Your Poetry Dot Com - Margarita XXIX

Then conversation's tone became much sore
as lady told her mind to Dona Rose.

"Father's party was best I've ever had, mother. Perhaps Uncle Miquel
will also give me a party. I'll invite everybody! You and father will be
there with Miquel's vaqueros and their families."
"I don't think your aunt will allow you to have a party too soon, dear.
She has to see if your penance is true. She has to know if that --- that
little trouble you had is over."
Margarita looked longingly toward far hills before answering. Tears filled
her eyes. She wasn't free of resentment. "My heart is still sick because
of what you and Tia Thresa did. My little trouble was real love."
"But you never told anyone his name. All we know is that he is a gringo.
Why didn't you tell someone who he is? Why didn't you confess his name
to Father Saez? If you had done that, your family wouldn't have sent you away."
"My brother swore he'd kill him if he learned his name. We'll meet again, mother.
I know where he is and I love him. He's waiting for me."
"Your life's not your own, Margarita. You can't do what you want. I should
think you would know that by now. Though you're eighteen and grown, you
can't leave your family. You'll have an inheritance someday, but until
then you've nothing. It's our way of life. Women are sheltered by parents
until parents die or she marries the man of their choosing. Running off with
the Yanqui against our wish is to forever sever yourself from us. You'll
lose everything. We will never suffer the insult of intermixing bloods."
"All I want is to be with him. Never for one moment have I ever wanted
anything else. Do you think convent life has changed my feelings? No!
When the time is right, we'll go away together. I'll never have another man!"
Older woman paled before this insane talk. She drew back in horror.
"Don't talk that way," she gasped. :You frighten me."
Margarita took her mother's hand pressing it tenderly. " Don't worry, mother,"
she said. "It won't happen right away."
Dona Rose withdrew her hand. She wanted change in Margarita's inflexible
attitude, not childish consolation. Speaking with gravity, she said, "If you talk
like this much more, I'll decide to send you to Spain to live with your grandparents.
Do you want that?" Margarita saw she'd made an error confining in her mother.
She resolved never to make that mistake again. She guilefully answered, "no
mother. I don't want that. I spoke like a child and everybody knows children
are full of foolishness. I need advice, mother. I don't want to be a problem
to you and father. I'll do anything to make you happy."
"Show us contrition. Promise you'll behave."
"Yes mother, I will."

This poem is Copyright © ramfire