La Escuela

Beta’d by Maril with my gratitude.

Disclaimers: Characters are fireworks, the story mine

Rating PG

Synopsis: Tessa fights ignorance.

Señorita Maria Teresa Alvarado heard a noise in her father’s study. She had just recently come to grips with reality and was now comfortable in using the study herself. She knew that her father’s presence was a blessing and he was there to guide her. Cautiously she opened the door to the study, ready to jump back if need be.

"Consuelo, what are you doing in here? I thought you dusted yesterday."

"I beg your pardon, Doña Alvarado, I was admiring all the books in your library."

"Is there a book you would like to read? Any book you wish to read is at your disposal."

Consuelo started to blush in embarrassment and bowed her head.

"That is most gracious, Señorita but I cannot read or write." Tears seemed to well up in her eyes.

"Consuelo, this is 1820 and we are about the same age, why didn’t you learn in school?"

"You have been gone a long time Señorita. There were no schools for peasants. The children of the Dons went back to Spain or had special teachers brought here. I heard they finally opened a school two years ago in Los Angeles. I was not fortunate enough to go to Spain as you did. I, I am sorry Señorita, I spoke out of turn."

"Nonsense, I asked you a question and you answered. You were honest and forthright. Would you like to learn to read and write?"

"Si, but who would teach me? I cannot afford to go to a school."

"I will teach you. Let me work out the details. Now you had better go before Marta starts looking for you." She winked at Consuelo.

Tessa went to find Marta.

"Why so down in the mouth Tessita? Did someone die?"

"My pride and arrogance died a little just now."

"Oh, has Doctor Helm been here?" Marta replied with a smirk on her face.

"No! Marta really. I look at my workers and I see family. They look at me and see a Doña, a mistress of the hacienda. I did not realize or think that my workers cannot read or write."

"Why is that a surprise? Where would they learn, as there are no schools? The Dons send their children to Spain. Educate the peons and they will no longer accept their station in life."

"You read and write."

"Yes, I do now, but before I came to your home to work for your father, I didn’t. Your father taught me so I could teach you. I don’t like that look in your eye, Tessita. You are up to something. What are you planning?"

"Nothing Marta, yet."

On her next trip to town, Tessa went to church to see the Padre.

"Padre, awhile back you were taking up a collection to build a school."

"Si, Señorita, but I still don’t have enough. Are you considering a donation, nothing would be too small and any donation would be graciously accepted."

"In a way, Padre. I can’t afford money, but I can have my workers make the adobe and cut the roof beams on my property. Then they could build the school in a few days. I will need to talk to my head honcho to make sure that all can be done. I don’t want to make a promise that I am unable to keep, Padre."

"I understand my child, a commitment to God is not easily dismissed. Who would teach the students?"

"Padre, in the beginning I will help teach, but please until everything is settled, tell no one. Not a single soul."

"As you wish, Señorita. Now please kneel. Benedictat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater et Filio et Spiritus Sancte. Amen."

A nervous head honcho entered Tessa’s study. Hat in hand, he knew he was in trouble. He must have angered her somehow. No one had ever been called to the hacienda before and never into the study. He was about ready to unleash his bowels all over himself, when Tessa opened the door and walked in. He bowed to her."

"Pedro, please be at ease. I have asked you here to do me a favor. Something that will help all the people in Santa Helena especially the children."

Pedro started to breathe again.

"I would like you to gather what workers you need to make adobe bricks. Leave enough workers to do the regular jobs. I want to build two rooms say thirty feet long by forty feet wide and ten feet high."

"That will take a few weeks, Señorita. Are you planning on expanding the hacienda?"

"No, Pedro, I want to build one room behind the church as a school. The other room will be a hospital behind Doctor Helm’s office. How long would it take to have all the materials gathered then delivered at one time and built at one time?"

"Once everything is delivered, it would take about three days if we have enough men."

"If we have everything gathered, I think Hacienda de Alvarado could spare everyone for three days. We could make it a fiesta."

"Si, Si. We can do it." He straightened up proudly. "We will build the best school and hospital in all Alto California."

"Good, start gathering the materials. If anyone asks what you are doing, you may say that we are building an addition." With a devious grin. "Just don’t tell them where. We will build the school first. I want to build the school on May 24^th The feast day of Black Sarah, the patroness of gitanos, in honor of Marta. I especially want the hospital to be a surprise. Doctor Helm is planning a trip to Monterey in August. I want to start to build on the day he leaves."

"It will be done, Señorita."

Early in the morning on May 24^th, the feast day of Black Sarah, , several wagons full of adobe bricks arrived in Santa Helena. Several workers unloaded the wagons and then left for another load. Men and women prepared the ground and then the first blocks were laid. By the time the pueblo awoke, two rows of blocks had been laid when Colonel Montoya arrived.

"What is this? What is going on here?"

"We are building a school Colonel."

Montoya looked at a peasant girl with mud on her face, arms and hands. Her dress was splattered with mud. She wore a kabuska on her head.

"And who the hell are you?"

"Colonel, I am surprised at you. I am Maria Teresa Alvarado and these are my workers. Would you care to help chink the bricks?"

"Ah, thank you no. I prefer to manage."

"Well, then Colonel, perhaps, with your military experience and expertise, you could be the manager. Just think of what the Governor would say. Colonel Montoya, benevolent commander of the military garrison helped the building project of the third real school in Alta California. A feather in your hat."

"How could I refuse such a request. I accept, Señorita."

When the residents of the pueblo saw the Alvarado workers building the school, they joined in. Several Dons came up to Montoya.

"What is this Colonel, who is paying for this building? You are probably going to raise our taxes again just to gain favor in Monterey."

