Free Island of the Sun by Matthew J. Kirby

bowl.
    â€œPork bones simmered with chilies,” Luke said. “Thickened with stale bread. It’s normally a breakfast food, but I’ll take it.”
    â€œMe too,” Betty said. “My aunt Celia cooked migas.”
    Eleanor dipped her own spoon into the soup, blew on it gently, and then tasted it. “Oh, that’s good,” she said. The broth was dark and rich and thick with chunks of bread, but it was quite spicy, too. Eleanor used the edge of her spoon to scrape a shred of tender meat from the bone, and it fell apart in her mouth. She almost couldn’t believe how good it was, but then, she hadn’t had a home-cooked meal since Phoenix. That thought made her miss Uncle Jack’s cooking. He would’ve loved this stew.
    Arturo’s mother stood away from them, hands clasped at her waist, watching them eat with a look of expectant worry.
    â€œYou like it?” Arturo asked.
    Luke nodded. “Heaven.”
    â€œBetter than when my aunt made it,” Betty said.
    â€œDelicious,” Eleanor said.
    â€œPlease thank her for us,” Eleanor’s mom said, going through the motions of eating without seeming to actually put any food in her mouth.
    Arturo translated, and his mother beamed.
    Eleanor felt a bit embarrassed by her own mom, and frustrated, too. Aside from basic manners, they needed help from these people, who seemed very kind. Couldn’t her mom suck it up for once and just eat something different? But Arturo’s mother didn’t seem to notice. After she passed a few moments hanging back by the stove, she came around to the front of the table and stood there, still wringing her hands.
    â€œLucas?” she said. “¿Cómo está mi hijo?”
    â€œWhat did she ask?” Eleanor said.
    â€œShe wants to know about Felipe,” Luke said.

CHAPTER
6
    L UKE REACHED INTO HIS POCKET AND PULLED OUT THE cell phone he had brought with him from the plane. Here at the table, Eleanor could see it was an older phone, one of the cheap burners you could buy at a grocery store. Luke checked his watch, nodded, and after punching in a number, held the phone to his ear.
    A moment passed in which Arturo and his mother both stepped closer.
    â€œIt’s me,” Luke said into the phone. “Yeah, we made it. Uh-huh, they’re right here.” Pause. “No. Least I could do. Hang on a sec.” Luke turned toward Arturo’s mother and held out the phone toward her. “Felipe,” he said.
    Arturo’s mother took the cell like a sacred offering, brought it to her ear, and whispered, “¿Hijo?” In the next moment her expression opened with a wide-eyed smile that quickly turned to laughter and tears. “Oh, hijo mío, es tan maravilloso escuchar tu voz!” A pause. “¿Qué?” She pressed the cell to her ear with both hands and left the kitchen.
    Arturo gave Luke a slow, deliberate nod. “Thank you, amigo,” he said before following after his mother. Their conversation could be heard in the next room, and though it was in a language Eleanor didn’t understand, she could hear the joy and relief it contained.
    â€œSo what was that all about?” Eleanor’s mom asked.
    â€œYou probably noticed the computer setup in the next room,” Luke said. “You can buy anything in Tepito, much of it pirated or counterfeit. Felipe sold some, uh, merchandise that got him into trouble on all sides. So he had to leave, and landed in Alaska. I just wanted his family to know he was safe. Been carrying that burner phone for a while in case I ever had the chance to find them.”
    â€œThat’s good of you, Fournier,” Betty said.
    Luke shrugged and dove back into his soup. “Ain’t hardly a thing. I’m about to ask a much bigger favor of them.”
    â€œSomehow, I don’t think they’ll mind,” Eleanorsaid, remembering how Felipe had helped her, and how glad she