Following up on the previous post on wives tales,
Last night at 9:30, my neighbor Aron
Rings my bell and invites me over
For a ‘whiskey’ —
This usually means some of his boys
Are visiting, or some special event.
I am in my bare feet and tell him ‘momentito
Necesito mis zapatos to which he says
‘Shoes aren’t important, just come over.’
So I go get my shoes and some ice
Some seven up because I don’t like whiskey
And head over. Marta, his wife is there,
Along their daughter Anel & her husband Moises
Plus their two children & Ariel, their son.
Across the table is Anai, their other daughter
And the NEW boyfriend I have heard about.
Apparently Aron had asked me over
So that Julio (the boyfriend)
Could ask Aron & Marta
For Anai’s hand in marriage
In front of witnesses
And to get my permission as well
Since we are also family,
Which he stressed over and over again
To let Julio know that he had more to answer to
Than just Aron and Marta.
He was nervous, poor guy,
Aron was putting him on the spot
And having fun doing it.
Meantime, Anel & Moises,
Who already have two children,
Decide they will get married this year also.
There is discussion about doing it
On Marta’s birthday the end of July
Or Aron’s the 1st of October
And they decide on July
Then ask if I will be a Madrina at the wedding.
I tell Moises he must ask my permission
Before I’ll tell him if I will be a Madrina.
This makes everyone laugh,
Then he makes a very elegant little speech
Asking my permission for the hand of Anel
The sanctification of their lives together, etc.
All the while, I have heard stories
About being a Madrina,
Which are more related to children,
Being a god mother, responsible for things like
Education
Medical care
Helping or taking the children
If a parent dies,
Paying for weddings
And so forth.
So I’m a little nervous about saying yes
And ask specifically what this means.
No one can tell me exactly.
Except that it is something about
Being with the bride
In the wedding,
Nothing else.
Which I am not so sure of
But we’ll find out.
While this is going on,
And getting back to the old wives tales,
Marta brings out a plate of food
On top of which is one of those limes
Which is stuck with a bunch of cloves.
When I ask if it works,
She says ‘si, si, muy bien’
I ask her what this type of thing is called
These home remedies, to which
Anai and Anel both say ‘brujeria’
Or witchcraft.
It’s a mystery how it works, but it does.
Except I’m not so sure
Because immediately afterward
There is one pesty fly
That won’t leave the plate alone
And becomes the focus
Of a round of flyswatting by Ariel
Who is nine, and does it Karate style
Screaming ‘brujeria, brujeria!’
Nothing mysterious about it
That a good flyswatter can’t handle.
Marta says the plastic bags full of water
Hung in doorways, do not work
Just a waste of a good plastic bag
And a glass of water.