THE PRINCE & THE PRINCESS (TWO TALES OF HOPE)
BY R. MIRANDA
Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a beautiful young girl. She had long, flowing black hair with green eyes and smooth white skin. A descendant of the noble Castilian caste living in 1900s Spain, she knew her fate was cast, and her marriage arranged. That didn’t stop her romantic dreams about a faraway land across the sea. She had heard so many stories about that land, called America. Her name was Sara, or Sarah, as she imagined she would be called …
On the Yucatan Peninsula, separated from Spain by thousands of miles of ocean, lived a young boy. He, too, was noble, a direct descendant of the ancient Mayan civilization. His skin was fair, and he had striking blue eyes. As Salvador grew into manhood, life on the peninsula sparked his wanderlust. It wasn’t long before he ventured east to the city of Veracruz and out into the world beyond.
The fated day of Sara’s arranged marriage grew closer, and her dreams of America took on urgency. Living in the port city of Huelva, she would sneak away to the docks every chance she had. She would sit for hours and stare out across the Gulf of Cádiz, into the Atlantic Ocean.
Salvador had become a well-traveled man by the time he reached the port city. His once-fair skin had darkened from the many hours under the sun along his journey. It didn’t take him long to land a job as a stevedore. Sometimes at night he would stare out across the gulf into the Atlantic Ocean. One day, a dark-haired beauty interrupted his reverie. He could tell that she was native to these parts, and he sensed that she was longing for adventure beyond the city limits — perhaps beyond the gulf. He was smitten. He set out to woo her with his stories of travel. Perhaps this was the bride that he secretly hoped would bring a chance to start a family, with lots of children!
As fate would have it, the ember of hope Sara held in her heart about a life in America was sparked into a raging flame of desire. She had met Rafael, a tall, dark, and handsome young man, whose otherwise fair skin was tanned by the sun and the salty sea mist. As time went on, she would rendezvous with the handsome man on a secluded pier. She was fascinated by the stories he would share with her of his many travels across land and sea. When she asked him about America, sadly he had no stories to share. Sensing her sadness and her desire for adventure, he quickly said, “You and I will go to America together and have our own adventures!” She fell in love with the young man at that exact moment. Hope was alive!
Salvador had won the heart of the dark-haired girl. Plans were made and dreams were shared of how life would be in America. A promise was made to build a house with a white picket fence and a lawn made of clover. Hope of a life in California was alive and doing well — how apropos that his soon-to-be bride’s name meant “happiness” — Felicitas.
Over the next few days Sara made plans of how she would only pack what was necessary. There was talk of a new marriage, one that wasn’t arranged by her parents. There was talk of children, which was fine, after all — her suitor was dashingly handsome, and his roguish looks only added to his mystique. She really was in love. A good thing she was leaving this country for good. Her family would never stand for her marrying a Gypsy of all things! Yeah, America was the only hope for Rafael and Sara to truly be happy. She had never heard much about California, but it seemed like a great place to start a new life. | RM
R. MIRANDA WAS BORN IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA. HE IS NATIVE AMERICAN (MAYAN, APACHE, YAQUI) AND SPANISH/ROMANIAN. HIS WRITING IS A FORM OF POSITIVE FOCUS AND HEALING AND EXPRESSION.
