The Fierce Goddess of the Caribbean
Thaleia
Back in the mansion, the Gustavo twins sat in their large room. Sisel sat by the window staring out to see while Soledad sat on a comfy chair re-reading one of her favorite romances. The girls sat in quiet. A small sound of a melody came from the piano downstairs.
Soledad put her book down, “That boy,” she began, “with the little girl at the market. Wasn’t he one of our servants a long time ago.”
Sisel looked at her, “Was he? I didn’t notice.”
Her sister narrowed her eyes, “Don’t lie. You were the first one to notice. I saw it in your eyes. He was the boy that took your first kiss!”
Sisel glared at her, “Quiet down! Why does that matter now? He’s gone. What is he now? A fisherman? A butcher?”
“You loved him before,” she smiled at her discovery. “Maybe you should start writing love letters to him. ‘Dear, old-servant-who’s-name-I-don’t-recall, I love you. Please come back!’” She started laughing.
“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet? Anyway, his name is Ignacio, not old servant,” she turned back to the window.
“Why do you take things so seriously?” her sister sniggered. “It was so amazing. Seeing love in the eyes of such young people! I wish I had someone to love. You two have something so forbidden. It must be exciting.”
Sisel slowly turned to her sister, “How can that be exciting? Loving someone when you know is wrong feels terrible. Everyone telling you who to love just crushed you on the inside. Soon enough I’ll be married and then what? Ignacio will have to become a sad childhood memory. We could never be together.”
“Why don’t you try what mother and father did once? They ran off to Brazil and had children before the family realized them as true. Maybe that is your destiny too.”
“I don’t want to run away! What kind of life is that? Love is not something that makes you runaway and it’s not supposed to be wrong! If my destiny is not with Ignacio, then it’s not. Plain and simple.”
Soledad was about to say something to comfort her sister, but in came Thaleia. She sat on the bed the twin’s shared and looked around. Her expression made it clear that she had been thinking hard about something. As lucky as she was thought to be, she was unhappy with her fiancé. He was a well known judge in Florida. This is to say he was very rich and had everything in the world. Thaleia was thought to never know the feeling of wanting something she could not have, but how wrong everyone was. She had fallen into a trap that Sisel would soon fall into.
As quietly as their oldest sister had come inside, she left. The twins stared at each other. Only two weeks were left before the boat headed to the shores of Florida. Their oldest sister, their rock of stability, was soon to fall. When they saw her again ten years later, she was old and haggard, like she had too many children, even though, in truth, she had only three. In ten years she would have lost every source of her strength. Did nobody understand that family is the strongest foundation? When you rip a flower from the soil does it not die?
Soledad put her book down, “That boy,” she began, “with the little girl at the market. Wasn’t he one of our servants a long time ago.”
Sisel looked at her, “Was he? I didn’t notice.”
Her sister narrowed her eyes, “Don’t lie. You were the first one to notice. I saw it in your eyes. He was the boy that took your first kiss!”
Sisel glared at her, “Quiet down! Why does that matter now? He’s gone. What is he now? A fisherman? A butcher?”
“You loved him before,” she smiled at her discovery. “Maybe you should start writing love letters to him. ‘Dear, old-servant-who’s-name-I-don’t-recall, I love you. Please come back!’” She started laughing.
“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet? Anyway, his name is Ignacio, not old servant,” she turned back to the window.
“Why do you take things so seriously?” her sister sniggered. “It was so amazing. Seeing love in the eyes of such young people! I wish I had someone to love. You two have something so forbidden. It must be exciting.”
Sisel slowly turned to her sister, “How can that be exciting? Loving someone when you know is wrong feels terrible. Everyone telling you who to love just crushed you on the inside. Soon enough I’ll be married and then what? Ignacio will have to become a sad childhood memory. We could never be together.”
“Why don’t you try what mother and father did once? They ran off to Brazil and had children before the family realized them as true. Maybe that is your destiny too.”
“I don’t want to run away! What kind of life is that? Love is not something that makes you runaway and it’s not supposed to be wrong! If my destiny is not with Ignacio, then it’s not. Plain and simple.”
Soledad was about to say something to comfort her sister, but in came Thaleia. She sat on the bed the twin’s shared and looked around. Her expression made it clear that she had been thinking hard about something. As lucky as she was thought to be, she was unhappy with her fiancé. He was a well known judge in Florida. This is to say he was very rich and had everything in the world. Thaleia was thought to never know the feeling of wanting something she could not have, but how wrong everyone was. She had fallen into a trap that Sisel would soon fall into.
As quietly as their oldest sister had come inside, she left. The twins stared at each other. Only two weeks were left before the boat headed to the shores of Florida. Their oldest sister, their rock of stability, was soon to fall. When they saw her again ten years later, she was old and haggard, like she had too many children, even though, in truth, she had only three. In ten years she would have lost every source of her strength. Did nobody understand that family is the strongest foundation? When you rip a flower from the soil does it not die?