Thirteen Senses by Victor Villaseñor
Salvador started laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“Well, we used to have a witch in our valley who everybody thought was crazy because she spoke to her fruit trees, and now here you are—”
“So you think I’m a crazy-witch because I’m talking to my big, fat—oh, no, don’t you dare!” she said to the first chile. “You stay over there!”
“Here, let me help you,” said Salvador. “I think that the stove isn’t level and that’s why it keeps sliding to that one side of the pan.”
Salvador got a plate and turned it upside down and slipped it under the lower side of the stove. “There, is that better?”
“Yes,” said Lupe. “Now get back! Here comes chile number two! And he better behave, too!”
And she put the next chile in the pan, and it didn’t explode, either.
“I did it again!” yelled Lupe, feeling so proud of herself. “I really did!”
“Yes, you did,” said Salvador. He was so happy to be home all alone with Lupe. It was a dream come true. This was all he’d ever wanted—a home with the woman he loved.
“Oh, Lupe,” he said, coming up behind her and slipping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck, “I’m so happy that we’re alone in our little casita.”
“No, don’t do that now!” she yelled, pushing him away. “I’m busy cooking! You go over there and sit down!”
He laughed and sat down at the table. This was truly wonderful. He could actually feel the walls of their whole little house singing with joy. Something had truly changed.
“Where’d you get the bird?” he asked.
“At the market,” she said. “And I know I should’ve asked you first—because it cost a lot of money—but, well, he was singing so beautiful, that I just couldn’t resist, Salvador.”
“Querida, you don’t have to be asking me if you can spend a little money here or there, you have your house money, remember.”
“The bird cost three dollars,” she said.
“Three dollars!” he said. “That’s a fortune, Lupe! Most men are lucky if they make a dollar a day. But, but, well, I’m glad you did it,” he added. “He does sing like an angel.”
“Then you really aren’t angry?”
“No, of course not, Lupe. This is your house, mi amor, our home, the nest that you are making for our familia.”
“Oh, Salvador!” she said, hugging him.
“By the way, Lupe, I forgot,” he said as they hugged and kissed, “I promised mi mama that we’d pray for her. You see, she’s doing a great miracle tomorrow in church.”
“In Corona?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then we better pray for her right now, Salvador,” said Lupe, putting down her big spoon and knife.
And so Salvador and Lupe prayed for Doña Margarita as the last of the Father Sun went blinking over the horizon and the whole western sky turned silky-soft with colors of pink and gold and silver. Hundreds of red-shouldered blackbirds came swooping overhead on their way to the lagoon just north of Carlsbad. Another glorious day had come to pass.
THAT HOLY NIGHT IN CORONA, meaning the crown, there was a wondrous display of shooting stars flying across the Heavens, then in the early morning—just before daybreak— came some great big, soft clouds with gentle rain, washing the Earth and Rocks and Trees, gifting New Life to all the Land.
Hearing the raindrops drip-dropping outside of her window, Doña Margarita stirred in her sleep, beginning to awake little by little. She stretched and yawned and listened to the soft, gentle rain washing the Earth. She’d had a wonderful night. She’d slept like an Angel.
Sitting up, Doña Margarita saw that the cat was curled up at the foot of her little bed. It was Luisa’s cat, but of late the little female cat had been coming over more and more to bed-down with her. After all, pets instinctively knew when family members needed help in their spiritual quest.
“Okay, wake up, gatita,” she said to the cat. “We have work to do today, eh?”
At first the little calico cat didn’t want to move, but finally she was up on all fours, stretching and yawning, too. Doña Margarita and the she-cat actually looked quite a bit alike. They were both old and mangy-looking, but still pretty quick once they got their old bones warmed up.
The soft, gentle rain continued making a quiet drip-dropping music outside Doña Margarita’s window as she walked across her little shack in the dark and lit a candle with a big wooden match. It was cold, so she put some paper and kindling into the wood-burning stove, lit the paper with the candle, then got some water going for coffee.
