How Tía Lola Saved the Summer by Julia Álvarez Read Free Book Online

wishes he had made more of a fuss about Essie staying behind with her father. But how was he supposed to know she’d be such a good ballplayer, making him and his teammates feel average?
    Next pitch is a fastball that should get a speeding ticket. Rudy has just pulled up in his pickup with Dean and Dean’s older brother, Owen, who’s helping coach the team. Rudy has been having a hard time recently keeping up with the kids. Must be getting old, or maybe he’s just too busy with the café to summon the extra steam. “Way to go!” he calls out to Essie.
    Víctor and Essie come over to say hello. One thing leads to another, and Rudy finds out that Víctor has been coaching his daughter’s team in the city. “Anytime you guys want to join us,” Rudy invites them, making Miguel’s self-confidence take another nosedive. But just as he thought, Víctor remembers his promise. “Thanks, but I know the team really has to stay focused, no distractions. And hey, we’re having a great time ourselves, isn’t that so, Essie?”
    But Essie has heard an offer she can’t refuse. What’s more, she herself never made a promise to stay out of Miguel’s way. “I know I can’t play or anything,” she tells Rudy, ignoring her father’s widening eyes, “but maybe I can come watch?”
    “Anytime,” Rudy says, not noticing the very slight shake of the head the girl’s father makes in Miguel’s direction.

    Maybe Miguel was distracted with the idea that Essie would wreck everything, or maybe he shouldn’t have left his good-luck sword back at the house. Not that he could have played ball while carting around a plastic sword almost as big as a bat. But maybe having the sword close by would have avoided what happened. Somehow, as he was winding up a pitch, he tripped and twisted his ankle.
    Víctor must have heard the yelps of pain and raced down, because he’s the one who carries Miguel off the field. After conferring with Rudy, Víctor decides Miguel should be seen in the emergency room to rule out a fracture.
    “Today is your lucky day,” the emergency-room doctor tells Miguel after peering at the X-ray on the lit-up panel. “There’s no evidence of a fracture. But you will need to stay off the foot for at least a week.”
    Víctor, who has been pacing the length of the narrow examining room, stops in his tracks. “A week!” he exclaims at the same exact time as Miguel.
    “Sorry, guys,” the doctor apologizes to both, as the man seems just as upset as the boy. “But you don’t want to hurt the ankle so you can’t play for the rest of the summer, now do you?”
    Miguel can’t stand it when adults ask such ridiculous questions. What’s he supposed to answer? Oh, yes, sir. I would very much like to hurt my ankle and not play baseball all summer. “But what if I take really, really good care of it for a day and it feels totally cured? Can I play then?”
    The doctor is shaking his head. “It’ll take more than a day, sorry.”
    “But there’s got to be something you can do,” Miguel pleads. He is ready to endure anything, even a whole bunch of needles or an operation, just as long as he can play ball by Saturday.
    “Listen, here,” the doctor says, growing a little testy. “My professional opinion is you need to rest it for a week. That’s all I can offer as a doctor. Short of that, I’d be dabbling in miracles.”
    Víctor and Miguel exchange a look. A lightbulb has gone on in both their heads. It just so happens they know someone who might be able to help Miguel get miraculously better right away.

    Back at the house, Mami and Tía Lola and the girls have all heard the news from Essie. Mami is so worried, she’s ready to drive to the hospital, but just then the van turns into the driveway. There is quite a fuss as Víctor carries Miguel up the front steps, Mami asking about fractures, the girls clutching their throats dramatically like Miguel’s some wounded soldier returning from the war.
    After