"My friends, you do me an injustice. None of this is coming out of your taxes, as a matter of fact all the labor, supplies; everything has been donated by one of your own. Señorita Alvarado asked her workers to build the bricks, cut the lumber and they volunteered to build this magnificent structure for the children. The citizens of this pueblo and even many of my own soldiers joined in once they saw what a group of people can do when they band together for a good cause. You can thank Señorita Alvarado yourself. There she is." Pointing out a mud spattered peasant girl.

Several of the Dons marched over to Tessa.

"How dare you Señorita, build this school without talking to us first?"

"Why Don Aguilar, would you and Don Ramirez, Don Ramon and the others have helped?"

"No, we would have talked you out of this ridiculous undertaking."

"Don Aguliar, you would have tried and wasted your breath. Why is this ridiculous? Look at what the people have done."

"You want the peons educated? They will end up destroying us."

"You will destroy yourself with that attitude."

"You don’t understand, you are only a woman. What would a woman know about the things men are concerned with?"

"You mean like having children being able to read and write? I read and write, your wives and daughters read and write. Somewhere, sometime, we were all peons. What gives you the right to say that the peasants are not able to read and enjoy the books that we enjoy? I resent that you would think that I, a woman educated in Spain am no more that a peasant to you. I am giving you notice here and now that I Maria Teresa Alvarado, the daughter of a don will continue to help the people of this pueblo. If you don’t like it, stay out of my way."

Her face was red with anger. She turned and ran into Doctor Helm.

"You have something to say Doctor? I would suggest that you keep your mouth shut and get out of my way."

She pushed past him. Doctor Helm was dumbfounded and speechless. He started clapping. Tessa whirled on him and then realized that the people had joined him. She looked around shame faced and lowered her head.

"Don’t be ashamed Señorita. You have shown that you are a truly a Doña. I salute you."

Tessa ran to him, grabbed his face in her muddy hands and kissed him long and hard which the populace clapped even louder. When she finished both Helm and Tessa were flushed and quite out of breath. She then turned and marched back to the school, head held high and as straight as any soldier and grabbed another bucket of chinking mud.

Pedro was wrong. He promised three days but the school building was finished in two days. Tessa walked up to Pedro as the last door was hung. She stood there a moment with chinking mud up to her elbows.

"Pedro you promised me three days to build the school but you did it in two. Therefore, Tomorrow we will have a fiesta for everyone.

True to her word, Tessa and Marta both started teaching anyone who wanted to learn, child or adult. They sent out word to all the people in the town and the haciendas. The Dons refused to allow their people to attend school not even the children.

The day the school was to open; there was a knock on the door. Tessa opened the door to find Consuelo in the doorway.

"Pardon Doña, may I attend school? The dons are refusing to allow their people to go to school."

"Consuelo, you may pass the word to all Alvarado workers and their families. They are all welcome to come, but not all at once, please. We will set up a schedule so that the work is done and all my workers can attend."

June and July went by slowly for Tessa. She was anxious to get started and all was ready. On August 3^rd, Doctor Helm boarded the stage for Monterey. An hour after he left, wagons loaded with adobe block rolled up and workers arrived to repeat the process they used in May.

"Another school, Señorita?"

"Not at all, Colonel, we are building a surprise for Doctor Helm. A hospital."

"Señorita, the work you are doing is an inspiration to us all. Too bad the Don’s do not have the civic pride you do. If you need anything, I am at your service." He bowed.

"Just keep Doctor Helm away from here for three days." She grinned.

A little while later, Vera stopped by.

"Tessa, my husband is sending workers to help you with the hospital. We were in town and saw Colonel Montoya. This is a wonderful surprise and will help everyone. Tessa, what you did at the school was fantastic."

"The building or the stand off with the Dons?"

"Yes those also but kissing Doctor Helm. If I were not married . . ."

"What about Captain Grisham?"

"That’s different, he is just a toy. If I were married to Doctor Helm, I wouldn’t need Captain Grisham."

"Vera! I am shocked! Doctor helm is just a a a" she blushed

"A gorgeous man?"

"Well he is not unattractive, but he doesn’t give me the time of day."

"So a little bribery, say in the form of a hospital will help?" she giggled.

"I was not alone in Spain, Vera. In fact I almost gave myself to Antonio before he went to war."

"Almost. That explains it. You want Doctor Helm in your bed. Don’t you?"

"VERA!!!!

"If you need some advice. You come see me." She turned and sashayed down the street.

Tessa blushed so much that she looked almost sunburned. \How did she know?\

"It’s written all over your face, Tessita."

"What, Marta?"

"Tessa, I heard what Vera said and she is right you know. It is written all over your face. The only one who can’t see it is him."

Marta turned away and grabbed another chinking bucket.

Four days later, Doctor Helm returned to Santa Helena. He walked to his house, knocking the trail dust from his clothes. He heard a noise as he entered.

"Who’s there?"

He threw his bag down and checked the main room, then his surgery. That left the back room. Throwing open the door, he saw nothing. He opened the back door to see if he could catch the intruder and walked into a thirty foot by forty-foot room with ten beds and Tessa Alvarado.

"Welcome to your new hospital, Doctor and I am your first patient."

"Who did this? This is fantastic."

Smugly Tessa got off the bed and faced him.

"I did. When my workers made the bricks and timbers for the school, I asked pedro to build for two rooms. Knowing you would be gone a few days, we waited patiently until you left. We started an hour later. Did you not see the sign over your door? It reads The Don Rafael Alvarado Memorial Hospital"

Helm stared into the eyes of the beautiful young woman who he always considered to be self centered and spoiled. Now he knew better. He picked up Tessa in his arms and twirled her around and kissed her, long and hard.

The End???

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