Night at the Fiestas

Margaret and Harold Noyes have just purchased a house outside of Santa Fe that is to be their retirement home, but Harold is still finishing up work at his legal practice, so Margaret initially makes the move alone, driving out to New Mexico with her dog Daisy. She relishes the solitude and immediately begins exploring the area. She decides that she would like help with cleaning the home, so she hires a local woman named Carmen to be her housekeeper. One morning, Carmen shows up with a bucket of cleaning supplies, and Margaret lets her in, offering tea and cookies before Carmen begins work. She cannot help but notice that Carmen has a long, jagged scar on her neck. The two women talk, and Margaret asks Carmen to teach her Spanish. Carmen explains that she does not actually speak Spanish, and Margaret is mortified by her own ignorant faux pas. However, Carmen is gracious, and Margaret is sure that they will get along. Carmen has a 25-year-old son and a young granddaughter. Margaret is surprised that Carmen, who appears to be in her early 40s, is old enough to be a grandmother.

Margaret is an artist, and her current work-in-progress is a painting called “Canute Commands the Tides.” It depicts a fabled Danish king who ordered his throne brought to the beach in a vain attempt to command the tides. Although his story famously ended in disaster when the tides swept his throne away),Margaret cannot help but feel moved by his story. As someone who has always felt a lack of direction and motivation, she is inspired by the thought of an elderly man who seizes life by the throat rather than letting himself be led toward death. She hopes to paint more now that she is retired; in the past, she has had various shows and has never struggled to sell her work.

Carmen comes to clean the home every day, and Margaret spends most of her mornings with the housekeeper. The two women get to know each other, and Carmen tells Margaret about her troubled son, Ruben, whom she supports despite his alcohol addiction and his issues with responsibility and parenting. She admits that her daughter, Vivian, thinks that she should cut Ruben off. Margaret agrees with this sentiment, but Carmen explains that Ruben is her “baby” and that she feels duty-bound to help him.

As time goes on, Margaret tries to work on her painting and spends more time in Santa Fe. She is moved by the city’s art scene, but she wishes that the area were not so full of tourists. She tries to incorporate a desert motif into her work but is displeased with the results. Carmen continues to come to the house most mornings, but one day, she fails to arrive at the appointed hour. She does arrive later in the day with her granddaughter Autumn in tow, explaining that her son Ruben has her car and was supposed to be back in time to return it to her. Margaret gives Autumn some art supplies and enjoys watching the little girl draw. When Ruben has not called by dinnertime, Margaret suggests that the two stay for a sleepover. They dance, watch television, and the adults drink wine. At 11 p.m., Ruben finally shows up. He is furious and accuses his mother of having kidnapped his daughter. Margaret is terrified to see that he is carrying a gun. He screams at his mother again and discharges the firearm into the ceiling. When Margaret tries to tell him to leave, Ruben screams at her, but so does Carmen. Carmen does not appreciate Margaret trying to tell Ruben what to do. After Ruben throws Carmen’s dog Daisy at the window, Margaret picks up the stunned creature and flees. Once outside, she looks inside to see that Carmen is cradling Ruben’s head in her lap.