Thirteen Senses by Victor Villaseñor
GETTING TO LONG BEACH, Carlota was screeching with joy! She’d never had a brand new dress from a store in all of her life. And she’d had beautiful dresses before, but that wasn’t the point. Their older sister Sophia—who hadn’t attended Lupe and Salvador’s wedding because she and her husband hadn’t had the proper clothes—was an excellent seamstress, so she’d made all of Carlota’s dresses for her over the years.
This would be her very first dress purchased right off the rack!
Walking down the boardwalk to the little shop where Carlota and Lupe had seen the red dress and red shoes, they found the place boarded up. And they also saw that the amusement park was empty. None of the rides were even working anymore.
“I told you,” said Archie to Salvador, “places are going to start closing down right and left. I bet you the Chinese place ain’t open either.”
But getting there, the Chinese restaurant was, indeed, open. And when Carlota saw this, she went into a rage, cursing Salvador, and accusing him of getting that dress shop to close down so she couldn’t have her dress, but having the Chinese restaurant stay open, so he could try to poison her with fish again!
“But there’s no way you’ll ever trick me into eating fish! I know fish! You can always smell it!”
And so that night Carlota ate lobster for the first time in her life, and she loved it! And when someone said that lobster was fish, Carlota screamed.
“Oh, no!” she yelled. “You can’t trick me! Lobster can’t come from that dirty, smelly sea! It’s DELICIOUS!”
After the dance, in Santa Ana, Carlota drove home that night to Carlsbad with Salvador and Lupe. They were all very quiet. There was a half Moon, and she, the Mother Moon, followed them, giving them light as they went along the seashore by San Clemente. They were on their way, a married couple—homeward bound!
SALVADOR AWOKE WITH A START!
It was raining outside, and his mother’s face was flashing to him inside his mind. He lay in bed trying to calm himself, but he couldn’t. To his bones he just knew that something very big was going on with his mother.
But he had no means of contacting her unless they drove up to Corona to see her. They had no telephone, and Luisa and his mother didn’t have one either. Telephones were instruments for stores, for doctors, for only the very rich, according to the people of the barrio.
Salvador lay in bed breathing deeply.
“What is it?” asked Lupe, waking up. “Is it your mother again?”
Salvador nodded.
“Then you better go up and see her,” said Lupe. “I’ll be all right. My sister is here. She’ll help me if I need anything.”
“Thank you,” said Salvador, sitting up and holding his forehead in both of his hands. “But I can’t go up to see her today. I promised Archie I’d help him.”
Archie had been right; people were losing their jobs, their houses, and little ranchitos. The times were desperate. No one knew what was going on. And this morning, Salvador had promised the big lawman he’d get a case of whiskey down to the lagoon for him and his deputy amigos at day-break.
Every week Archie and his sheriff buddies were going down to the lagoon between Carlsbad and Oceanside and shooting the hell out of hundreds of ducks. Then they’d get the prisoners out of the jail in Oceanside and have the prisoners swim out into the cold water to retrieve the ducks, then the prisoners could either pluck the ducks and help roast ’em down by the pier in Oceanside in exchange for whiskey, or they could go back to jail.
In the last few weeks good people were now actually breaking the law so they could get arrested and be in on one of Archie’s illegal duck hunts. They, too, wanted to get chosen to retrieve the ducks, pluck them, roast ’em, so that then they could eat and drink free whiskey down by the pier.
Rubbing his forehead, Salvador got up, went to the bathroom, washed his face, then did something he hadn’t done in a very long time. He went outside to welcome the coming Father Sun and ask Papito Dios to please help him understand what was going on with his mama. Because he could feel it here, inside of his chest area, that his mother was into something far beyond her normal everyday doings. He began to pray.
And it was true, at this very moment, Doña Margarita was at the little stone church in Corona talking directly to God, Himself. Not the Virgin Mary, not Jesus Christ, but with the Almighty, and she was speaking with such power and conviction that the river rocks of the church’s walls were Singing, Vibrating, coming Alive with the Spirit of Holy Creation.
