LA MORENITA, Chapter 4

 That September, Araceli was assigned to Miss Piccolo’s kindergarten class. Miss Piccolo was a reedy-looking woman who was almost as short as her students. She had light brown hair and expressive green eyes. Araceli loved the way mellifluous phrases escaped from Miss Piccolo’s mouth like happy notes from a flute. But school itself was punishing. Araceli tried as hard as she could to please Miss Piccolo, and Miss Piccolo always treated her nicely. But Miss Piccolo didn’t seem to believe that Araceli was smart. And when it came time to assign reading groups, she put Araceli in the slowest one. Each day, Araceli came to school feeling bored and unchallenged. She yearned to be moved up into the fastest reading group instead of the group she shared with a frail, white-skinned girl named Mary Jo who always had snot running from her nose and a tall, skinny boy named Gordon who wore glasses and suspenders, and always smelled of urine. Araceli hated it when the other kids made fun of her reading group, especially when a tall, big-boned girl from the second reading group called them “Pee-Pee, Snotty and Mexie”. The girl loved the reaction she got when she said it. Whenever she felt she needed attention or a laugh, she knew she could say, “Pee-Pee, Snotty and Mexie”, and her classmates would howl with delight.
During the day when Araceli was at school and Norm was at work, Maria sang Mexican songs to baby Chad, who didn’t seem to care for Mariposa and Canta al Agua but grinned and gurgled every time she sang La Cucaracha or the Mexican Hat Dance. Maria would still be singing to Chad when Araceli came home from school angry, frustrated and ready to complain about how horrible school was. But Araceli loved it when her mother sang. Every day, when she swore she would tell her mother how much she hated school, she would hear Maria’s beautiful voice and all she wanted to do was join in. One day Maria sang a silly song called Hasta Luego, Cocodrilo, which made Chad and Araceli laugh. Araceli knew these words meant ‘After While, Crocodile’. This became the favorite song that the three of them sang together, Maria thought this was a pretty good time for everybody. Norm was making good money working overtime out in the 400 Area fifteen miles north of town. Apparently, they were building something out there called a Fast Flux Test Facility. It hadn’t escaped Maria’s notice that, even though Norm came home exhausted every day, he seemed happier than he’d been in a long time. Maria especially loved having her two children together during the day and on the
weekends when Norm worked. At least once a week, she took them in the old red Impala to the Mexican shops and restaurants in Sunnyside. Sometimes, she even went as far as the tortilla factory in Zillah. There, she and Araceli ate barbacoa in the café while Chad munched on freshly baked pan dulce. When they were done eating, Maria always took them into the little tienda on the far side of the building, where they would walk under the brightly colored piñatas that hung from the ceiling, look at comic books with Spanish words and Mexican super-heroes in them, and buy tapes of Mexican music that Maria smuggled into the house and played while Norm was away.
One afternoon Norm didn’t have to work overtime. When he entered the house, Chad was sitting in his high chair while Araceli set the table. As she placed the napkin and flatware next to each plate, she said, “Servilleta, cuchara, cuchillo, tenedor. Servilleta, cuchara, cuchillo, tenedor.” She smiled when she saw her father come in. “Pon la mesa,” she said.
"Pon la mesa,” said Chad.
Norm stormed into the kitchen.
“Oh, hi, honey,” Maria said. She kissed him on the cheek, her lips touching muscles that felt as rigid as plasterboard. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I thought we agreed. If you got to name our daughter, there’d be no speaking Spanish in this house.”
“Oh, Norm! What’s the harm of a few Mexican phrases now and then?”
“Did you think I was joking? You already know what the harm is. If they learn Spanish, they won’t learn English. Dammit! We’re Americans, Maria, not Mexicans. You don’t hear me speaking German, do you?”
“But—.”
“No buts about it. If you don’t knock off that Spanish right now, I’m going to see a lawyer and have Araceli’s name changed to Ingrid.”
Maria looked down at the floor. “Okay,” she said quietly.
Norm turned around and headed for the front door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“The Frontier Tavern,” he said.
“Don’t be long,” she said as she followed him out through the dining room. “I made meat loaf and mashed potatoes. Everything should be ready in ten minutes.”
“I’m going to eat at the bar,” he said, slamming the front door on the way out.
“Pon la mesa,” said Chad, clapping his hands. “Pon la mesa.”
Maria scowled. “Shhh!”