A teaser chapter from A Mother's Heart
1870 Atotonilco El Alto
Chapter Four
Luisita watched as her mother held her baby brother. The baby boy had been christened and there was a great fiesta. Her mother seemed so happy. She was only four years old, but she felt deeply. She didn’t feel anything but fear and tension when she was near her mother. Her feelings for her father were always happy and content. She listened intensely to everything he said. To her, Epigmenio de la Pena was her life. He was everything in the world.
Luisita was dressed in her finery for the fiesta. She wore a special yellow satin dress embroidered with fine stitches and tiny gemstones as part of the floral design. She sparkled with every movement when she walked in the sun. Her father clapped in delight when he watched her walk across the patio to him.
“My sunshine princess,” Epigmenio laughed scooping her into his arms. “You grow more beautiful with every year.”
“Don Epigmenio, you will be fending off many suitors for the hand of this lovely child,” Leonardo taunted with good humor. He stroked Luisita’s cheek.
Luisita shrank from his touch and curled into her father.
“Ah, the princess shows her royalty. She cannot be touched by a commoner,” Leonardo laughed. “Many suitors, but only one prince.”
“My Luisita is precious. She is ‘Princess de la Pena’,” Epigmenio bragged. “The noble de la Pena blood is strong in her veins.”
“And now you have a son and heir,” Leonardo added. “How lucky you are.”
“I am,” Epigmenio agreed happily. “I have known great happiness and so I celebrate with fiesta.”
“It is said your peons call you the greatest Don in all of Jalisco,” Leonardo stated factually drink his brandy.
“My peons take care of my family and I take care of them,” Epigmenio replied in a serious tone. “It is more important than ever to work hard together.”
“Si, with Presidente Juarez alienating all of Europe. Our markets have been lost. It is a hard time for merchants. My own business is suffering.”
“Do not forget the banditos,” Rafael added. “It is nearly impossible to take goods to market at Guadalajara without banditos stealing it.”
“Those Indians, the scum of Juarez’s army,” Leonardo concurred. “They are the scourge of Mexico and will be the downfall of Juarez.”
“This is not a subject to discuss in the presence of my princess,” Epigmenio retorted. “The soldiers of a war are without work. They have no income. They do what they must to survive since the government offers them nothing but war.”
Luisita did not understand the entire conversation. She picked up words and created thoughts. Indians were banditos. They robbed people. “Papacita, what is war?”
“I told you this is not the conversation to hold in front of my princess,” Epigmenio reprimanded his two friends. “Do not worry your beautiful young mind.”
“But Papacita, I want to know what is this word, war!” Luisita persisted.
Epigmenio could deny his daughter nothing. He also believed in offering his daughter facts, as he knew them for any of her questions. “War is a man thing. It is for power. Power is whatever a man decides at the time. It might be coin, or silver, or title. Unfortunately it is the poor men that suffer most. Be happy that you are born to hacenderos. Let us all be happy and celebrate the christening of my son.” He proclaimed changing the solemn subject of the conversation.
Epigmenio ordered the mariachis to play and sing. He took Luisita to the dance area. He spun his daughter in dance and her dress sparkled with rainbow colors.
“Husband,” Luisa Navarro called from the crowd. “Do not tire our Luisita. She gets sick so easily.”
“Of course, Mamacita,” Epigmenio answered obeying his wife’s command. He stopped dancing and called for the de la Pena nurse. “Take my princess. She should be taking her nap.”
Luisita obediently took the nurse’s hand and was led away. Her happy mood faded quickly. She was having so much fun.
“What is that sad face?” the nurse asked. “You are sad to leave the fiesta. I know this, but your Mamacita loves you very much. You are special to her and she does not want you to tire and become ill.”
“I am special to Papacita,” Luisita pouted. “We were having fun. Mamacita doesn’t like fun.”
“No, no!” the nurse countered. “Dona Luisa is only thinking of your health.”
“Mamacita never laughs and dances,” Luisita countered.
“Your Mamacita could not dance while holding your baby brother in her belly. She cannot dance now while she heals,” the nurse informed. “Your Mamacita loves to dance.”
“Her face is stern,” Luisita countered mimicking her mother’s face.
“Stop that right now,” the nurse ordered. “Your Mamacita loves you. It is a sin to dishonor your Mamacita. God will hear you and punish you.”
Although Luisita was still so young, she attended mass with her parents, prayed with her mother in the de la Pena hacienda chapel, was learning the rosary, and understood the warnings of God’s punishments. “I did not mean to dishonor my Mamacita.”
“Of course you didn’t,” the nurse agreed quietly. She helped Luisita remove her dress, smoothed her silk chemise, and tucked her into her bed.
Luisita closed her eyes and realized she was tired. The soft feather mattress with fresh smelling linen sheets lulled her into a restful sleep. Under the silk coverlet she dreamed of grand fiestas.
Epigmenio took time away from the fiesta to check on his daughter. The nurse was still in Luisita’s room since the de la Pena family had come to visit for the christening and the new baby boy was with them and Luisa.
“She is resting comfortably,” the nurse assured the Patron.
“She is lovely beyond words. I worry for her. When I leave for business and come back she is ill and weak,” Epigmenio noted.
“And when you return she recovers,” the nurse concurred. It was something the nurse had dealt with since Luisita was born. “I think maybe you might begin to take your daughter with you on your business trips and inspections. The travel and fresh air might do her more good than pining for her Papacita to return.”
“You think she gets ill because of my absence?” Epigmenio questioned with interest.
“Si.”
