When Consuelo came to get them for breakfast the next morning, she was genuinely concerned for their wellbeing. She hugged Maggie and asked how she was doing. Maggie said she was feeling as well as could be expected, under the circumstances. She then hugged Lisa. Lisa assured her that she could get through this.
Consuelo then related her own story. "I came here to work for Pedro because my brother owed him a debt he could not repay. Right after I started here, my brother came into my room late one night as I was about to go to bed. Without saying a word, he threw me onto the bed, ripped off my nightgown and raped me. He left without ever saying a word to me. I later overheard Pedro bragging to a colleague that he had ordered my brother to do that--and stipulated that he could never tell me that he had been forced to do it. He has not been the same since. I know it can be hard, but don't let an incident of forced sexual contact alter your special relationship." Maggie and Lisa both thought that was good advice.
After breakfast, Maggie and Consuelo were involved with preparing the ballroom for the party that would be held tomorrow. For Maggie, it was good to have something to keep herself occupied and keep her mind off the horrors she had endured. With nothing better to do, Lisa pitched in to help. The three women had lunch as they continued to work in the ballroom. By the end of the day, they were mostly done.
That evening, after dinner, Maggie and Lisa were alone in their room. Maggie had thought to get some stationary and pens when they were out shopping for party supplies. Using hand signals, she motioned for Lisa to join her in the common living area. With pen and paper, she wrote out the nature of what she had been told in the supermarket. People were coming for them. But, until then, they had to cooperate here. Like Maggie, Lisa was really unsure what to believe. But she certainly wanted to believe.
Without knocking, Pedro suddenly came into the room. Consuelo, not moving her gaze from the floor, followed along behind. "Lisa, why don't you go out to the pool or something? I want to be alone with your mother for a while," he said. This time Lisa gave no argument.
Sitting down next to Maggie, he continued, "Well, out daughter certainly seems to have adopted a better attitude. The spanking must have done some good." Putting his arm around her, he said, "The Commandante was very impressed with the job you and Lisa did last night. Tell me, was that the first sexual encounter you had with a woman?"
That question was offensive to Maggie on multiple levels, but she held her tongue. "Yes," was all she said.
"Well," Pedro resumed, "his account piqued my own interest. Consuelo has considerable experience in that field, don't you?" She still just looked at the floor. "It's the quiet ones you have to look out for. Trust me, she is a tiger in the sack. And I thought the two of you might perform for me."
