Chapter 18 - Sisters

“For there is no friend like a sister

In calm or stormy weather;

To cheer one on the tedious way,

To fetch one if one goes astray,

To lift one if one totters down,

To strengthen whilst one stands.”

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

The smell of grass swept by Maria when Juanita pounced from behind her onto an unsuspecting grasshopper. Dirt flew from the ground where Barbara landed in a “humph”.

“Ouchie, that hurt me.” Juanita said in a crushed voice.

“Race you to the ditch, Maria?” Juanita sprung from the ground like a jack rabbit and started pumping her seven year old arms as hard as she could.

Maria tore herself from the summer smells of the ranch and sprinted after her. Maria was confident she would overtake Juanita, Even with such a large head start. She was three years her senior and the oldest of the Chavez girls. Juanita slapped the butt of a grazing cow as she sprinted past towards the irrigation ditch. Maria stepped in some droppings and went flailing to the ground. She got up and continued towards the ditch hopelessly outdistanced.

When Maria got to the ditch, Juanita had already jumped in and was floating lazily down the ditch on her back.

Juanita waved saying, “Slow poke, get in. The water’s great.”

Maria leaped into the cool summer water washing the sting of grass burns from her arms and legs. She closed her eyes, put her head in the water and stroked hard for a half a minute.

When she looked up, Juanita was slipping around behind a tree root to hide.

“I’m going get you Juanita.”

From behind them on the trail that ran along the arojo, their mothers voice said sternly, “Que Muchachas! What did I tell you two about swimming in the ditch without asking me first? Que lastima. Now you will not get the suprise I was going to buy you today.”

They both knew they were in trouble for the afternoon. Maria, being the oldest, said, “We’re sorry, Momma. It was my idea. Juanita was just following along.”

“No, Mi Hita. It is not that easy. Juanita must take some of the blame. She too, knows not to swim in the ditch without asking me first.”

Momma wore a yellow dress that blew gently in the afternoon breeze. She cradled Barbara in her arms in a baby blue blanket. Barbara wore a yellow bonnet that matched Momma’s dress.

Momma was wearing a white shawl tied around her jet black hair that fell loosely on her shoulders. Her saddle shoes were dirty from her walk across the field.

“Come on, Mi Hitas. We are going into town to get food and supplies. Perhaps I will still find room in my heart to get you something as well.”

Maria and Juanita swam to the side of the ditch and scrambled out. It was always an exciting time to go into town and go shopping. They trudged back to their double walled adobe house through the cow pasture in their wet shoes. The smell of summer grass and cottonwoods assailed Maria just before entering the house.

“You two get dried off and change the baby. I’m going to tell your father we’re going into town.”

Maria dried off and pattered into the baby’s room on the cool satillo tile. The cool tile felt good on her bare feet. Barbara was in the crib playing with a rattle her mom had left her.

“Hi Barbara. Can you make it rattle?"

That was the summer before she met Len.