Chapter 2. The Family.

After the conversation that Juan had held with Pedro, he went back home, since it was already 7 pm, and the sun was already setting in the distance of the horizon, letting everyone know that the gift called present was about to perish. Along the way back home, he kept thinking of the chat he had just had with that person, and started wondering “why the other people who saw him, did not help him?”, “where is the magic of Christmas then?”, “Who is him?”, “He seems to be a nice person”, “Do people only help those one knows?”, “then help is subjected to love?”, "But, more importantly, what is love subject to?”.

His house was located in a fairly quiet neighborhood; the nights in that street were quite serene, and that became somewhat favorable for autumn nights since you could appreciate the sound of the wind caressing the leaves of the trees. Although his house was not the largest on his street, it was quite pretty, since its façade was cream-colored, with shades of brown in key points, such as pillars, or on the roof. What made his house stand out the most were the trees that accompanied you from the sidewalk to the front door, thus forming a corridor, which at Christmas time was beautiful, because it made your soul rejoice, and made you feel welcomed in a home, not in one more house The house had two floors; on the second floor there was a terrace, a place where there were a couple of lounge chairs, tables, and umbrellas, therefore, it was quite pleasant to go there to relax.

He kept wondering these questions for about 20 minutes (which is the distance between the downtown and his home). Once he got back home and came in, he greeted his parents, who were preparing dinner together. Both were in the kitchen, and they were cooking some eggs with ham and beans, while discussing the decoration and ornaments they would be using this year for Christmas, and whom they would invite to the posada they would be hosting next December 19th.

After greeting them, he went straight to his room to lie on his bed and started chatting with his girlfriend to know how her day went.

—” Hello babe! How are you? How did your day go?” typed Juan

—” Hello dear!… Well, I had a quite tough day at school. So many lectures and topics I need to study for classes, also the project report I’m currently doing is killing me… Did I tell you about that? Replied Margarita

—” About the project? I think so, but I’m not sure, could you please help me to remember?”

—” Yep, no problem. Last week we went to the lab to examine some components of different meals, and we used some strips of paper that change color depending on the components of that food. So now I basically need to write everything we observed, and also to put the pictures we took”…

They both kept chatting about some other things, that for now are not of interest, which is why I will not go deeper into this conversation. Nevertheless, it is vital to talk about them as a couple.

They had already been dating for approximately two years (January 19 was the date of their second anniversary), however, they met in 2012, that is, 10 years ago, when Juan was only 12 years old (he was born on March 14, 2000).

They met in junior high school where they both studied, they were both in the same academic grade, but in different classrooms, so the opportunities to meet were not really many, since, during breaks, Juan spent his time playing basketball with his friends, or else, she also talked with her friends about the new releases on cell phones, computers, etc...

While, Margarita, was a little shy girl, but since she was a child, she had shown to have a sweet and noble heart, such a sublime and beautiful heart, which was reflected through her smile. However, in classes she was not one to talk to many people; she preferred to converse on most occasions with the same group of girls. Therefore, while Juan was mostly on the courts, and Margarita in the dining room, a meeting between them seemed less likely than a solar eclipse, or perhaps with a bit of luck, the chances of the two of them crossing words could be reduced equating to those of contemplating an aurora borealis in the middle of November.

Despite not having crossed any word until then, their hearts and souls did not miss the opportunity to see each other every time life gave them the joy of coinciding in their walk through the school. When they met face to face and exchanged glances, they expressed things that would be indescribable for our earthly language... But a union was felt that would be forged in the most special places that lie in the firmament, there, in that same place where two souls who love each other make an indissoluble pact of union, there where these two souls unite with each other, to create a new soul that will accompany their earthly bodies, until these two stop being a prison for their spirit, and this can be so finally free in all its fullness, and merge with the cosmos, protecting and safeguarding the other souls that are still in their bodies, guiding them, teaching them what it to love is, what solidarity is, what gratitude is... More or less that was what the looks of these two little lovebirds expressed...

