American Girl

Texas

Gabriella del Barrio became a citizen of the Republic of Texas on March 2, 1836. She did not become a citizen by choice but rather by circumstance. Coahuila y Tejas, provinces of Mexico, split away to govern alone. Her family had a choice to move further into Mexico or become Texans. Rather than uproot themselves from their home, they decided to stay.

Gabriella's mother owned and operated a desert cantina. It was the only place for travelers to eat or quench their thirst for miles. They could board in the bunkhouse for the night and stable their horses for one peso. It was a lucrative business since people traveled great distances along the Texan trails.

Gabriella and her sister, Inez, served meals to their guests. During the evenings, men gathered in the bar. They became rowdy most nights, singing drunken songs and grabbing at the girls. Mama oversaw them and intervened when the situation became too rough. Gabby took them in stride, laughing and teasing playfully. For her, it was all fun. She knew the men and knew they would never harm her.

Mama wore a long red dress with white applique flowers on the flounces. Her ruffled top exposed her caramel-colored shoulders, and her long black hair shimmered in the lantern light. When the mood took her, she clicked castanets and danced amongst the cantina's patrons. Gabriella perched on the bar playing her guitar, and Inez shook the maracas.

The del Barrio family appeared to enjoy life, but Gabriella was concerned. Her beloved Papa was with the Texas Defenders at the Alamo's Mission in San Antonio de Bexar. A rider had passed by earlier with news that Santa Anna had the Alamo under siege. Her mother assured her that Papa was safe. After all, he always came home. She insisted they push their fears aside and run the cantina as usual.

"Mama, are you sure Papa's all right?" Gabby asked. She had followed her mother to the storehouse when she went to get more tequila.

"My Jose is safe, Mija," Mama stated, cupping Gabriella's chin and looking into her deep brown eyes. "Have you ever known your Papa to not return? You will see him riding across the desert any day now with that remarkable grin covering his road grimy face."

"Yes, Mama." Gabby hugged the bottles her mother handed her. She plodded back to the cantina, still worried about her father.

"No tears, Mija." Mama turned toward her at the cantina's back door. "Don't worry Inez, and no solemn faces for the customers, okay?"

"Yes, Mama." The tequila bottles clattered together as she entered the saloon. Her mother took them from her quickly and set them on the shelves behind the bar.

"Happy faces, remember?" A slight smile crossed Mama's lips.

Gabriella nodded. She stepped behind the bar and began serving drinks. Inez moved between the crowded tables, taking orders and delivering libations. She smiled brightly, but her eyes told a different story.

The cantina remained open long past the regular closing time. If their customers went home, Gabriella del Barrio knew the midnight silence would unnerve them. The little family would never sleep, not knowing what was happening at the Alamo. They sang and danced while the men drank and told wild stories.

"Are you all right?" Inez asked under her breath as they passed between the tables.

"No," Gabby sighed, glancing furtively toward Mama. "I could burst into tears any moment."

"Me too." Inez's voice hitched. "If Mama ever closes this place, I'll collapse."

"I don't think she's going to close, not tonight," Gabriella whispered. "She doesn't want to face her desperate thoughts."

The girls bustled around each other, one heading toward the tables, the other the bar. When dawn appeared over the horizon, only two bar patrons were left. The two men slumped in their chairs, their hands pillowed on their arms.