1
Her education began the moment she
was born; her abuela brushing her
with fresh picked leaves, rubbing her with a salve of oils and herbs. The magic of the land was infused into her
life. It was her birthright; she was the
only daughter in the family and her abuela
had been chosen. So now too, Graciela
was chosen to be a curandera.
At her abuela’s side, Graciela learned the powers of the different plants
and herbs. She learned the language of
birds and animals. She saw the aura of
people and learned how to read them. She
learned the rituals; ingesting to make something a part of you, washing for
cleansing, burning for purifying, burial to make a memory. For her it was natural and the people of her
village accepted her as they had accepted her abuela, for didn’t Lita cure their illnesses and deliver their
children into the world?
Still, there were some who called her bruja, but there was no witchcraft
involved, no evil spirits were summoned, no curses laid upon a doorstep. But these were simple people, and the ways of
the curandera made them uneasy.
=
The parish priest knew of the curandera and chastised Graciela for
following the old ways of her grandmother. But Graciela replied that she did
not worship another god, but worshiped the One God who had created the world
and all of nature. She just understood
nature in a deeper way than most others and was that not a deeper understanding
of God? She had accepted the Body and
Blood of Jesus at her first communion, so was it also okay to accept the other
gifts that God had put on the Earth? The
bread and wine the people shared at Holy Communion came from the Earth, as did the
incense that was burned and breathed in at Mass.
A little while later, a medical
clinic came to the village, and the doctor had medicines that could cure the
ills of the body. The médico stopped by to see Graciela’s abuela.
He assured her that she did not need to continue to make teas and salves
for the villagers. Lita smiled and
nodded her head, but villagers still arrived at her doorstep.
The doctor visited her a second
time, and on this visit, Graciela’s abuela
smiled and told him that he had her permission to treat the bodies of
the villagers, but she would continue to treat the body, mind, spirit and
soul. He stared at her dumbfounded, and
when he found his voice, the medico
quietly and politely thanked her, and did not bother her again.
=
Graciela was in her thirteenth year
when she began to notice her abuela’s
spirit beginning to change. Lita’s eyes
were as sharp as ever, as was her tongue, but she seemed to move with more
purpose, as if to not waste any energy, yet she seemed to be full of
energy. Indeed, her aura was bright,
silver-white and almost transparent. Graciela
knew what was coming, and was in despair about the future.
“This is just one part of our
journey, chiquita,” Lita sighed, as
they walked in the hills above the farm.
“And I am nearing the end of this part.”
She raised her hand to stem the protests from Graciela. “When it is time, we must not be afraid to
take that step, to move on.” She paused
and took Graciela’s hands in hers. “As I
go on my journey,” she stared unwaveringly into Graciela’s eyes, “you must go
on yours.” She held her gaze for a few
more moments, and then looked out over the hills. “When it is time, this is where I would like
to rest,” she decided happily.
Graciela bit her lip. “I am not so sure that I am ready for your
journey.”
Her abuela
nodded and replied, “That is not for us to choose. But remember this…vaya sin meido. Go without fear.”
“I am no curandera,” Graciela said, shaking her head.
Lita smiled. “You will be.”
=
A few weeks later, her abuela’s spirit moved on, and her body
was laid to rest in the hills as she wished, in a spot that overlooked the
land. The villagers came and paid their
respects to Graciela’s family, but since her abuela was gone, they saw no need to come after that. After all, wasn’t el médico able to cure
their ills? And did not el padre
at the church heal their souls? Who
would want to trust a chicuela who
hadn’t even had her quinceañera?
Graciela felt like una florera vacía waiting to be filled
and soon began to realize that the time for her journey had arrived.
2
The two girls stood in the brush, peering
into the dark. Carmen whispered
nervously to her friend “Graciela, are you sure about this?”
Graciela smiled at her. “Carmen, there was nothing left for us. Cooking?
Cleaning? Working in the fields? There must be a better life...a better life
in the United States.” Ever since her abuela had died, Graciela had felt lost
and empty. No one seemed to need her; no
one seemed to trust her. People gave her
sideways glances and shied away from her.
After all, she was no curandera,
and even though she had celebrated her quinceañera,
people still saw her as too young to be taken seriously. Privately, she wondered if she would ever
live up to the legacy that had been left her.
But there was one more thing that led her
to be standing here in the desert in the middle of the night. She KNEW she was supposed to be here, she
KNEW she was to make this journey. What
she did NOT know was why.
=
They had made their way to the border
easily enough and without much trouble soon found a coyote, a man who could lead them across the border.
“Graciela,” Carmen fretted, “I do not like
this man…the way he looks at us.”
Graciela bit her lip. “I know, but he promised he would get us into
the United States, and he said he would do it for the money that we could
offer.”
“When he looks at me, my skin feels
dirty. I don’t trust him…”
Graciela nodded her head. “We will stay together at all times, and take
turns sleeping. We can do this,
Carmen…we MUST do this.” The insistence
in her voice startled her friend.
Carmen looked at her friend
curiously. “Is this because of one of
your dreams? A vision?”
Looking embarrassed, Graciela answered,
“Yes, part of it. I know I have
to go to los Estados Unidos.”
“Ay, Graciela, I know I can trust you, but
sometimes you scare me.” She smiled
ruefully. “Well then, vamos.
Let’s go.”
Giving Carmen a grateful smile, Graciela
said, “Gracias, amiga. I am so happy you came with me.”
