The Girl with the Time Bomb Heart

The Passing of Time

Beatriz de Hidalgo y Corazon was an inquisitive child. She would often run around the Hidalgo household, crawling in the nooks and crannies of the sturdy abode like a mouse exploring its domain. Often she would find bizarre locations in the unlikeliest of places and she would doze off as her parents searched frantically for her. Oftentimes she would cause trouble for Alita, misplacing household items, drawing on walls or trekking mud throughout the house and this would earn her a scolding from Mama Claudia who would spank her bottom generously with a firm hand.

Despite her curious and naughty nature, she was a well-mannered child. She was taught basic etiquette by her mother who was a lady of high stature in their town. At a young age, she was trained to prepare tea and greet guests with respect. In her spare time, she would be shown by Alita how to clean the dishes, prepare the table, cook delicious meals and wash the clothes. But the highlight of her day came each and every night when Papa Diego would open the door and announce his presence. She would wait by the steps of the grand staircase and come dashing and hugging towards him as he appeared. Beatriz loved her father very much. To him, Beatriz was his precious and irreplaceable jewel.

Her favorite place in the whole property was the large and spacious garden at the back of the house. Here, she spent her childhood discovering new things. In the garden bloomed a myriad of beautiful flowers- bougainvillea, dahlias, sunflowers, sage, honey suckle and morning glories- which she loved to pick for her mother, who would in turn place it in a water-filled vase in the dining room. One time, she spied a ripe chrysalis ready to hatch among the bushes. She had expected a beautiful butterfly to emerge from confinement but she was shocked to see a large spider crawl out from the hollow casing. Another time, she was gathering leaves when she glimpsed a green snake poke its head out from one of the thickets. She was so frightened that she called Alita who caught the snake by the head and released it in a far-off location.

The years went by and the people of the land went on with their lives. The fiercely hot summer day became an old wives tale and soon faded into memory. The township celebrated fiesta after fiesta and the troubles of the past were soon forgotten. Diego and Claudia went on with their idyllic life and the peace continued for more years to come.

In that time, Beatriz blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Her hair grew to become a silky black veil that drooped her shoulder, her breasts grew full and plump and in no time, she was taller than the mother who conceived her. She was a beautiful creature blessed by God with unmatched Grace. Tales of her beauty spread far and wide and suitors line up outside the door such that you would have to wait two days to see her.

But her father would have none of it. With a booming voice and a clear resounding burst from his rifle, he drove the suitors away.

“They are not worthy of you, my lovely Beatriz. They are but sons of common men. They will not bring you a good future,” her father had told her.

 “But darling, Beatriz has long since passed the legal age of marriage. If we do not wed her soon, she will have no future,” reasoned her mother.

“She will be allowed to choose who she will wed,” her father said. “During the next Paseo, with the high and mighty families in attendance. The young men in attendance are of noble birth and will make  fine husbands.”

“As you wish, father,” she had answered.

Her will was not entirely her own, but she respected her father enough to entrust it to him. Deep inside, she was overjoyed that the final decision of who she would marry would be her own. For now, she would wait. She would wait until the Paseo¸ the magic evening where love flowed freely. Perhaps there, she would find something.