She smiled. Today, after so many years, she was finally going to meet with Dios, Himself, in the little stone church, and the Almighty was going to have an answer for her concerning el Diablo. She laughed, shaking her head. Sometimes she really couldn’t believe the situations into which she got herself. Luisa was right. She really wasn’t anything but a crazy-loca old woman.
She laughed again and blew on the little flames that had taken hold. Little by little she got the fire in the stove going pretty good. She added some sticks, blew a couple more times, then got her shawl and put on her old huaraches so she could go out to the outhouse.
At the door, she picked up her rosary, her Bible, and took her candle and went out the door. Outside, Doña Margarita was taken by surprise. Standing in the rain were a half dozen gente—mostly women—with lit candles, too, waiting for her under the avocado tree.
“Eh,” she said, with a little happy smile, “but what are you all doing, standing in the rain? Did you come to accompany me to the outhouse? Well, I’m sorry, but it’s only a one-seater. So out of my way.”
Laughing, the people parted like the Red Sea and the old Indian woman hurried past them into her outhouse. Closing the door, her sounds came instantly; big, full, strong pedo-farts and caca without any embarrassment.
One of her old lady friends had a cup of coffee waiting for Doña Margarita when she came out of the little outhouse. She accepted the cup and got underneath the big avocado tree with la gente and she sipped her coffee in big air-sucking sips as they all watched the birthing of the new day. There was thunder and flashes of lightning in the distance.
Little by little Doña Margarita got to feeling better once again. Last night, the Devil had gotten pretty unsure and he’d caused quite a stir. But Doña Margarita had held strong with her Faith in the Eternal Goodness of the Almighty, and she’d held the Devil’s hand through his outbursts and gotten him to calm down.
“All right,” she said, finishing her coffee, “I’ll just wash my face, then we’re on our way con el favor de Dios.”
She put down her cup on the stack of firewood under the avocado tree, went inside, washed her face, then came back out. More people had gathered. They now walked briskly to church.
From inside of her home, Luisa watched her mother and her dozen old friends go up the dirt street and out of the barrio. Luisa wanted no part of them. In her opinion, they were just a bunch of old, toothless women and a few crippled, old men with a herd of grandchildren. Some of these women and men were even older than her mother—gente de la Revoluction—with missing legs and arms and scarred faces. Luisa just couldn’t understand why they’d be starting up all this trouble with God, Himself. Hell, they were lucky just to be alive!
Luisa came out of her house and watched them continue up the street with their limps and crutches as lightning illuminated the whole Father Sky in the east. Part of her really wished that she had a little more faith so she could join them, but she didn’t. She’d just seen too much terror to have much faith in the eternal goodness of life or God. Tears came to her eyes. She’d seen her brothers and sisters killed all around her, and her first husband Jose-Luis, the love of her life, shot at their dinner table by two little thieving soldiers trying to steal their food.
Then Luisa saw a huge terrible Bolt of Lightning EXPLODE with a THUNDEROUS ROAR just beyond her mother and her friends, and overhead
Now Luisa couldn’t tell where Earth ended and the Heavens began.
“Mama” said Luisa, putting her hands together in prayer. “Oh, what have you gone and done?”
Doña Margarita was singing as she and her friends went out of the barrio, going into the well-paved streets of the Anglo part of Corona. La gente took up the Holy Song of Glory Be To God, and they continued across the Anglo part of town, raindrops coming down from Heaven, Blessing them.
Some Anglos—hearing the singing—came to their windows and they saw a sorry-looking lot of poor, old Mexicans singing in the rain and cupping their free hand over their candle so that the rain wouldn’t put out their flame.
Seeing one old Anglo lady looking out her window at them, Doña Margarita gave her a glorious smile, feeling so happy that she gave a little dance, shuffling her old feet. The old Anglo woman laughed and ran across her house to get her coat. By the time they got to the steps of the little stone church half a dozen Anglos had joined them. They had no candles with them, but they did have umbrellas and raincoats.
