Free Renaldo by James McCreath

their less
    fortunate compatriots and were marched out of the plaza.
    Lonfranco marveled at the size of the homes as they wound their way
    through streets bustling with tradesmen, merchants, and well-to-do residents.
    Each estate was surrounded by a high wall or fence, often affording only a
    glimpse of the residence and grounds. The styles and architecture varied
    dramatically from lot to lot, Italianate beside French colonial, beside English-
    style tutor. Lush gardens and fountains could be seen in the front courtyards of
    many. Perhaps one day . . . Lonfranco thought to himself.
    Finally, the procession came to a halt in front of a large vacant lot on Calle
    Arenales. Tools were issued to the newcomers, and they were told to jump
    down into the excavated hole and take instructions from the line boss.
    Tucho Ortiz was not a man that Lonfranco would enjoy taking orders
    from, for his methods and his demeanor were as ugly as his face. The work was
    backbreaking and relentless, with only a half hour break for lunch. Each man
    was assigned an area to dig. If their progress was insufficient, Tucho’s baton,
    a larger version of Shaunaker’s, would come crashing down on his backside
    accompanied by a stream of invectives.
    Lonfranco made sure that he kept up a favorable pace, even though his
    hands were becoming swollen and blistered. He was able to make it through
    3
    JAMES McCREATH
    his first day without facing Tucho’s wrath, and to his delight, he was asked
    back for the next morning with a promise of long-term employment if he made
    it through his first week. He collected his pay and set out to find good work
    gloves and bandages with a noticeable spring in his step.
    Despite the severe condition of his hands, he completed his first week as
    a common laborer by keeping his mouth shut, his eyes and ears open, and his
    shovel constantly moving. Many of his co-workers were not as fortunate, often
    being physically expelled from the job site with harsh words or even a beating
    by Tucho and his underlings. The conditions were barely above slave labor, but
    there were always men anxious to take the place of anyone who fell into Tucho’s
    disfavor.
    They worked six days a week and rested on Sunday. Lonfranco had been
    asked by one of the married workers he had befriended to come for Sunday
    dinner, and he spent his most enjoyable evening to date in his new country at
    the small flat of Luigi Monza and his family.
    Monza had been an immigrant laborer for almost three years, since
    arriving from southern Italy. His wife worked as a seamstress, and with their
    combined income, they were able to maintain a modest lifestyle. They were a
    fountain of knowledge for young Lonfranco, outlining local customs and habits,
    as well as recommending where to get cheap food, clothing, and lodging. The
    boy had found a good friend in the older, more worldly Monza, and he began
    to feel more secure and at ease about fulfilling his father’s wishes than at any
    time since he had left Italy.
    By the start of his fourth week on the job site, his hands had become tough
    and callused, his back strong and tanned. The foundation of the mammoth
    home was being formed with concrete, and the work was proceeding at a frantic
    pace.
    Tucho was ever-present, but he never bothered Lonfranco. As a matter of
    fact, the boy became one of the crew’s most able workers, catching the eye of
    not only Shaunaker, but his peers as well.
    The home that they labored on was being built for one ‘General Figueroa
    San Marco,’ a hero of the Indian wars whose victories had opened up the rich
    agricultural hinterland known as the Pampas for settlement.
    General San Marco was by now the preeminent figure within both military
    and political circles in Buenos Aires. It was the ongoing use of his wide-ranging
    influence that allowed the current regime to stay in political power these last
    several years. Without support of a united military, no president had ever stayed
    in