Goodbye Mexico

Part One

Luciana stood up as her train arrived, dizzy from intense nausea.

She was three months pregnant and on her own. Her wicked mother, Margeret, had kicked her out of the house, giving her a strike to the face and a train ticket as her present goodbye.

Somehow, the young girl managed to find the silver lining and was grateful this took place at breakfast, so she was on the streets before noon. Now, she would have a full day to find refuge before the wild night of Mexico City threatened her safety.

She waved goodbye to the little boy who had been keeping her company while selling his merchandise to passersby.

He gave her a warm smile, sensing her sadness, and offered her a sunflower from the basket by his feet.

Tears filled her eyes and she accepted the flower, nodding her thanks. Her throat was so full of emotion that she could not speak. After such a harsh turn of events, his kindness felt like a blessing.

Quickly, she entered the train before it took off. She wish she could have given him some money and felt a pang of regret fill her heart.

All she had to her name was $37 and some change.

The years of living with her horrible mother prevented her from working like her peers. It was already 1970, and at 19, it was normal to begin working and eventually leave home, but her mother had forced her to care for her six siblings as an unpaid nanny. The money Luciana had was from her younger brother, Chancho.

Chancho was their mother’s favorite, but this did not please him. In fact, it made him sad and his character remained thoughtful and quiet, always observing his surroundings. He began to notice that his older sister was not allowed to work.

Secretly, he began to share his wages with her. He could only share so much, as his mother helped him to manage his money. He would tell her that he bought a soda for his friend on his way home, or that he gave an extra tithe at church while she was not looking. She never asked any questions.

Luciana smiled as she thought of her little brother and took out her rosary to say a silent prayer for him and her other siblings.

They will be okay without me…she thought.

The truth of this was bittersweet. They were never afraid of Margaret because Luciana was the only one she hated. Deep down, Luciana knew why but she just couldn’t understand why she was blamed for it.

She thought back to the times her Tia, Miranda, would visit. The air would grow tense, and her mother would always act out after she left to go back home.

It wasn’t until Luciana 13 years old that she began to notice the relationship between her Tia and her father. They were very close, and everyone in the family saw it as normal because they were brother and sister, but Luciana soon found out that Tia Miranda was actually her real mother.

Her grandmother confessed this to her after a night of heavy drinking, while they were relaxing on the patio during a family reunion. But they were a very high-status family, and such an affair could ruin their name. So they forced Antonio and Miranda to keep their affair a secret and end it immediately. Margaret would raise the child as her own and their marriage would continue.

After Luciana discovered the tragic truth of her mother’s past, she tried to be kind and forgiving. But the woman was so enveloped in the trenches of hate and envy, that the young girl’s love only made her more vicious.

In a way, this train ticket and baby were her chance at freedom. With only $37, she never would have made the leap to leave her toxic home, and here she was, on her way to start a new life. She had thought for a moment of seeking help from her family, but she knew it would not work. Margaret would interfere, or her grandparents would force her to marry someone of their choosing. This happened to one of her cousins and they married her to a rich, affluent man. But behind closed doors he was mean and insensitive, her cousin had confided to her. This was not the life Luciana wanted for her or her baby.

The train was headed north, where she would find refuge at the Divine Providence Catholic Church in Tijuana. Her substitute teacher, Senora Yessi, had felt compassion for the young student and saw how lonely and lost she was. She told her that she was to leave the city soon to teach at a school nearby that church and to come and find her there on Sunday if she ever needed help.

Three years later, Luciana was crossing her fingers that Senora Yessi would still be there.

~

Look out for Part Two - coming this week!

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