LOS TRES GOLPES

Words: 1975

Los Tres Golpes

1.

The vacation was supposed to have been fun. Kate had been looking forward to the mangú. It was a traditional Dominican dish she had fallen in love with years ago, on her honeymoon, when first vacationing on the island. It was made of green plantains, eggs, fried cheese, fried salami, and onions sautéed in vinegar. It was also called los tres golpes, or “the three hits,” referring to the cheese, eggs, and salami. These were fatty foods, and it was a heavy dish to digest. She allowed herself to splurge when away from her regular life, knowing once she was back in Denver, she’d fall into her familiar routine of salads, lean chicken, and daily jogging. 

She had wanted to enjoy herself on this particular trip. Her husband, Tim, had been impossible, though. Ever since her son-in-law, Derek, and her daughter, Madeline, announced last Christmas that they were inviting Kate and Tim to the Caribbean, Tim had been agitated. It had been the first time Derek was able to afford to take his wife and their four children, as well as his in-laws, on any trip, and he was very proud of it. 

Kate had been used to Tim’s antics during her forty years of marriage, but this time she was annoyed. She had two years to go until retirement, and at sixty-three any vacation was much needed and any joy was welcome. Tim was grumpy from dawn till night. He was also rude towards Madeline and Derek, and all his grandchildren stayed out of his sight, wanting to laugh and play. Having been a professional baseball player – a national sports hero and an all-American shining star – Tim had lived his life with a false sense of grandeur and inflated self-importance. No one ever asked Kate what it had cost her to live with such an egomaniac for all those years and raise a family. She had never minded either; she had genuinely loved Tim. This time, however, was different. She was tired. She was looking forward to her retirement, wishing it’d be sooner than in two years, and the vacation was supposed to revive her. Finally, when powdering her nose in front of a mirror in their hotel room before dinner, Kate asked, “Tim! You’re poisoning this wonderful time for everyone. What’s going on?”

Tim sat on the bed and hung his head. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Kate’s stomach tightened in fear. She suspected this was more than just a bout of a bad mood. 

“Kate…” Tim started. 

“Yes?”

“I have to tell you something, and it’s the worst thing I’ve done of all the things you had to put up with.”

“What?”

He lifted his head. “You know I’ve always wanted to be a hero. I drove me to play sports and to be the best. I mean, not everyone becomes a professional sportsman. It takes guts. It takes work. It takes being the best.” 

“Would you just get to the point?” Kate asked. 

“I wanted to pay for all of our grandchildren to go to college. I wanted to be the hero again. Except, as usually happens to me, I failed.” 

“What did you do?”

“Kate… This is really not easy for me to say… I… I dipped into your retirement fund and invested it in what turned out to be a ponzi scheme. There is nothing left. The man is being charged with a sixteen-billion-dollar fraud, but that doesn’t mean we’ll even get a penny back.” 

Kate sat on the chair, frozen. No, it couldn’t be true. As much as he had disappointed her during their marriage, Tim wouldn’t steal from her. He was an egomaniac, an impossible person to live with sometimes, but he wasn’t a thief. She sat in her chair, the powder puff in her right hand and the compact in the left. Slowly, she got up and telephoned Madeline. 

“Maddy, I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well. We won’t be joining you for dinner tonight.” 

Kate hung up and went to take a long shower. She needed to think, but it felt as if her brain was frozen. She was in shock. She let the water flow over her for a long time, hoping it would revive her brain function. She knew the rest of the vacation wouldn’t be enjoyable. She needed to find some serious solutions. 

2.

As if it wasn’t enough to find out, after working all her life, that she now fell below the poverty line, Kate was hit a second time with news that knocked the breath out of her. It had been a nice day, and coming back home, she got the mail. She opened some letters on the kitchen counter. Then she opened a small envelope from her doctor’s office. Kate held the notice in her hand and pondered the malice of fate. It had been a few months since Tim told her he stole her whole retirement savings plan and lost it. She thought about it long and hard but didn’t say anything to Madeline for weeks, or her other two daughters, Mel and Freyja. Mel was her eldest and had always claimed her father had abused her when she, Kate, had not been looking. Kate had never believed it, but now she realized anything was possible. Filled with rage she was powerless to express, Kate had decided to leave Tim. It had been a hard decision because marriage was a sacred union to her. When she married Tim, she had thought it would be for life. She had resolved to leave him; yet now she held a notice in her hand saying Tim had been diagnosed with ear, nose, and throat cancer. Her brave decision went into remission. She knew she’d never leave him now. She picked up the phone and called the school board. She wanted to find out if her two-year contract as a gym teacher could be extended. 

3.

