Elizabeth knocked on her daughter’s bedroom door.
Pilar opened it, her hair down around her shoulders but she was still dressed in her signature jeans and buttoned shirt.
“I don’t mean to disturb you, but I thought we should talk,” Elizabeth said.
Augustino, who had just taken off his boots, stood up and walked toward the women. “I’ll go wash up. Give you time to talk.”
He kissed his wife’s forehead and stepped past Elizabeth, still standing in the hallway.
Pilar moved aside and let her mother into the room, closing the door behind her.
Elizabeth sat on a chair by the window and waited for her daughter to join her there.
Elizabeth spoke first.
“I know my decision is not what you had wanted to hear,” she said, looking directly at her daughter, “but I think it will get us to where we want to be in the quickest way possible.”
Pilar pursed her lips. Elizabeth could tell her daughter was trying to choose her words with care.
“My preferences are not a secret, but you are the head of this family so I will support you with any decision you make.”
Elizabeth smiled and put her hand on top of her daughters.
“But Augustino and I have to make the best decision of our family too.”
Pilar stood and started to pace.
“I don’t want to leave the ranch, and I’m not going to, until the water is lapping at our back door.”
She sat back down and took her mother’s hand in hers. “But I want to support you too, momma. And so does Augustino. I know it hasn’t been easy running the ranch after poppa died. I was too small to understand at the time, but I understand it now. Being a woman and being a white woman… Well, I’m not sure I could have done it.”
She knew her strong-willed daughter could very well have done it, and more. But Elizabeth did not reply, she knew Pilar had more to say.
“So Augustino and the children are going to go with you to San Antonio and I will follow, when the water pushes me off our land.”
Pilar sat back in her chair. “But we will not stay long. A year, maybe two, just enough to get the herd started again, then we will come back to live on the Vargus farm.”
She leaned forward and rested her forearms on her knees. “Mexico is my home, momma. It has always been my home.”
“I appreciate your help, Pilar. It means a lot to me. But staying on the ranch.… It is not safe for you to be here by yourself. Many of the families in the valley have already moved. You would be quite alone.”
“I knew you’d say that, so I asked Enrique to stay with me. He doesn’t want to go either, so he jumped at the chance to be here a bit longer. And when Santiago heard that we were staying, he said he’d stay too. Maria is excited to live closer to such a large city, so she and their children will go with you.”
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to say – all three of her children alone on this large ranch. Well, at least they will have each other, she thought.
“You are all adults. You can do as you please.” She grasped her daughter’s hand again and squeezed. “But you won’t stay too long. I don’t want you to have to swim to safety,” she said, half in jest and half in seriousness.
Pilar put her hand on top of her mothers. “We won’t stay too long. You know how bad a swimmer Enrique is. He’d never make it out alone,” she said with a laugh.
The women stood and walked to the door, keeping hold of each other’s hand. They embraced for a good long minute when they got to the door.
“I love you Pilar Arroyo ______ de Vargus.”
“I love you too, momma.”
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