’m telling you, that kind of food will kill you.”

“Margarita, I promise you, the only times I ate takeout was when I had to study all night and that happened only a few times. I like to keep my studying for the day. And the takeout was neither pizza nor hamburgers. It was Chinese or Mexican.”

“That’s good. I don’t want you to drive yourself into an early grave. You have to get married to a nice girl and have many beautiful children before dying,” she reminded him. Matthew chuckled. Whenever he met Margarita, she always said that.

“Matthew!” his father, Michael, called from the stairs making his presence known.

“Father! It’s good to see you!” Matthew greeted him as Michael came down and hugged his son.

“How was your flight? How have you been?” he inquired, when they separated.

“The flight went well. I have been well. The exams went very well.”

“That’s good, son. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you! Where’s mom?”

“She went to town to meet a friend. You can greet her, when she comes home,” Michael said.

“Okay,” Matthew replied and then sighed. “It’s good to be back.”

“It’s good to have you back.”

The men talked for a while. The last time when Matthew was home was last August. He’d seen his father and mother once after that, in December, when they visited him at Christmas.

“I would love to talk, but I’m a little tired from the trip so I’ll just go to my room. Call me, when mom gets home, okay?” Matthew said as he picked up his bag from the floor.

“Sure,” Michael agreed and quickly walked up the stairs, back to his study.

Matthew turned back to Margarita, who was still standing by the door. “You coming or do you have something you have to do?”

“Of course I’m coming! Need help with the bag?”

“Marga, I’m about 45 years younger than you, I’m sure I can manage,” Matthew smirked.

“Oh how silly of me, you have to be hungry,” Margarita realized as they were walking towards his room.

“In the matter of fact I am,” he replied, smiling at how caring the woman could be.

“What would you want?”

“I don’t know. What are you offering?” Matthew asked as they got to his room’s door.

“You have to taste Maria’s tacos. They are so good!”

“Maria?” Matthew repeated slowly and then asked frowning. “Who is she?”

“Oh of course you don’t know her! She’s my sister’s granddaughter. She came here from Mexico about 3 months ago. She’s works here as a maid, but she makes wonderful tacos.”

“She has papers?” Matthew inquired.

“Yes of course! Her mother died and my sister isn’t alive so I’m her only relative. She won a Green Card with lottery and came here,”

“Well then please ask Maria to make me a taco.”

“Of course honey,” Margarita smiled at him and left.

Matthew made his way into his room. He set his bag down near the wooden closet. The room was pretty big. Under the window sat a Mahogany wood table. He knew he had to do some work while he was here. Matthew was very grateful that his parents hadn’t let him design the room when he was little.

Suddenly Matthew’s brother Kyle walked into the room. He was the complete opposite of Matthew. While Matthew’s blond hair didn’t resemble Kyle’s dark brown one bit. Matthew’s eyes were piercing blue; Kyle’s were brown. Kyle liked casual wear; Matthew leaned to the formal side. While Matthew took his studying very seriously, Kyle took everything with ease. He was 25, about 3 years older than Matthew and went to a university in France. Kyle took advantage of his good looks and dated everything that moved while Matthew held back.

“Hey Matt! Didn’t know you were here already!” Kyle exclaimed as he hugged his brother.

“If you didn’t think I was here, why did you come into my room?” Matthew asked hugging Kyle back.

The older one laughed. “Good question.

“How are you? How was France?”

“I’m good. France was as always… nice. A friend of mine, Henrique, is coming to visit us in a week or two.”

“Ok,” Matthew replied nodding.

“So did you meet any chicks?” Kyle asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Kyle, I didn’t go to one of the best universities in the country to meet chicks. I went there to study and that was, what I did.” Okay that was a lie. As said before he had dated two women for a while, but Kyle didn’t need to know that.

“Come on dude! You must be the most boring person I’ve ever met,” Kyle groaned.

“Sorry to disappoint you-,” Matthew said, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Come in!”

The door slowly opened and revealed a young woman. She looked to be Mexican; her long brown hair was at least to her lower back and was made into a braid. She had the richest brown eyes, Matthew had ever seen and her slender figure was fit into the black and white maid uniform. Her facial features were delicate. Matthew was immediately captivated by her beauty.

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t want to disturb you, but Margarita said you asked for a taco, yes?” she asked with a very thick Mexican accent.

“Yes I did and you didn’t disturb anything. And you must be Maria?”

“Yes,” the woman nodded eagerly. She gave the plate to Matthew and he took a bit of the taco on it. It tasted very well.

“This is really good! You made this?” Matthew asked and Maria nodded. “What is in it?”

“Umm… tomato, lettuce, chicken, cheese and umm… cilantro?”

“Coriander?” Matthew asked and Maria nodded again. He had learned Spanish for 15 years, because almost everyone they hired was Mexican origin.

“Yes… coriander and a few other spices.”

“Well thank you. This is very good.”

“You’re welcome,” Maria smiled before she quietly left the room.

“Nice ass!” Kyle whistled and said as the door had closed.

“Kyle!” Matthew scolded. “You have to seriously stop acting like that.”

“What? It’s not like she can hear me. And she just a maid,” Kyle reasoned.

“She’s also a human and you don’t know that she can’t hear you. She may be standing behind the door at this exact moment. And it’s disgusting to hear you talk like that.” Matthew reasoned as he sat down on his bed and took another bite of his food.

