Sacred Ground

1 - The Holy Family

Don't be afraid to leave it all behind...

***

The biggest event in the town, the biggest party, and the event that everyone wanted an invitation to attend. That's what the Jubilee event of the Guerrero tequila distillery is. It was the company's 13th jubilee, 130 years in business.

It was my father's pride and joy. Ever since my grandma had passed it down to him, he was ecstatic. They always passed it down to the oldest member of the family, but with my dad, the tradition broke. He was the youngest, and although I knew my uncles, and my aunt Miriam, who was the oldest, didn't like I didn't think my grandma cared too much about what they would think.

They typically celebrated the Jubilee in the courtyard of the main house, though this year they honored the agave-growing soil by opening new offices on the grounds..

Waking up that morning, I could only feel one thing: nerves. I was nervous, which was strange. I had already lived through one Jubilee; I guess the difference now was that I was older, and I actually knew what I was doing.

Upstairs, it had been nothing but constant screaming, hollering, and grunting. Hair was flying all over the place, shoes were going on and off, and even I was having my share of trouble. But when it came down to the very moment I knew what I was wearing.

I opted to go with the suit that my mother had gotten me for my birthday, the perfect occasion to wear it. A black double-breasted two-piece suit with white lining, and agave leaves embroidered into the suit jacket. Made just for me, the perfect way to honor my father and the legacy that he would one day leave to one of my sisters.

"Santi, we're getting ready to go, are you good?" Alicia walked into my room wearing a pair of white heels with a copper-orange one-shoulder dress with a slit at the leg. I knew it was suffocating her, she hated wearing anything that didn't have cleavage, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"I'm almost done, just a moment."

"Hurry, my mom wants all three of us to arrive together."

"It's not even like a five-minute walk, tell her to calm down." I didn't really understand why my dad had built the distillery offices on the grounds of my grandmother's Hacienda, it was his one decision I felt confident questioning. I did think that it was a good move on his part, great advertising, but even my grandmother wouldn't have done that.

"Santi, hurry up!" Alicia ran up to me, grabbing my diamond-encrusted "G" brooch and practically sewing me up with it as she pushed it into the lapel of my jacket. "Spray yourself down, and hurry up, Julieta's almost ready."

"Can you calm down?"

"Hurry up!" She walked out with the clicks of her heels being the only thing telling me that she was getting frustrated. "Julieta, are you almost ready!"

"I'm almost done, give me a minute!" I sprayed on my cologne, a gift from my grandmother, I loved her, but it was way too strong, I only wore it when I knew it was a special event, and when I knew there was a chance of her being there. I sprayed some hairspray over my hair, and out I went. The hall was a lot cleaner than majority of our rooms looked, at least you could still see the hardwood flooring on mine.

"Alright, let's go, are you ready to go Alicia?" Julieta stepped out into the hall wearing a white lace cutout top, with a matching pair of loose fit pants, and nothing was ever finished without a small touch of gold.

"I've been ready for the past hour, hurry up!"

"We're coming, calm down!"

"The party is starting in twenty minutes, I can't exactly calm down!" As we walked down the stairs I got a glimpse at all the house staff running around to finish final preperations before the party started. Didn't even get to see who was in the house today, only faces running around. "Mom said she wanted us there at 4:00, not 4:40."