“All right, God,” Doña Margarita was saying to the Almighty, “I asked Maria to set up this meeting between You and me, because, as I told Her a few weeks back, it’s no longer enough for us mortals here on Earth to have faith in You up in Heaven. It’s time for You to also start having Faith in us. You see Papito, we’re not children anymore, but fully developed Human Beings, who’ve been doing Your Blessed Work for You down here on this Tierra Madre for hundreds of thousands of years, so the time has come for You—like any Good Father—to hear what Your children have to say.
“What? Oh, no, God, there’s got to be some changes made around here! Listen closely to me, I’ve been reading Your Holy Bible every day for nearly sixty-three years—which, I might add, is a lot in human time—and discussing Your Most Holy Works with every priest I’ve met. And I’ll tell You, we’ve come a long way since those days of needing an angry Papito Dios Who’s full of Lightning and Wrath.
“I mean, look at my case alone, dear God, I married a man who followed Your every word and said prayers three times a day but he—like so many of his people who came from Europe—got stuck on just the message of Your wrath, thinking that they had to spread Your Holy Word to the whole world with sword in hand. And when we tried to tell them about our own understanding of You, Our Same Señor Creator, they just cast off our beliefs, calling them savage ignorance and superstition.
“Well, Maria and I have talked this matter over in great detail, and the other day Your Most Holy Son, Jesus, joined Us. He was patient and listened to me, too, ’cause You see, God, it’s easy to call another’s religious ideas superstition. That takes no guts, that takes no great intelligence. What takes guts and high intelligence is to open up one’s Heart and Soul to the possibility that others’ religious knowledge is also True, no matter how foreign-sounding at first glance. And this is where we now are Collectively—no, please don’t interrupt, God! You listen, and listen Good! Oh, You weren’t interrupting? You were agreeing with me? Oh, thank You. I appreciate that, because Your Most Holy Son, Jesus, also agreed with me, too, like His Mother, then They both suggested that I come directly to You and present my case. Or more precisely, Our Case, the case in which all of us humans now find ourselves. And this case is simply this—a very big mix-up got started long ago with the Jews, Your Chosen People, which then, I’m sure, led You to not have much faith in us here on Earth.
“Because You tell me, how in the name of Heaven did these Jews figure that there were originally Twelve Tribes and that all the other tribes got lost, except for them, the Chosen Tribe. Eh, that makes no sense. Because any goat or pig or horse or cow on el rancho is smart enough to figure out that, if they suddenly find themselves all alone, then they are the lost one, and not the herd!” she added loudly.
“Eh, You see what I’m driving at Papito? So of course, You lost faith in us then and had to send Your Only Begotten Son a few thousand years later to talk to these Jews and bring them back to the fold, because they were the ones who’d gotten lost, right? And not the rest of us, all around the rest of the Mother Earth.
“Then to make matters worse, these other people, who weren’t Jews, now came in and took over in the name of Jesus, creating Christianity, and condemning anyone who wouldn’t believe in their way.
“I mean, God, let us get serious here, I can see why You’re having trouble. We’ve been following a lost people who adopted the ways of a lost tribe, and so—”
But Doña Margarita wasn’t able to fin
Doña Margarita got off her knees and stood up to her full height of four feet ten. “I’m not finished!” she yelled. “And I will not be silenced with laughter, nor approval!
“God, I AM TALKING to YOU!” she shouted. “And only You! So pay attention, because Maria, Your Wife, and I have worked all this out, so You better listen to me good while I’m still down here on Earth, or I swear that You will get an earful when I get up to Heaven! Remember, we humans were made in Your Own Image, so we’re muy chingones, too!”
The laughter ceased.
“Gracias! Thank You, God,” said Doña Margarita. “Now, as I was saying, simply, dear Lord, the time has come for You to make up with Your Most Glorious Angel, the Devil. What? Oh, no, You listen to me! Lucifer has never stopped Loving You, Papito, and You know this, since you are All-Knowing, remember, eh?