Getting up at dawn hit Kate the hardest. She had lived her life by the clock and had been looking forward to sleeping in and gardening during her retirement, but now, at seventy-five, she was still getting up before sunrise. That day, too, she slapped the snooze button on the old radio alarm clock she’d had since her early teaching days. She stared at the large, dark bedroom with high ceilings of her old, expensive house. She put her warm feet on a cold floor and sighed. The buzzer went off again. She turned it off this time. On the other side of the bed, her husband snored, unweakened as always. She was unsure what it would take to wake him up. He slept like a log; lay there like a dead piece of wood. She looked at him and despite her love for him made a fist. Her anger had remained, but so had her act to be the “perfect wife.” Suddenly, she grabbed her head, remembering something she was supposed to do. She went to the laptop on a side table. She looked at the information and contorted her face. Then she went to the shower and let the water run. The flow of water had always helped her think. 

            When she arrived at school, Kate went straight into the teachers’ lounge and found Mr. Campos. He was making coffee and asked if she’d like a cup. Nodding, Kate asked, “I have a girl in my class, Marty, who doesn’t want to participate in any exercise. I know you had her last year. Did she not enjoy sports?”

            “She loved sports. In fact, she won the hula hoop contest on the national level.”

            “Strange. She totally doesn’t want to take part in my class.” 

            “Maybe something happened?” Mr. Campos sipped his coffee and handed a mug to Kate. 

            “Like what?” Kate asked. “Do you know anything about her family?”

            “Actually…” Mr. Campos looked up, thinking. “Now that you mention it, her mother lost custody of her, and the judge ruled that Marty has to live with her father.” 

            “You think she could be getting abused?”

            “It would explain this sudden loss of interest in getting good marks or joining any activities.”

            “Yeah. I’ll arrange for her to talk to someone.”

            “Maybe… Chat with her first. You’re so good with the kids yourself, Kate.” 

            “Okay. Thanks, Michael. I’m good with other kids because I wasn’t so good with my own.” 

            “You’re too hard on yourself, Kate.” 

            “I’m not,” Kate admitted soberly and walked away, leaving the coffee untouched. 

That day Kate told Marty to stay after class. Marty agreed. Once everyone was gone, Kate asked, “Marty, is something bothering you?”

“No, Mrs. Dallas,” the girl answered. She looked scared. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you want to participate in my gym class? I heard you were good at hula hoop.” 

“I was, but now I’m…” 

“Yes?”

“I’m embarrassed. I gained so much weight.” 

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of, but if you ignore it, it will get worse. Look, I’m just a substitute teacher. Who is your homeroom teacher? Has she talked to you? Has she noticed?” 

“No, no one noticed anything. In fact, Miss Hampson laughed at me when I told her I can’t do gym because I have my period. It was just an excuse, but she didn’t catch on. She made fun of me in front of the whole class that my Spanish heritage is backwards and old-fashioned. She said that women now always play sports, even when they have their period. I couldn’t believe she wasn’t even curious why I said that, but just assumed I was backwards. All the kids laughed and bullied me after. I never talked to her again. She made it hell for me at this school, and school was my only escape from home. I’d never do that to a kid if I was a teacher. Never.” 

Kate was overwhelmed by the outpouring. Gently, she continued, “Marty, why did you gain weight? Why don’t you enjoy hula hoop now? What changed in a year?”

“I enjoyed hula hoop when I lived with my mom. I did all kinds of activities. She was a fun mom. She taught me a lot of stuff, and I felt safe. Now, I live with my dad. He’s not really interested in having fun. He just comes home and drinks, and then he doesn’t remember what he does.” 

“I will make you an appointment with the school therapist.” 

“I doubt it will help.”

“Why? Why don’t you try? Therapy can be great.”

“I know. I did it,” Marty answered. “I went to see two therapists. One told me she also fought with her father when she was thirteen, and the other smiled at me in this condescending way and asked me, ‘What do you want to fix, Marty? There is nothing to fix.’ I just rolled my eyes. Sometimes adults can be infuriating. Neither of them listened.” 

“So, what do you want to do, Marty?” 

Marty looked at her seriously and after a while she said, “Mrs. Dallas?”

“Yes?”

“You know how Drew Barrymore emancipated herself from both of her parents at fourteen? Would you help me do that?”

Kate smiled. “You’re a very brave girl, Marty. Yes, I will definitely help you do that. I used to know a great lawyer. I’m sure I can still call him.” 

Marty walked away, but just at the door she turned around and said, “Mrs. Dallas?”

“Yes, Marty?”

“I’m surrounded by teachers each day. No one noticed what you noticed. I’m not trying to be dramatic, and I won’t tell you the details, but if you had not been here today, I’d probably be dead within a year.” The girl walked out and closed the door. Kate stared at the door for a long time.