Eternally

Chapter Two

     After nine painful months, and a very hurtful delivery; I was finally in my mother's arms. Well at least, that's how she told me once. She kissed me even though I was covered in blood and was crying and crying.

"She's beautiful," my mother said.

"And so tiny, so vulnerable," said my father. "Look at her little feet, her little hands...she's like a gem. Very, very special."

"Then she will have the name of a gem," said my mother. "Pearl."

"No. Too simple," he said.

"Ruby?" She suggested.

"It's May, how about....Esmeralda," said my father.

"I like it," she looked at me. "Hey! My dear, Esmeralda."

Many years later...

"Esmeralda Navarro," said my kindergarten teacher in Mexico. She was my second or third teacher this year, I honestly don't remember.

"Presente," which in English means here.

Thanks to my father's job we were always moving. They always called him and send him to different places to work. When I was a child, they moved and moved without problem. And they still do. Even though, now I'm at school. I started kindergarten in Oregon City, then moved a couple of months to Beaverton, and now I'm in Mexico. I don't like it here because my cousins are mean to me. They always tell their friends to tell me ugly stuff, and not play with me. But I don't care, I'm not staying long here. The school day finally ended, it lasted three hours. My mom came and picked me up, she was with my baby brother Andrés. He's three years younger than me, I don't remember at all when he was born. All I know is that since I have memory, I have an older sister called Monica, and Andrés. I miss Monica, we always played dolls, and rode our bikes to the park together when she stayed with us. But now I was in Mexico and I couldn't see her anymore. I was stuck here with my meany cousins, and a bunch of cows and goats in my house. Well not inside the house, but I live in a ranch so that has to explain it.

"Mommy, guess who's representing my class for the princess competition?" Said my cousin Lucretia to my aunt.

In this school they made this, a contest for princess and princes. Each group had to chose a couple who would represent them and be in the carnival. My classmates had voted me, and I WAS GOING TO BE PRINCESS, but my cousin started to complain. She said I had just gotten here and that it wasn't fair. She said I didn't truly have the school's spirit and I was too dumb to do this. She said she was perfect, and that I was too scared. I had to admit I was, because it was embarrassing having to hold hands with a guy. Then the bell rang and our teacher told us to go outside. Then when I was eating my lunch with my new friend, my cousins and other fat and ugly girls came.

"You better let Lucretia be princess, or bad things will happen to you. We will cut the head of all your dolls, and do this every day," said my older cousin Margaret throwing my sandwich to the ground.

I didn't like violence. I was five. So I started crying. I was also afraid for my dolls, they would cut their heads off!

So when we went back to class, I told my teacher I didn't want to be princess. So my cousin was chosen.

When we were home I tried to tell my mom about today, but it didn't work.

"Mommy, can I tell you something?" I said.

"Not right now, Esme," she snapped. "Your brother ate something and got sick. He hasn't stopped crying and I need to take him to the doctor. So don't talk to me now, I'm taking you with me to the doctor, but I want you to stay quit, don't do or say anything."