The three Mexican women are in a dressing room used by the "main-stage performers" of the 2014 Cervantino Festival. This ten-day event, located in the historical pueblo of Guanajuato, Mexico is the largest festival of art in Latin America. Caylee Adela Cervantes Piña rehearses the first song on her playlist in front of her Abuela and mom.
Soy Caylee,
Que le importa?
I got my story
Voy a exportarla
Words are magic
I won't exploit ya
Just a human
A musical Adelita
I'm an MC
MC Quixote
I'm DJ
Now don't ya scold me
Soy Caylee,
Que le importa?
This is my story
Don't want a bore ya
Soy Latina
Soy Mexicana
Virginista
Y Malinchista
Soy Azteca
Soy Loca
Soy Español
What's it to ya?
Tengo mi Raza
Sangre mezclada
De Aztlán
Y Europa
Sangre de Moctezuma
Sangre de Cervantes
En El Norte
Me siento como nadie
Soy Caylee
Que le importa?
This is my story
Don't want to bore ya
MC Quixote
Throughout the ages
I'm right here with you
Just turn these pages
There's a pause, and then,
"Bravo, bravo mi amor!" Abuela and Caylee's mom deliver a round of applause and Abuela breaks the surge of emotion with a question,
"What pages?" Caylee looks at her confused.
"The end of your song Caylee, it says something about, pages?"
"Oh, yea. Uhm, OK. When I wrote this, I thought it was going to be part of a book, maybe it still will."
"And you named this song Que le importa?"
"Yea, it's kind of a long story."
"I'm all ears Que-lita."
"Ok, ask me my name."
"What?"
"Ask me my name. Abuela, you have to ask me my name to understand the story."
"OK mija."
With a slow, over exaggerated delivery Abuela asks,
"Cual es tu nombre?"
Caylee gives a sly grin and nods her head,
"Caylee, Que le importa?"
Grandma raises her kerchief and cackles and Caylee's mom joins in the laughter. Then Abuela starts to cry and Caylee's mom joins her again.
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa! It's supposed to be a joke; I don't want any tears. I'll start crying and my makeup will run."
It's too late, Caylee is swept up with all the emotion contained within this medieval corridor. This room of stone and blood is now filled with all the time and distance they've had away from each other over the last six years. The tears now released; they'd been lying dormant just underneath everything from the moment the three were reunited.
They cry together and hold each other, an embrace of three strong Mexican women on this stone that has held a history of sacrifice for over a thousand years. Caylee muttering,
"It's so hard up there mama, it's so hard."
Caylee pulls her mom and grandma closer and releases something from deep inside of her being; it rises from her gut, shivers out of her torso, and leaves her body in the form of shakes and tears. Caylee knows she will have to return to Utah.
"Yea, Que le importa? – What's it to you?
YOU ARE READING
MC Quixote
General FictionThis story is about a fifteen year old moving from Mexico to the United States with her deaf father. She experiences many challenges and turns to writing songs and creating music to overcome the difficulties of moving to a new culture while growing...
