A Camilo Madrigal Story: Josephine's Dream

Chapter 11: Josephine

Josephine had immediately gone to the green section the second they'd entered the dress shop. It was her favorite color, after all. She'd tried on a few poofy ones, but they were too heavy for her to walk in. She wanted a dress she could party in. And then, she'd found the perfect one.

It was still a bit large, but it wasn't as large as the other ones. It had a white top embroidered with flowers and an emerald green skirt. She showed it to her mother, who clapped her hands together, saying "That's the one!"

Josephine grinned, and with the dress now in her possession, she left the shop feeling satisfied.

Josephine entered her house to find the whole family there, including a delicious, pink-iced cake and a lovely decorated house. There were colorful streamers and balloons everywhere, and it filled Josephine with birthday-eve joy.

"I made tamales!" Julio called, inviting everyone to the table. They sat down and enjoyed a meal together, talking and filling each other in on the details of their lives. Josephine loved their meals together. It made her wish they would always stay here, always be a family. But she knew Carlos would be going to Venezuela in a few months to study architecture. And Nico wouldn't always be there, either, for in a few years he, too, would travel somewhere for college.

And Josephine knew her parents wouldn't always be there, either. They were getting older, and Josephine knew that by the time she planned to go to North America in a few years, she would still want to be close to her mother and father, to take care of them, like they had taken care of her.

"I love you guys." Josephine said, and the family turned towards her. Carlos scoffed, but he was smiling. Mabel put her hand on top of Josephine's, and Marta and Julio Irene smiled at their daughter.

"I can't believe you're turning 16!" Juno shouted, wriggling in his chair. Josephine laughed, and winked at her little brother,

"Exactly 8 years older than you." And Juno frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. Layla stuck her tongue out at Josephine, but she was giggling.

"Ok, ok, time to clear the table!" Marta Irene stood up, and clapped her hands together. Josephine stood up, too, and grabbed her plate, but her father stopped her,

"Not you, Jos. It's bad luck for you to do any work right before your big day!" He grinned, taking Josephine's plate. Josephine raised an eyebrow at him,

"Who says that?" Julio Irene just shrugged and kissed the top of Josephine's head,

"I just did. Happy almost-birthday, mi hija." Josephine smiled, and watched as her family cleaned the kitchen, signing along to the radio. Even Josephine's Abuela Gina looked happy, for once in her sad, lonely life. She caught Josephine's eye and winked at her, to which Josephine blushed in surprise. She smiled back, and then turned away, hoping to not ruin the little moment.

~*~

After the kitchen was spotless, they kids began to get ready for bed. Josephine washed up and put on her lace nightgown, that she'd never worn before. It was a bit too transparent for Josephine's liking, but she was sleeping in her own house, so for once, she didn't care. She and Mabel shared a room, and Josephine's bed was closest to the wall. The walls were painted a light shade of pink, and the room was a mess. Clothes hung on the rocking chair in the corner of the room, drawers were hanging open and the beds were unmade.

Neither Josephine nor her sister were neat-freaks, so they thrived in the messiness of the room together. Usually, the cleaned it on Sundays (Mabel swept, Josephine dusted), but it went back to being dirty by the next weekend.