I know you shouldn`t have favorites, but for whatever reason, of all the girls at the convent, I have always been drawn to Cocco and Adelle. If I could, I would bring them back with me to the States and figure out a way to lead them to their own gold. They`re smart, beautiful, talented, and have zero chances here in Mexico.
They`ve lived at the convent for the past 8 years. After their mother died, their father couldn´t take care of them due to a long-standing engagement with the bottle. So he turned them over to the Catholic Church and they´re they´ve been ever since. And even though they`ve been taken care of, more or less, it`s not the same as living at home, having a mother, a normal life where you go out with friends and kiss boys every now and then. Instead of playing in the afternoons, they´ve read tomes on the Saints. Instead of dances on Saturday nights, it`s been mass early Sunday mornings. It would be nice for them to have had both.
I ran into them the other day. I was at the taco stand enjoying my tacos when there they were in front of me. After a happy round of hugs, we caught up a little. Adelle has just finished “prepa” (highschool) and is probably going to get married soon. I looked at her with her fashionable clothes and social intelligence and felt torn… what will make her happy? A good guy, a stable family of her own? or if she could go to school and succeed in fashion like she told me she would like to do two years ago?
I guess you don`t know. Life isn`t a rehearsal. It just is and sometimes, you have to make the best with what you got following the law of growth.
I wish that I could save the world, or at least a small part of it (these two girls). Like most people (Americans the privleged few), I choose to ignore it and assuage my conscious by being oblivious to the fact. Life sucks, the world sucks and the children suffer. I’m sorry I’m sitting here in my air-conditioned house (after two shots of tequlla) and feeling sorry about something I don’t do anything about. Thanks for being you Juanita!!
these girls are gorgeous. thanks for posting about them. it’s a good reminder of all that we have here, even when we complain about it not being right, or enough, or…
x
k