Inner Diva Read Online Free PDF

productive. Reading, writing.
A good student, that one. If she kept it up she’d have no trouble
getting through school. Not like him. His struggles through most
classes produced passing grades at the end of each semester, but
nothing stellar. He was more interested in las senoritas and making discoveries that had nothing to do with
a science lab.
    He glanced sideways and caught Luisa out of
the corner of his eye. She’d gone back to gripping a pencil, her
head down as she concentrated on the paper in front of her. That
woman was coming back tonight, to take Luisa out. Mama had approved
it, but he had a thing or two to say about it, too. He didn’t want
Monica Lampton forming a relationship with Luisa, pure and simple.
But his reason had little to do with Monica – not really – and
everything to do with him. He and Mama had argued about it several
times since Monica had entered their lives. To Carlos, it was so
clear, but he couldn’t get Mama to agree.
    They were so much alike – Monica and Angela –
at least on the surface. They had similar builds, similar hair.
They were both smart and accomplished women. Beautiful, fun-loving
women, easy to laugh. They both loved children.
    And they were both gringas.
    Not that he was prejudiced. He’d dated
non-Hispanics before. Angela was the first one he’d fallen in love
with. He’d never given his heart so completely as he had to Angela.
She’d accepted his ring and with it, his life-long responsibility
to Mama and Luisa. His happiness was without bounds.
    Until she announced that she was accepting a
promotion at work; one that would require her to move to the west
coast. “Come with me,” she begged.
    “I have to stay. My family is here,” he
replied, feeling his heart crushing inside.
    “Bring them. We’ll raise Luisa as our own.
We’ll have other children, too.”
    The temptation was intoxicating. He mulled it
over in silence for days. But he knew Papa would not have wanted
him to move Mama and Luisa across the country to start a new life.
And he couldn’t leave them.
    So, he’d told Angela no. She cried and
pleaded with him to reconsider. It about destroyed him to tell
Luisa Angela was leaving. They had become very close; attached in a
way little girls do with women they looked up to. He passed her
bedroom door for weeks after Angela left them, hearing sobs from
within.
    In order to forget the happiness he once
shared with Angela and his devastation at her departure, he threw
himself into his work and family responsibilities. He would never
allow harm to come to his family again. They’d had enough
heartbreak. Most of all, he’d protect Luisa from more loss if it
killed him. First, her papa, then Angela.
    Bastante – enough.
    Monica had done nothing wrong, but he didn’t
care. It wasn’t worth the risk. Mama hadn’t listened to reason when
he expressed his concerns. So, he couldn’t insist that Monica
leave. But he could make life difficult enough for her that she’d
leave of her own accord.
    He sighed and laid his head back on the
couch, his magazine forgotten. “Luisa?”
    The little girl lifted one index finger at
him and continued writing on her paper with the other hand. He
smirked and waited.
    “Yes?” She finished, shoved her paper in her
backpack and gave him her full attention.
    “Do you ever think about Angela?” He hated
bringing up a potentially painful topic, but he had to know where
her mind was and if she had noticed the similarities between Angela
and Monica.
    “Angela?” She said the name thoughtfully,
sampling it on her tongue as if it were a vague memory.
    He nodded.
    “Why? Have you heard from her?” He couldn’t
miss the excitement in her voice, which made him want to poke
himself for pulling the scab off her emotional wound.
    “No, no, hermanita . I just wonder if
you ever think about her anymore.”
    “Not really.” She shook her head and watched
him closely. “Why do you ask?”
    He paused. If he fed her too much