The Mercado

The first pinkish rays of the sunrise were kissing the tips of the San Rafael mountains that separated the coastal foothills that sloped down to the sea from the drier interior valleys. Regina and Elena awoke to the frenzied shakes of Elena's younger siblings. The ten-year-old twins laughed and bounced the girls until Elena finally sat up and yelled at them to go away. Regina was laughing when she swung her feet onto the woolen rug that covered most of the floor.

"Are they always like that?" Regina asked as she washed and dressed quickly.

"Always, " Elena agreed. "And Pablo and Paco are coming with us to the mercado so get used to it."

Breakfast was a quick but delicious meal of chocolate, beaten with thick milk and spiced with cinnamon, and sweet pastries. As usual, the family laughed and talked loudly and the noise was joyous to Regina's ears. She said little but drank two cups of the chocolate -- and Abuelita heartily approved.

"You are too skinny, Regina. Too skinny," she said, squeezing the Kentucky girl's upper arm. Elena's grandmother was far thinner than Regina and her once-dark hair was now generously sprinkled with heavy strands of iron gray. Abuela also said Regina's name in her Spanish tongue, pronouncing the 'g' as an 'h.' Regina didn't mind at all, she thought her name sounded elegant and somehow exotic when Abuelita spoke it.

Those who were traveling to the mercado, Abuelita, the twins, Elena and Regina rode in the wagon, drawn by two horses and driven by Armando. Armando was nearly a grown man, ready for a home and family of his own but clearly it was Abuelita who was in charge of the group. From the rancho, it was a easy ride down to a cluster of homes in a small village near the rancho. Elena's family rancho was several hours away from the school, and the mercado wasn't as large as the one Abuela has taken them to in the 'big town' of Santa Barbara.

The twins went off with Armando who promised to keep them out of trouble and warned Elena not to allow their grandmother to lift anything heavy. "Tell her she can pay for it and anything she buys, I will load into the wagon when the boys and I get back. She is not to do any lifting. Promise?"

"Prometo, Armando." Elena and her family switched back and forth between Spanish and English almost interchangeably. Regina was getting used to it.