We are going to talk about how this romance began a while ago, their hearts will have their own deserved time and space; For now, we are to focus on what was happening with Juan and his family that night of November 25th. We stayed that Juan and his girlfriend were texting each other, talking about all the things that had taken place in their life; Margarita was telling him about the projects she must complete, the lectures she must take, and so on; Juan was about to relate her his encounter with that old man, and the feeling he got out of the conversation, when all of the sudden, like in the blink of an eye, his mother called him out for dinner, extracting him from that place, that same place where he could perceive the warm provided by Margarita’s soul, that joy granted by her marvelous voice, that place where there was not anything that could be inimical, where peace was something merely inexorable…

— “Son, your dad and I are waiting for you to have dinner together,” Said his mom while she was peering through the door.

— “I’ll be there in a minute Mom. Just let me tell Margarita I need to go downstairs for dinner” Replied Juan while getting up from bed and getting himself ready.

Once they were all together at the dining table, they began talking about what they would be doing at the upcoming Christmas party, and also whom they would invite to the posada they were organizing… The atmosphere was merely astonishing, with laughs, and smiles everywhere, they were a happy family, probably they were not the richest in the town, and surely they had problems and discussions already, as every family in the world. Nevertheless, they had a saying “Whatever we have to face, we’ll do it together, as the team we are”. They had something clear in their mind and even philosophy of life. Love is not attached to how much money you have, or how many lands belong to you; for them, love was something transcendental, that’s why, after their first trip to Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo, they declared “Chocolate” (song by Jessy & Joy) as their family musical theme.

— “Do you already know whom we are going to invite to the posada?” Asked Juan to his parents, while his parents were setting the meal on the table.

— “ We are not sure Juan. We need also to look after our budget. Your mom and I were planning to do something simple and without so much ostentation; possibly, we’ll invite your uncle Mario and your aunt Georgina, and of course your cousin Natalya. And also who else dear? Replied Carlos as he settled himself at the table to start dinner.

— “We have also said we would be inviting some of our friends, Lourdes Peralta and her husband (Lourdes had been Maria’s best friend at university), and you mentioned you wanted to invite Luis Aguilar and his family (Luis was Juan’s Godfather) and probably Christian Pinedo and his wife (Some neighbors). So I think that is ok only with them, is it not? I mean, why would we want to invite many people we barely talk to? Maria answered as she passed the plates to her husband and son.

— “Thanks mom,” Said Juan

— “Thanks Mari” Said Carlos

They continued having dinner as they were talking about how went each one's day, and what they had done; as well as they were recalling how they had spent some previous Christmas, and what they were planning to have for dinner. I want to point out that, they used to have a deep passion for Christmas, in spite that Carlos and Juan shared the same emotion and were both excited; for Maria, the story was quite different since she lost her grandmother on December 25th, some 30 years ago; Maria had considered her grandmother as her protector, so whenever she felt in danger, or her parents intended to scold her, she ran to her grandma's bedroom, like looking for a hug since in her arms she could feel safe.

They continued talking about the celebrations that were coming along in the month of November, and December; for instance, the posada, The Christmas dinner, as well as other events they would be attending; then the conversation turned to another direction. Maria and Carlos asked their son how his day went, not only at university but in general.

— “And son, tell us, how was your day?” Asked Carlos as he was pouring some water into his glass

— “It was good in general, nothing really special. We were given the new schedule for the next period at university with the teacher list.”

— “Do you know someone already? or are they totally new teachers?” asked Maria

— “Yeah… (Juan answered while making faces and sounds of dissatisfaction, and even disgust.) I know one of them. I mean he is a good person, or he seems to be, but….”

— “What happens? Seemingly for me, you do not like him at all” Maria answered with such a puzzled expression that it seemed more like bewilderment.

— “The matter is that it’s nice talking to him, he is well educated and it is very cultured; nevertheless, there were classes we discussed about anything, but not about the topic we needed to examine… Now I recall that in one class we ended up talking if my memory does not make a fool of me, we talked about marriage… I think it all started because one classmate was engaged and her bachelorette party was just around the corner, and some other classmates and friends were talking about that… One girl asked Andrés (teacher’s name) his opinion about marriage” Juan said all this while a grimace appeared on his face as a sign that he found it somewhat funny.

— ”I’ve seen some comments and posts on Facebook that nowadays some people do not look for marriage” answered Maria.