“¡Dios
mío! As if I had a choice!” She smiled and then her voice turned
serious. “What do we do about la serpiente?” she asked, tilting her
head toward their guide.
Graciela looked at him and frowned. “That snake cannot be trusted.” She paused for a moment then turned her face
to the sky. “We will follow la Estrella del Norte,” she pointed at
the Big Dipper and then to the North Star, “…to make sure he does not mislead
us. And then, if he tries something,
well…” She patted her pack, “I have a few surprises yet.”
=
The coyote
leered at Graciela. “Mija, maybe you’re not too young for
this, eh?” He grabbed his crotch and
laughed.
She glanced at him sideways and replied
coolly, “Señor, maybe when the night
turns colder… until then, have some tea to warm you.”
He slapped his thigh, and laughing again
took the cup offered to him. “Later I
will warm you up. Hahahahaha.” He
took a tortilla from his pocket and washed it down with the brew. After a few minutes, he began to rub his
eyes.
“It has been a long day, señor.
You are tired and need some rest.”
Graciela smiled at the coyote
as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Suddenly
he started to topple.
“Graciela!” her friend covered her mouth
in horror. “You didn’t….” She made the sign of the cross as she watched
as the coyote slowly slump over.
“¡Dios
mío!” Graciela said to her friend. “I would never!” The figure on the ground began to snore. “But he will sleep soundly for many hours and
when he wakes, he will not remember us.”
She began to pick up her belongings. “Come, we must hurry while it is
still dark.” Her friend looked
uncertain. “Ay, Carmen! The stars in the
heavens will guide us, don’t worry.”
Carmen wavered for a moment, and picked up her things.
“Un
momento, Graciela…” Carmen moved over the sleeping man. “You may not remember us, but remember this,
pendejo,” and with that, delivered a
swift kick to his groin. The man moaned,
but did not wake. Satisfied, Carmen
turned and joined her friend.
“Carmen!”
Graciela laughed, feigning shock.
She shook her head at her friend.
“How could you?”
Carmen pretended to look hurt. “You cannot say that he didn’t deserve it…”
3
Soft lights glowed in the
distance. “Graciela…” Carmen whispered,
“A house. We must go around.”
Graciela stopped. A minute passed as she stared at the
house. “Someone is in trouble, Carmen.”
Carmen rolled her eyes, “Ay, Graciela. WE are the ones in trouble if we get
caught. Why should we help someone when
we are the ones who need help?” She
shook her head.
Graciela looked steadily at her
friend. “Sí, we need help. But since we
know what it is to need help, should we not help others?” She gazed at the house again. “¡Vamos!” Carmen sighed, knowing it was useless to
argue.
The two girls made their way to the
house, Graciela striding swiftly through the dark, Carmen, looking unsure,
following. “¿Hola?” Graciela called out
as she stepped onto the porch. “Hello?
Is anyone home?”
“¡Ayúdeme!
Help me!” a voice cried from the back of the house. A man rushed into view. “My wife…the baby…! The truck would not start!” He dashed back into a bedroom, and the girls
quickly followed. Graciela took it in;
the distraught husband, the laboring wife, the little baby waiting to be
born. Everything would be all right.
“Señor,”
Graciela ordered, “go put some water on to boil for tea.” She turned to her friend. “Carmen, go with this man and go find some
red raspberry leaf.” Graciela knew her friend was a bit squeamish, and this
errand would keep both the husband and Carmen distracted and busy. She turned to the wife, who was looking at her
with wide eyes.
“You are just a girl,” the woman
said nervously.
Graciela looked at her calmly, and
with a catch of surprise in her voice said, “I am a curandera.”
=
It was a little while later that the baby
was delivered. The mother and father looked
lovingly at their little boy, adoring the new life that had been entrusted to
them. Graciela smiled and left the new
parents with their baby, moving to the kitchen to sit with her friend.
“Graciela,” Carmen whispered, “now
can we go?”
“Aún
no,” Graciela took Carmen’s hand in hers with a smile. “Not yet.” A few moments later the husband came into the
kitchen, looking gratefully at the girls.
“Muchas
gracias, a thousand thank you’s,” he said, wringing their hands. “How can I repay you for all that you have
done?”
“Con
permiso, señor,” Graciela said softly, “two things. First, the baby name should be Miguel, after San Miguel, the protector…”
The father nodded, “That is a good name…a
fine name. It shall be done. And what is
the second thing?”
Graciela looked at him shyly, “Some food, señor? And a place to rest? My friend and I, we have traveled far…”
He smiled broadly. “Ay, no
problema.” Then he looked at the
girls carefully. “And work? Are you looking for work?” Graciela and Carmen looked at each other,
then turned and nodded slowly. “With my
wife with a newborn baby, we will need help around the house,” he said
thoughtfully. “It is decided…you will
stay here. Mi casa es su casa.”
=
After they had eaten, they were
shown to a spare room, and the new father dismissed himself to check on his new
family. The girls took a few moments to wash the dust and dirt off from their
journey and changed into some clean clothes to sleep in. They knelt by the sides of their beds and
gave thanks for all that had happened.
After a moment, Carmen turned to
look at her friend. “Ay, Graciela! What is wrong?!” Carmen cried.
A tear was sliding down Graciela's cheek.
Graciela turned and hugged her
joyously. “Nothing is wrong!” she wept.
“¡Bienvenido, Carmen! Welcome to the United States
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