Doña Margarita and all her people could feel the Singing of the Stones of the Church as they started up the stairs. This was when Luisa suddenly came rushing up, yelling, mama, we’re coming with you, too!”
“Oh, this is wonderful,” said the old woman, seeing her daughter rushing up with her grandchildren. “You have finally seen the Light!”
“Light, hell!” said Luisa. “I just don’t want to be left out!”
La gente burst out laughing, and Doña Margarita took her daughter in her arms. “You are a good daughter,” she said. “A fine daughter, and I admire your honesty. Welcome, mi hijita, to this New Glorious Day that’s long overdue!”
Then she turned to her three grandchildren. “Thank you for coming, too,” she said.
“Is God really waiting for you inside of the church, mamagrande?” asked Luisa’s middle son.
“Isn’t He always waiting for us, mi hijito?” asked the old woman. “And today Our Holy Father, awaits especially happy ... for He sees that we are finally stepping forth, beyond our childish self-imposed illusions of fear and separation and rejoining Him in His Full Glory—across the entire land! Come, give me your hand, and you’ll see!”
Saying this, she turned with Luisa and grandchildren in hand, and they continued up the steps to the entrance of the church, and that was when the thick, heavy oak doors of the Stone Church suddenly opened wide all by themselves and they saw that the entire Holy Structure was jam-packed Full of Angels!
Angels were Everywhere, gliding this way and that way, over la gente as they all came pouring into the Church!
Then Doña Margarita saw that everyone, from all of her past, was Here, too!
Her father, Don Pio, who’d died more than a dozen years ago, was Here!
Her mother, Silveria, who’d passed over almost twenty years ago, was Here, too!
And Here were also all of her children whom she’d lost in that terrible Revolution!
Doña Margarita’s old, wrinkled-up eyes overflowed with tears!
Why, Everyone was Here for those who had the Eyes to See!
And it was the same for all of la gente who’d had the Faith to come this morning—they, too, now had Here, before them—Everyone from out of their Earth-Past!
It was GLORIOUS!
WONDROUS! MIRACULOUS!
HEAVEN and EARTH were UNITED as ONE!
And then Father Ryan was ready to begin mass, and he looked so handsome.
Doña Margarita gave un grito de gusto—she just couldn’t help herself! For Here was also her old amiga, who’d given her life for them back in their mountains de Jalisco when those soldiers had turned their dogs loose on them!
And Here were also the two giants—her nephews Basilio and Mateo—grinning ear to ear like the happy children that they’d always been!
EVERYONE was REALLY HERE!
And their torn bodies were intact!
Then Here was also that child—who’s lifeless body she’d taken in her hands in the river the day the American soldiers had opened fire on them in El Paso and those well-dressed people had watched from the shade of their grand carriages—and she, this child, was now whole!
Doña Margarita and this Angel Child now hugged in a big abrazo, and this Child now stepped forward and began to Sing, leading all the Angels in chorus!
A million Light Years of Illumination was coming to Be!
And Doña Margarita now knew that she, and all the people who’d come with her, had just passed through the Gates of Heaven and they were now United as One in this Holy Place where Angels Sang the Song of God— Here on Earth as it is in Heaven.
But then she suddenly remembered the Devil. “Excuse me,” she said, “I’ll be right back.” She hurried back out the front doors of the stone church. In her excitement, she’d forgotten all about Lucifer. She hoped to God that he was still waiting outside with his roses in hand.
Glancing around outside, Doña Margarita didn’t see him at first, but then Here he was, standing under a tree with roses in hand in the soft, gentle rain drip-dropping all over him. She called to him. “Come on,” she shouted, “everyone is waiting!”
But Lucifer didn’t move. He just stood Here looking very unsure of himself.
Doña Margarita walked over to him. “Look,” she said, “come on, we can’t very well go on without you. Remember, as I told you, you are the whole reason we put this together. Come, give me your hand, and I’ll walk inside with you.”
But the Greatest Angel ever Created still wouldn’t move. He was scared. For truly, he’d never stopped Loving the Almighty.
