No Second Chances Read Online Free Page A

smiled, snuggling deeper into the cushions of the couch. No woman could resist him when he asked nicely. It was one of his gifts. Santiago was surprised by how soft and comfortable the plastic-covered sofa was after a couple of hours of body heatpressed up against it. He wondered if he could find a way to bring custom-made plastic furniture covers back in style.
    Suddenly, icy cold water splashed all over him. The shock made him leap up. Abuelita Alpha smiled. Her loose silver curls, pale wrinkly face, and oversized black clothes gave her an ominous appearance. The crazy lady had poured water all over her plastic-covered couch, converting his bed into a pool.
    â€œMira , Frank,” Alpha said in a triumphant voice over her shoulder. “I told you I’d get that lazy boy up.” She grinned at Santiago like she’d beat him in an arm-wrestling competition.
    He raised his arms in a surrendering gesture. “All right! You win. I’m up.”
    â€œDon’t make me do this again,” Alpha said, reaching up and pinching him on the cheek. Santiago winced. Her fingers were cold but strong. “Frank is heading out back to milk the goats.”
    Santiago scooped up his red cotton T-shirt and denim jeans off the floor and hurried into the bathroom. A few minutes later, he was outside and ready to begin his brand-new business venture.
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    Grandpa Frank owned two houses. One was in town and the other, his ranch, consisted of several acres of land right outside the Dos Rios town limits. Only two acres were in production, the rest he left for the goats to run wild. When Santiago was small, he liked to come out to the ranch because Grandpa Frank would let him ride his donkey and hunt squirrels and quail out in the brush with his cousins. Other kids had their dads to take them camping and fishing. Santiago had Grandpa Frank.
    The early morning air was warm and delightful. Santiago took a moment to scan the horizon. A shower of golden light from the morning sun illuminated everything in itspath: the orchards, the berry bushes, and the rows of vegetable crops. He noticed lots of weeds all over the place. Grandpa Frank used to give him a quarter for every cluster of the thorny buffalo-bur he uprooted. It was a good deal for Santiago, until his cousins (his subcontracted labor force) protested getting paid five cents a bush and went directly to Grandpa Frank to cut him out of the deal. Santiago smiled at the memory.
    A whining goat called out to Santiago. He turned and saw Grandpa Frank struggling with two pails of goat milk. Santiago rushed over and took the heavy buckets from the old man.
    Grandpa Frank smiled. “Did she get you?” he asked, trying to stifle a chuckle. Santiago shivered at the memory of the bucket shower and Grandpa Frank laughed. “She would do that to me, too, you know? At first I thought to myself, híjole what did I marry?” He smiled brightly for a beat and then shrugged. “But if you marry a country girl, you learn to get upbefore her to avoid her temper.” Grandpa Frank gestured toward the house. “Go set these on the kitchen table. Maybe she’ll make us some fresh cheese.” He winked.
    When Santiago returned, Frank was feeding the chickens. The two then went on a tour of the ranch. Santiago followed Grandpa Frank down a row of leafy greens, carrots, cabbage, and celery. He listened to the list of chores for the day. There were weeds that needed to be cleared, the hen coop had to be refitted with new chicken wire, and there were tons of pests to trap, squish, and remove. Santiago’s eyes glazed over as Grandpa Frank went on and on. He wondered if he’d bitten off more than he could chew.
    It was past ten o’clock when Santiago started on weed patrol. With a garden fork and a rusty wheelbarrow he dug out the prickly burs and bindweeds that threatened to overtake the garden beds. Grandpa Frank complained about the sun and found a shadytree