Beautiful

10. The Truth Shall Set You Free

The Truth Shall Set You Free 

"Abuela, Qu mintió a mí, a hacerme ir a la iglesia!" Tierra whined, like a spoiled two-year-old, behind the safety of the closed doors of her office. "I got out the cab, and was like; I'm going to kill him! I mean how could he do that to me?"

"Aquarian lie to you, to take to you church? If you no want to go, why go in?" Nana Rodriquez questioned her granddaughter.

"Well...., I Hmm... I mean... He dared me to, that's why!" she stuttered, realizing how childish she sounded, though her reason was the truth.

"Peaches," that was the special name, Tierra's Abuela, called her, ever since she was one-years-old.

'That's all you would eat, peaches,' her Abuela explained, one day when asked why she always called her that. 'Your papa, couldn't get you to eat anything else. I thought you would turn into a peach.'

"Besides," she continued, "how do you know God did no tell Qu to dare you? Maybe he knew that would get you inside."

"Are you saying that God tricked me? It would figure. In fact, that's what the lady at the church said."

"Señora, Que Señora, peaches?" Tierra couldn't help but to smile. She knew this was going to happen. Whenever she talked to her Abuela, she'd start off in English, but end up speaking Spanglish. She'd start with a word here and there in Spanish. Before long though, she'd be speaking full Spanish.

After Tierra's father passed, she used to feel sorry for her mother. Tierra's father was Cuban, her mother was Black, and American Indian, of the Sequoia tribe. Her mother only knew the few words that her father taught her, and that she picked up over the years. But when Nana Rodriquez would go off on a tangent... she'd lay into her... like Ricky would on I Love Lucy when Lucy did something crazy. Except Tierra could tell her Abuela did it, just because she knew her daughter-in law could barely understand what she was saying.

"Some lady, she was standing in the hallway at the church. She asked me if I wanted to go in, but I wasn't going in. I waited for Qu in the hall."

"Tierra Rodriquez!" her Abuela snapped, her Spanish rant on full throttle, "Oh Dios mío Tierra, no en la casa de los dioses! Yo stood in the hallway para tu pardre? I know your mother, and I raised you with more respect for God's house than that!"

"Si, you did, and that's exactly why I didn't go in. You don't get it Abuela. I was being way more respectful in the hallway, than if I went inside the sanctuary."

"What happen to you? This is no my peaches. Mi Chica, that couldn't wait till Youth Sunday so she could sing her heart para tu Dios. La bebe would leave su casa before Madre y mi, la primera in her Sunday school class. Tu dado la espalda a Dios, ¿por qué?"

"Abuela, just leave it alone, Okay? I have my reasons for turning away from church and God. It's for me to deal with. I'm a grown woman now, 'buela. You and mom can't make me go to church anymore," she replied in full on defense mode. She was glad she was 800 plus miles away. Grown or not Abuela would have knocked her out for her tone. She just was not ready to tell anyone about her issue with God. Besides trying to keep up with Nana's Spanglish was making her head spin. Pick a language already!

"Young Lady, I am no too old to get on a plane. Don't think I won't. And you will buy me the ticket and I come there, and put you over my knee. Then turn around and come back home. You answer me now!"

Tierra could see her Abuela standing in the kitchen, her small frail hands on her wide hip, tapping her foot on the light-colored tiles. She smiled.