“Look, Lucifer,” said Doña Margarita, “you and I have had a lot of runins over the years, but frightened or shy I’ve never found you to be, so come on.”
But still he wouldn’t move. No, he just stood, roses in hand, kicking the dirt like a nervous young boy.
“Lucifer,” said Doña Margarita, finally growing impatient, “you take my hand and come inside right now! Let’s face it, what other choice do you have, eh? Nobody is afraid of you anymore. Hell, little kids are now starting to out-devil the Devil, so basically, you did your work so well for so long that now you’re out of a job unless you take my hand right now and we take Creation to a Whole New Level!”
Hearing this Lucifer smiled a big beautiful smile, looking at Doña Margarita with such Love and Respect, then he started laughing con carca-jadas! No one, but no one, had ever spoken to him like this. “Okay,” he said, taking her old, wrinkled-up hand, “lead the way. I’m all yours, Margarita!”
“You bet your sweet ass you’re mine,” she said, “because I’m a grandmother and I got children and grandchildren, and all this fear caca has got to stop! The world was never flat, and we’re no longer going to pretend that it ever was!”
And so the Whole Stone Church was Rocking, Singing, Dancing con gusto when Doña Margarita came in the doors with Lucifer in hand.
And Here was Father Ryan and Maria, la Virgen de Guadalupe, the Mother of God—just as she and Doña Margarita and Father Ryan had planned it—and Maria now came forward, greeting Lucifer. And she, Doña Margarita, a Woman of Substance, handed over Lucifer to Maria. and together the priest and the Mother of Jesus led the Angel of Darkness down the aisle back to God.
You could smell the “fear” coming off Lucifer.
You could hear the Heart of the Universe Beat, Beat, Beating.
The One Collective HEART-CORAZóN of All Living Life was Beat, BEAT, BEATING! POUNDING con AMOR!
And Lucifer, holding the Holy Mother’s hand, looked as nervous and anxious as a young handsome groom going to his wedding, as the Blessed Virgin led him up the center aisle.
Father Ryan Prayed and Blessed them with his smok
At the altar, Maria gave Lucifer a small kiss on the cheek, patted his hand in reassurance, and sent him up alone to the altar to re-meet with the Almighty and Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ.
Everyone inside the Church held their Breath.
The Whole Stone Church was now Vibrating with so much Love that the Mother Earth, Herself, began to purr!
The soft, gentle rain continued all over the land, and all living life rejoiced!
And Jesus, the Pure Note of Creation, now stepped forward to take both of Lucifer’s hands in His.
But Lucifer was so frightened that he looked like he might bolt, until Jesus smiled. And His Holy Smile was so warm and Full of Compassion that Lucifer’s Heart-Corazón melted and he was able to hold.
Jesus kissed Lucifer on the right cheek, then the left cheek, and said, “Welcome, Home, Our Greatest Angel! You’ve done your job, my Holy Brother, so the time has come for you to rejoin Nuestra Familia.”
Tears BURST from Lucifer’s eyes. “Thank You, my Lord God’s Son!” he said.
And Jesus then turned, gift-giving Lucifer’s right hand to the Lord Almighty, Who stood up to receive!
And when Their Holy Hands Touched, HEAVEN EXPLODED WIDE OPEN!
MOTHER EARTH WHIRLED, STARS BURST, and ALL of CREATION joined in with One VERSE, One SONG, One SYMPHONY OF GODING GOOD GOD!
And over to one side the Blessed Mother took Doña Margarita’s hand and said, “Thank you, señora! For she could see how thrilled was Her Husband, GOD ALMIGHTY!
“Thank you!” said Doña Margarita to Maria. “We did it!”
“Yes, we did,” said Maria.
“We kicked Heaven’s Ass!”
Maria laughed. After all these years there was still just nothing she could do to get this earthly old woman from using such spicy language.
God drew Lucifer close, looking at him Eye to Eye, then gently drew him forward in an abrazo de corazón!
And thusly Father Ryan began High Mass.
Part Seven