Hello. This is based on another original story of mine so it might seem like there's a lot of plot around it, but I consider it to be mainly a love story. Some of the political situations discussed are fictional (and also this is set in the future) but from what I know they're similar problems to what Mexican natives face today.
***I also want to encourage you to donate to this Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, since the pandemic has made it especially difficult for these families to have access to food and other essential items. Links aren't allowed in chapters but I'll have it in my profile.
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1. Garlands
It would have been better to go back to San Jose under any other circumstance, but nothing was stopping me from going before. Only Adriana calling me made me go despite all the shame I'd been associating with that place for years. First the shame of being useless, then the shame of leaving my family.
Believing that I would go there to stay with my parents again, I brought about half of my bedroom with me in the car. I arrived for Saint Joseph's day fest, on March 19th, 2054. The community was named after Virgin Mary's husband, so it was an important event. Some 140 people live in San Jose de la Zorra, but that day there were many more, as it was to be expected. Adriana was walking towards me before I even opened the car door.
"Jorge" I heard her say to her husband, "It's Magdalena!"
"Hey" I said once I'd gone out and was walking towards her.
"Hey, how are you?" she hugged me and with that I was close to being in tears. More out of guilt than anything. But I was relieved I saw them and from what I could see, all the people I was close to were still alive. Jorge looked at me from a distance and waved.
As we walked to where the others were, her granddaughter also walked towards us but stopped some meters away. I had last seen her as a teen, but she was already 20 or so.
"Hi," she said.
"Elena" I said "Do you remember me?"
"I kinda do" she said, I was guessing she was being polite because by the time she was a teen I had become more isolated.
"She's María Magdalena" Adriana told her and pointed towards the South by tilting her head "She was with the Russians from there."
"Are you going to perform?" I asked Elena, since she was wearing a pink and brown dress.
"Uh... Yes. I play the accordion." she said.
I didn't immediately recognize the figure that walked towards us right after she said that.
"Uncle," Elena said "Do you know Magdalena?"
Once he was closer I could tell it was him. Fernando now had longer hair, and even a pierced septum, and it was stretched judging by his thick jewelry. He was as gorgeous as I remembered. His dark eyes were on me and I remembered my not very Catholic feelings towards him.
"You drove here?" he asked.
"Yes." I said.
"Usually one says 'Hi, how are you?'" Adriana told him, and started walking away to where Jorge was calling her. Elena also didn't find it interesting enough to stay with us.
I was silent but he got closer and kissed my cheek.
"You should have asked me to take you." he said "I didn't even know you'd be here."
"It was just a two-hour drive." I said "And I don't feel any safer in a motorbike."
He was still staring at me with his brown eyes.
"I've gotten better with time." I said, and looked away.
"I noticed." he said "You couldn't even speak at all the last few times I saw you."
Although I appreciated his family's politeness, I preferred his direct way of referring to my post-injury issues with normality. I owed him honesty too.
"I could speak." I said "But I knew I sounded weird so I didn't do it. Of course I realized I could only get better by speaking more."