“And so what if he made a big unforgivable sin years back. Didn’t Jesus, Your Son, forgive those who crucified Him, eh? Have I not forgiven my children their trespasses? And have I not forgiven the people who destroyed mi familia in those treacherous days of the Revolution?
“We have, dear God, Jesus and I, we have forgiven again and again with all our Hearts and Souls!” Tears burst from her eyes. “Understand, Lord, I haven’t just been reading Your Most Holy Book, the Bible, but I have been Living it, too! And so if Jesus and I can do it, then You can do it, too, Papito! And RIGHT NOW! This very moment!”
And it was here, at this moment, that Salvador, who was outside of his home in Carlsbad praying, felt his mother needing all the help she could get.
Salvador looked up at the Father Sky and he, too shouted. “She’s a good woman, Papito! So You listen good!” Salvador could see his mother in his Heart-Eye standing up and talking to God with all her might. To pray with all your Heart and Soul, his mother had always told them, was to Unite as One with Papito Dios, then, and only then, the worst could become the best for las extremidades del humano son las oportunidades de Dios!
“For the Bible was never meant to be treated as if written in stone and that’s it for ETERNITY!” Doña Margarita was now saying. “The Bible was meant to be used as a Living, Breathing Testimony with each Holy Breath we take, bringing in each generation closer and closer to Your Most Holy Self, so that then we, together, Your Children are all Your Chosen People, equally, and can help You in the act of Creation Itself!
“So I, your daughter, now ask, beg, demand, dear God, that You step forward and make amends with Lucifer, Your Most Holy Messenger of Darkness, and Together as One Holy Family, You Two then lead us all forward con Amor, and no more of this Fear and Wrath!
“I did it! Jesus did it! And so You will now do it, too, My Lord God Papito! For I refuse to anymore have a stubborn, unwilling-to-change Father who’s revengeful and full of wrath! I LOVE YOU! Do You hear me! You are my Father, my Light, and so We will now go forward with Love, hand-in-hand in full Partnership, You and Us, here within Our Hearts and Souls.
“Because it was never us, the Other Eleven Tribes who got lost and scared! Okay, I’m done,” she added. “I’m finished. I have nothing more to say, and so I’ll see You here in, ah, okay, three days, and You’ll have Your answer first thing in the morning. Thank You. Gracias. And hello a todos los Santos y Angelitas. A Dios, Maria y Jesus.
“Oh, and by the way, dear God, I almost forgot, I already talked this over in great detail with Lucifer, and he, too, anxiously awaits your answer. And he’s picked some beautiful roses for You—and between You and me—I checked them out, and they smell beautiful, and also they have no thorns. He’s really serious about wanting to make up with You, dear God. He never stopped Loving You. Remember, Papito, no hay mal que por bien no venga. Thank You, gracias, and I remain Your humble, but not too humble servant.”
SALVADOR FELT BETTER NOW. His mother’s “calling” was done. He could feel it here, inside of his chest. Over and over during the Revolution his old mother had brought God down Here to the Mother Earth to interact with their familia through Holy Prayer.
Walking back inside, Salvador told Lupe good-bye and took off for the day. He had to get that case of whiskey to Archie. The prisoners looked blue, they were shivering so much as they came out of the lagoon. Quickly, Archie gave them each a blanket and a bottle of Salvador’s whiskey to pass around. Archie and his deputy buddies had shot well over a hundred ducks. They were going to have a feast!
“Salvador,” said Archie, taking him aside, “thank you for getting down here in time, but now I’m gonna have to ask you for another favor. And I know that it ain’t part of our original deal, but things have gotten worse in the last few weeks. So, well, I want you to get me a barrel of whiskey—as your donation to all the hungry people of the north county, okay?”
“Do I have any choice?” asked Salvador.
Archie just laughed.
Salvador nodded. “I thought not.”
So Salvador went to get Archie his barrel of whiskey, and while Salvador was gone, Archie deputized some of his wild relatives from the Pala Reservation and told them to cut the fence of the Santa Margarita Rancho—which would one day soon become Camp Pendleton Marine Base—and to confiscate the first couple of fat steers who wandered off the ranch and onto city property.
