Beautiful Carmencita and other short stories

Beautiful Carmencita

She was the most beautiful girl in town--Carmencita Marquez. At the age of twelve, suitors already lined up in front of her house's door. They brought her the nicest gifts--flowers fresh from Dampa, chocolates imported from other countries, and famous delicacies from all over the country. They would hover around her in the mornings when she was on her way to school and wait until they heard her light footsteps as she walked back home during the afternoons. They were intoxicated by her natural grace, the softness of her long black hair, the bright sparkles in her eyes, and her cheerful demeanor. She was unlike any other, they all agreed; and they believed that even the prettiest enchantress could never outmatch the beauty of Carmencita Marquez. However, the young lady turned down all her suitors and as soon as she graduated from high school, her family moved to a bigger city where she could finish her studies.

So much was the fame of Carmencita's beauty that, many years later, when the homecoming of her high school batch was announced and the townspeople received news of Carmencita's attendance, the whole town seemed to shiver in anticipation.

As the gates of the school opened to welcome back its alumni, all turned their heads in search of the lost beauty. A couple of minutes before the start of the program, Carmencita descended from a tricycle. Her feet were covered by old sandals, revealing calloused toes and unpolished nails. Her blouse, the most formal she could find in her closet, did not match her faded skirt. Lost were her long soft black hair and sparkling eyes, replaced by coarse gray hair tied in a bun and tired eyes on a wrinkled face rubbed with baby powder. Carmencita the Beauty was no more. The middle-aged woman who entered the school was no more than Mrs. Carmencita Cruz--a poor wife and mother of five children.

In truth, the townspeople were not at all surprised by what they had seen. Someone had already heard from someone who heard from somebody what had happened to Carmencita. They just wanted to see her in person. They were all well-informed that right after finishing her university degree, Carmencita Marquez married a certain Mr. Cruz who later on became a lowly-paid employee and had never been promoted even once due to his natural lack of skills. Carmencita had wanted to contribute more to their finances but she was already pregnant and realized that she could contribute more to the family by taking care of their twins since her husband and she could not afford to add in their expenses the salary of a nanny. Then there came a time when the small business of baked cookies being run by Mr. Cruz's eccentric parents started earning a bit more than they expected that the old couple was blinded by the possibility of becoming a future business magnate. They urged Carmencita and her husband to produce a son since their twins were both girls. A year later, Carmencita conceived a child, but it also turned out to be a female. Her next pregnancy produced the same result. Nevertheless, she worked hard taking care of the girls while helping the family business. It was when she was bearing her fifth child that her in-laws' business became bankrupt. Burdened by the debts caused by desperately trying to save the dying bakery shop, they were forced to sell everything they could to avoid the anger of the loan sharks. In the midst of this chaos, Carmencita's youngest was born. He was a boy with a round face, round eyes, and small fingers. Even after five years, he hadn't uttered a single word. He was said to be autistic.

Despite the challenges she had faced, her cheerful demeanor still remained in Carmencita. She greeted everybody with a smile as she wandered through the halls and found a seat where she could stay. The music was loud, drowning everyone's noise until the program started and Mr. Teofilo Buenaventura went up to the stage to deliver a speech. He was as handsome as ever. Teofilo was one of those who were madly in love with Carmencita and who she flatly rejected. No one expected that years later he would be able to handle several businesses and even open a mining company in some rich island.

The people glanced between him and Carmencita. "Serves her right," they said to each other pertaining to Carmencita. "Bet she didn't expect that to happen." The people had already developed a feeling of resentment towards her. They hated her assumed pride for being the most beautiful lady in their town during their youth and how, according to them, stuck up she was for rejecting every suitor in their town and leaving in hopes of finding a better future in a bigger city. They looked at her with disgust, exchanged comments with disgust.

Carmencita was not deaf. She had heard all that was being said about her. So with all the little ounces of dignity left in her frail body, she stood up, exited the hall, and headed back to her home.

Since it was already late, her family was already asleep. Carmencita slumped at their cold wooden floor and was about to think of the glares and the comments of the people in her old town, about what had happened to her life, and about how perhaps they were right about her being stuck up or stupid, she felt a tiny hand touch her arm. It was her youngest, little Carmelito. She stared at his round face and his round eyes and watched as his lips formed into shapes as he stuttered, "M-m-a... M-mama." Little Carmelito's soft voice was carried straight into Carmencita's heart. It was the first word that her son was able to say. Her eyes suddenly welled with tears. She tightly hugged the boy in her thin arms.

During the darkness of the night, Carmencita's house turned their lights on. Joyful voices echoed from their shelter, spreading out towards the streets. The beautiful Carmencita thought that if the prize of the life she had chosen was being the wife of her beloved husband and being blessed by five lovely angels, then she wouldn't have it the other way.