“Then I shall start taking my Luisita on inspections,” Epigmenio decreed. “I will take the carriage instead of Militar and there will be more guards.”
“The safer you will be from banditos if you take more guards,” the nurse stated.
“Not too many,” Epigmenio responded. “Then the banditos think you are protecting great wealth. Just enough to protect my princess.”
In the cool autumn months Epigmenio took Luisita with him on the first of her trips with her father. He used a large closed carriage pulled by six matched dapple-gray Andalusia horses. These were the finest of his breeding stables. It was the de la Pena family stables that provided these horses for the Independence Day Bull fights. The picadors preferred the de la Pena Andalusia.
Luisita, although still quite young, understood many things about her family’s name and reputation. She knew their name was highly respected and her ancestors were nobility from Spain. She was descended from noble blood inherited from both her mother and father. Luisita considered when her father referred to her as princess; it was because she really was one. Everyone knew that princesses were special and above everyone else. She had been taught to keep her body straight, shoulders back, and head straight. Luisita believed she was the image of a princess.
Epigmenio lifted Luisita to place her on the carriage seat. “Today we will not go far. We will visit your Abuela. You will like that, no? I will also stop along the way to visit with our peons. It is time you meet those who work for us.”
“Si, Papa,” Luisita remarked tampering her excitement. A princess must not show too much exuberance. A princess is to be refined and austere. “Is Abuela expecting us?”
“Abuela is expecting me. I visit on a regular basis. The surprise will be you, my princess,” Epigmenio responded entering the carriage. He took his seat next to Luisita. Manuela, a servant, was sitting across from them.
Manuela was selected to act as temporary nurse because the de la Pena nurse was needed for the new son born recently to the family.
Epigmenio made several stops on the way to his family’s hacienda. He talked with many of the peons to discuss the fields, the crops, their family, their home, and simply how they were doing.
The peons responded in the same warmth Epigmenio offered them. They all waved to Luisita sitting in the carriage and looking out of the window. The peons greeted her and offered her compliments and blessings.
Luisita was convinced she was acting correctly. After all, the peons were Indians. They were beneath her Spanish blood and nobility. She acted like the nobility. Luisita would nod her head in acknowledgement and look away. A peon was simply not in the same standard as she was. It never occurred to her how her father acted with them, or why. No one ever told her to act differently.
The carriage pulled into Epigmenio family’s hacienda late afternoon. His mother greeted them when then stepped onto the patio.
“Welcome home, Epigmenio,” she greeted warmly holding her arms open for her son. She spotted Luisita. “And what is this? My darling Luisita has come visiting us with her Papacita?” Abuela hugged her son, kissed him on the cheeks. She then took Luisita in her arms and hugged her. She kissed Luisita on the cheeks and started chattering to Luisita about all the wonderful things they would do together on her visit.
To Luisita’s happiness, her grandmother did all the things she had talked about. Every day was full of activity. Her week visit with her father at her grandmother’s house went by far too quickly.
On the way back home the guard suddenly appeared at the carriage window. “Patron, we have seen the dust of horses on the side of the hill. We believe we are being followed by banditos. I suggest we try to outrun them.” The guard pulled out his pistol.
“Put your pistol back,” Epigmenio ordered firmly. “If you live by the sword, you will die from it. We are in no danger yet. The banditos are usually not bad men. They are soldiers that have no money or work. Do not speed up. If we act to defend ourselves, we will be attacked. Remain calm, keep your pistol holstered and allow me to deal with these men.”
“I think it is foolhardy, patron,” the guard replied. “Still I obey your orders.”
Four men did ride hard over the hillside. They expected the carriage to break out in an open run for them to chase down. To their surprise the carriage horses kept up the casual gait. When they were near to the carriage they shouted and pulled their pistols. Again they were surprised. The guards did not pull out their pistols. There was no gun battle. Then the carriage stopped. One of the guards dismounted and a handsome richly dressed man stepped from the carriage.
“Greetings,” Epigmenio said politely. “You have called for us to stop the carriage. Are you in need of our assistance?”
A distinguished looking Indian rode his horse closer. “Si, we wish you to assist us with your money, hacendero.”
The other three men laughed at their leader’s humor.
“I am willing to help with this. If you need this money so badly to ask for it, I will give it to you gladly,” Epigmenio answered. He unbuttoned his jacket and reached to a pocket inside that held his wallet. He handed the wallet to the bandito. “Take all that you need.”
The Indian took the wallet, opened it, and pulled out many bills. “This is a lot of peso. What if I need all of it?” The Indian expected an argument. He didn’t get one.
“If you are in such a need, then do take it all,” Epigmenio stated calmly.
“Do you have more money on you? I may need more,” the Indian asked.
“This is all I have,” Epigmenio answered. The truth was there was a hidden drawer in the carriage where he kept even more bills should he need it along his route. He often gave his peons money as needed for repairs or other needs. When the guard had warned him of the impending robbery he pulled more bills from the drawer. He had spent most of the money in his wallet before the visit to his mother when he had given many of his peons some extra money. He also spent a lot of money the week he was visiting his mother on his lovely Luisita for her parties, shopping, and toys.
Everything he bought for Luisita was still at his mother’s hacienda. He knew Luisa would not approve of his expenditures for Luisita. She was beginning to warn him of his daughter’s temperament and she did not believe is giving children so much.
Manuela was terrified and showed her fear. She nervously twisted her lace kerchief and muttered the rosary.
Luisita was usually sensitive to stress about her, but she was with her father and he showed no tension. He was calm and talking to those dirty Indians as if everything was normal.