Then that same afternoon, Archie had his relatives from Pala kill the steers that they’d herded onto city property butcher ’em, and barbecue ’em a la Archie Freeman to feed all the hungry, homeless people of the whole north county of San Diego. “Ranching Tax” was what Archie eventually called this line of work, when he got his ass arrested by the big boys from downtown San Diego for cattle rustling.
After delivering the barrel of whiskey to Archie and his sheriff buddies, Salvador told Archie that no, he wouldn’t be able to stay for the barbecue, that he’d see him later, and he took off for Escondido. Salvador had to attend to his distillery and then to go on his deliveries. It was tough working alone, but also, he didn’t know anyone that he could trust that wouldn’t start stealing whiskey from him.
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON the following day when Salvador finally got back to the Oceanside-Carlsbad area. He’d worked all day and night and was dead tired when he got home. Coming inside, he found Lupe washing a big stack of dishes. Carlota and two of her girlfriends were dancing and laughing in the front room. Salvador almost went through the ceiling. Carlota was here to help Lupe, not to be creating more work for her!
But then, when he took Lupe aside to talk to her about this, instead of her seeing that he was on her side and trying to help her, Lupe said, “Oh, Salvador, why do you always have to get your way? Don’t you see that they’re only having fun and enjoying themselves?”
Salvador was stunned. “But Lupe, I’m not trying to get my way! I’m thinking of you and that she came here to help you . . . not to be making more work for you. Look at all these dishes that you’re washing for them!”
Lupe gripped the small of her back, cringing with pain. “Oh, please, Salvador!” Quickly, he quit his words and took her by the arm, helping her to the bedroom to lie down.
“Carlota!” he shouted into the next room. “Lupe isn’t feeling well. Come in here and help!”
“Salvador,” said Lupe, “please, calm down! I’m all right!”
Carlota and the two young women came into the room. Their faces were all flushed from dancing and their breasts were going up and down. They looked at Salvador and Lupe like they were people from another planeta—that place called married people.
“Carlota,” said Salvador, “you were brought down here to help your sister, not to be dancing and piling up dishes for her to wash!”
“Salvador, please!” said Lupe.
“I’ll go and get our mother,” said one of the other girls, and the two girls took off.
“See what you did, you just chased away my
“Damnit, Carlota!” yelled Salvador. “Stop thinking of yourself for once in your life, and come and help your sister!”
“You don’t want help!” said Carlota. “You just want to be yelling at me!”
And Carlota turned and ran out the door, too, and there was Salvador left alone with Lupe and he didn’t know what to do.
“Should I go get Helen?” asked Salvador, feeling completely useless.
“No, you’ve done enough,” said Lupe. “You’ve chased everyone away!”
“Oh, now you’re blaming me, Lupe, for their behavior and I’m just trying to help! Good God, what’s wrong here! It’s like the Devil is here in this house with us, twisting our every word!”
“Please, Salvador, stop shouting. Just sit with me, and be quiet. I’m okay.”
But she wasn’t. And she was throwing up by the time Carlota’s two friends came back with their mother. Their mother was a woman from the barrio in her forties and she immediately put the back of her hand to Lupe’s forehead, then told one of her daughters to put the herbs that she’d brought to boil on the stove, then she told Lupe to not have anything to eat for a couple of days, except tea and soup—menudo would be best.
Salvador had fallen asleep, mouth open, on the floor alongside Lupe’s bed. He’d been dead tired and barely able to keep his eyes open as he’d come up the long, driveway to their home in his truck.
After the woman left, Lupe struggled to get out of bed, and she put a pillow under Salvador’s head, loosened his belt, and covered him with a blanket. Salvador slept for sixteen hours, and when he awoke, he couldn’t remember where he was. Then, when he realized that he wasn’t at his distillery in Escondido but here at home in Carlsbad with Lupe, he leaped up but tripped over his own clothing, falling back down to the floor.
“What is it?” asked Lupe.
“The time, the time?” yelled Salvador.
“It’s about nine in the morning,” said she.