La Quinceañera

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by GibbonsJMa

by GibbonsJMa

María tried to compose herself. She wiped the tears from her face and reapplied her make-up. She heard a knock on the door and rushed to her feet. She fluffed her hair and smoothed her dress. Iris and Jasmin entered. They both looked stunning in her lilac dresses. María smiled.

"Chica, are you ready yet? Everyone is starting to get anxious," Iris said.

"Even the boys are freaky out a little bit." Jasmin flicked her wrist for emphasis as she spoke.

"Is Tío Angel here yet?"

Both girls looked at their shoes. María allowed her body to sink with her heart. Fortunately for her body the chair stopped it from a hard landing on the floor. Her heart seemed to be barreling down an abyss that didn't have an end.

"María!" The girls ran to her side. Standing on opposite sides, they put their arms around her and squeezed tight.

"Why am I here? Why am I doing this?" Her words tussled with her sobbing to leave her mouth.

"Because, it's your party. Hermanita, all will be well," Iris said, "I promise."

"How can anything be bien when I don't have anyone to dance with? Tío Angel isn't here, papa isn't here... no one is here for me. I'm all by myself."

"By yourself!" Jasmin's voice echoed across the room. "You seriously think you are by yourself."

Jasmin stormed to the door and opened it causing the other members of María's court of honour to fall into the room. Together with Iris and Jasmin, it comprised five girls, her damas, and five boys, her chambelanes. The girls wore matching strapless, babydoll dresses and the boys wore matching three piece suits. María's full length off-white gown had lilac beads on the bodice to match the girls' dress.

Jasmin pulled María to her feet and pointed while she spoke, "Emma and Lily spent a year learning the waltz just so they could do this with you and not look like total twats. Lukas came all the way from Manchester, that's a nine hour train ride, by himself. Even Philip went to mass with you this morning and he's atheist."

María laughed.

"I know we're not the family you thought you'd have for this, but we love you like family and we're all here for you."

Everyone gathered around María and embraced her. María's heart slowly crawled up the wall of the abyss. She'd been so blessed in all of this. When her family moved to the UK two years ago so her father could get treatment, she'd thought her world was over: no more friends, no cousins, with an ailing papa. She'd met Jasmin & Philip her first visit to the oncology ward. They clicked instantly. Her father's illness made the family grow closer to Christ and the church family she got as a result made dealing with his death a bit easier.

"I love you guys," María's heart was now in her throat: full recovery. "But I still don't have a dance partner."

"What am I? A quesadilla." The voice that spoke was deep, warm, comforting and familiar. María knew her waltz was going to be muy bien.