“Yeah whatever… listen I’m gonna go. So see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, at dinner probably,” Matthew smiled and Kyle left the room. His thoughts went back to Maria. He wanted to know so much more about her. He needed to know so much more about her.

Where did she come from? Who were her friends? She seemed so mysterious. With these thoughts he lied down on the bed soon fell asleep.

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He didn’t know how much time had passed, when he suddenly woke up by a light knock on the door.

“Come in…” he said, his voice groggy from sleep.

The door opened and Maria quietly stepped in. “I’m sorry to disturb you, but sir Michael said that dinner is ready,” she said kindly.

“Thank you for informing me. Please tell him that I’ll be right there.”

“Certainly, sir,” Maria replied and turned to leave.

“Oh and Maria?”

“Yes sir?” she asked as she turned around to face Matthew again.

“One, you weren’t disturbing and two, you don’t have to call me sir. That’s my father. I’m Matthew. You can call me that.”

“Okay… Matthew,” Maria smiled shyly and left. Matthew smiled at himself. He already loved her smile. What was wrong with him! He met this woman only a few hours ago!

Matthew stood up and walked out of his room. He went to the dining room and saw that everyone except him was already there. He went and greeted his mother Eloise by hugging her.

“I missed you so much honey,” Eloise whispered softly as she wrapped her arms tightly around her son.

“I missed you to mom.”

“Why did you come so late?” she asked

“Sorry I fell asleep. The flight was tiring,” Matthew said as he sat down.

“I thought so. That’s why I sent Maria to get you,” his father replied.

“She’s Margarita’s sister’s granddaughter?” Matthew asked trying not to sound too interested.

“Yeah. She came from Alto Lucero de Gutiérrez Barrios about 3 months ago. Her mother died and her only living relative was. She was very lucky. She won the Green Card lottery and could come here to live with Margarita. She’s a maid here, but she also is a very good cook,” Michael said. He always knew everything about his workers.

“Yes, I know that. She made me a taco before I fell asleep.”

“She did, didn’t she? I’m telling you, one day that girl is going to make a wonderful wife to someone,” Michael mused.

“Lucky guy…” Kyle smirked.

“Kyle…” Eloise warned.

“What? I’m only telling that the guy will be lucky…”

That moment, Maria came in holding one plate with pasta on one hand while balancing another on her other hand. She smiled brightly having no idea that they had been talking about her.

“Here you go…” she said as she set the plate in front of Matthew and smiled shyly at him. Then she turned and set the other plate in front of Kyle, as they two were the only ones without food.

“Did you make this?” Matthew asked.

“Oh no no! I only make Mexican food,” Maria replied shaking her head.

“Oh, okay then,” he nodded and Maria left the dining room.

“When do you have to go back to New Haven?” Michael asked.

“In the middle of August.”

“And when are you going back to France?” He inquired his other son.

“Around the same time,” Kyle nodded.

“Oh good! Well I hope we can be together most of that time.”

After dinner Matthew decided to take a walk. He loved the land around the house. The plants, the trees, the air, the birds and the little pond were he used to swim, when he was little. He walked through the trees and flowers. Finally he could see the pond through the trees. But there was someone standing at the pond. He got closer and saw that it was Maria. She wasn’t wearing her uniform, but a long colorful skirt, a black top and a black scarf was around her. She was facing the water so she couldn’t see him, but he could see her. He could tell that she was about 5’5 and about 110 pounds if not less. She looked like she had been undernourished for a long time.

“Hey…” Matthew said making his presence known.

Maria turned around immediately, her skirt swirling around her legs. She looked frightened. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know anybody was here. Usually nobody comes here. I promise you that it’s not my working time...” Maria quickly began to explain.

“It’s okay Maria. I believe you,” Matthew said and smiled kindly.

“I know I’m not supposed to be here. I’m sorry. I’m just going to head back…” Maria rambled as she started to make her way past him.

“No wait! Don’t go…” he said as he gently grabbed her arm.

Maria thought for a second. “Why?” she asked bluntly.

Matthew tried to think of a good reason. “Tell me about yourself.”

Maria raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that would be very appropriate,” she said slowly.

“No please. I find it very fascinating. I would love to hear something about you. I, like my father, like to know more that a name about the people who work here. And since you work here and all…”

Maria seemed to think a little. “Okay then…”

“Why don’t we sit down,” Matthew offered and they sat down on the little bench at the pond. He sat himself on the edge of it so the girl could have her space if she wanted.

She did.

“Well I’m from Alto Lucero de Gutiérrez Barrios. I lived there with my mother, because my father left us, when I was 2,” Maria stopped, but Matthew motioned her to go on. “We weren’t the richest people. Some times we had one meal for the two of us. Life wasn’t great, but we managed to live. I had a good friend there, Teresa. After my mother…” at that point her voice cracked, but she composed herself quickly. “After my mother died, Teresa and I both tried the lottery. I got a Green Card, but she didn’t. At first I was certain that I wouldn’t leave, but she told me to go and never look back. So I did. I’m hoping that she will win next year so she could come here too.”

“I’m sorry about your mother Maria,” Matthew told her genuinely.

“It’s okay. It happened about 4 moths ago so I think it’s okay,” Maria smiled. She stared at Matthew for a long time. At last she took a deep breath and stood up. “I think I should go. Margarita is probably waiting for me,” Maria quickly said and ran away from the pond. Matthew stayed there for sometime before standing up and leaving.

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