— “Yes... In fact, a couple of classmates were commenting on things like marriage is obsolete, that it's not really necessary anymore, that it's just a signed piece of paper, but that it's not a guarantee of anything... In the end, then many couples end up divorcing... I don't remember exactly which classmate commented that it didn't make much sense for him to get married in church either; that he has neighbors and acquaintances who, despite being married in the church, are unfaithful to their partners; what then how for what? that if you have love, marriage doesn't matter” Juan said that while making many gestures with his face and hands.

— “What do you think regarding marriage?” asked Juan his parents

— "Well son... to a certain extent they are right in that it is an institution, but it is important at the end of the day... For example, imagine that you occupy insurance, and you want to put your partner as a beneficiary; yes or yes, you occupy a Marriage certificate" "But isn't the concubinage already valid?" Juan asked, interrupting his mother while she was expressing her point of view.

— “Juan don’t interrupt your mother, you must learn how to ask for the floor. C’mon, let her finish what she was saying” This was what Carlos said as he was staring at Juan…

— “Sorry mom, I didn’t mean to…” Replied Juan “No you never meant to” answered Maria.

— “As I was saying... imagine you have gotten a life insurance policy, and you want to add your partner as a policyholder, or even, as a beneficiary, you will need to demonstrate that you both are married... Nonetheless, if you are only living; for instance under concubinage, here in Mexico, you need to wait some years... So in other words, as a matter of fact, marriage is practical, but it does not walk hand by hand with love...”

— "Just remember, your mother and I got married in church a couple of years ago. Mostly it was because some uncles were pushing us to get married according to the church laws, otherwise, your grandmother would not be able to get eternal rest and peace in heaven because her soul would keep wandering around this world. So in order to get rid of them hahaha, we paid heed and they organized everything.”

— “And did you think you needed to get married according to the church laws?” asked Juan

— "Not really... I mean, we lived without being married; but I must admit that the ceremony was wonderful, and the sermon that the priest said was lovely”

They continued talking about the importance of marriage nowadays, and how it was for them when Maria and Carlos were younger. The stigmas that were outside in society, where women "did not have value" if they were not married, and therefore, the tendency to marry at really early stages of life... Everything was even "bigger" or a "disaster" if back in the first mid of the 20th century, a woman got pregnant and did not have a husband, whether because they had to live separately, or because he, the father of that child, had flown away... There were two consequences there. The girl was considered a failure, like someone now worthless, now every "man" could be sniffing around her, without any kind of reprimand, or even, a tiny consequence. And for the child, on the birth certificate, it'd have the following legend "natural son of..."

There were other things they talked about, more or less related to marriage, and its significance, and Juan said "Marriage should be the real and indissoluble union of two souls that have decided to merge into a single one before God's eyes". After this conversation, they went on discussing some daily affairs and errands they must complete urgently. Nonetheless, Maria was interested in Juan's life, as every lovely and kind mother, she wished for him the best in the world, she wished for him real happiness, even though their scope for happiness were different, and even for love. So she determined to ask him how his relationship with his girlfriend was going, but, a few seconds early those words came out of her mouth, and she stopped to think a few questions real quickly "Will I sound like I want to intrude into his relationship?" "Probably if he'd want me to know something, he'd already tell me" "Should I ask him? I mean, I'm his mother, I have the right to know the people that my son interact with" "Got it! I know what I'm gonna ask him!" she thought.

—"Juan, is Margarita coming over home for the posada?"

— "I haven't asked her yet. Sorry Mom, we've been kinda busy planning some rendezvous. And also her best friend's birthday is coming next week, so she has this idea of planning for her a kinda birthday party with all their friends. But, don't worry, I'll ask her tomorrow first thing in the morning."

—"How are things with her and you?" Ask his father.

—"Amazing! I think the fact of meeting her some time ago was the best thing that could ever happen to me. She makes me feel like I am really important, and she inspires me to be a better person and to keep fighting when things are going bad or there are hindrances in the path. She pushes me up.".

— "You know something? When someone inspires you to be a better person, it means that that person has gone deeply to your heart, and even I daresay, to your soul".

— "I'm really content you have found a kind girl, and I'm pleased to have a nice son who cares about her well-being" Added Maria with an irresistible smile on her face, showing all joy escaping from her deepest and most sincere feelings.

They held that conversation for a while; but as I had mentioned previously, the relationship between Juan and Margarita will have its own space and time. After finishing dinner, Juan told to his parents that he must go to complete some tasks from university, so everyone got up from the dining table and went to their rooms...