This choice: Alexis Fuentes, an 18 year old Latina • Go Back...Chapter #4Alexis Fuentes, an 18 year old Latina by: SWLatina In Mexico, and in Mexican communities in the United States, there is no greatever event in a young woman's life than the fiesta de quince años, the celebration of her fifteenth birthday. It is the transition from childhood to young womanhood.
Less well known, and often dreaded by the honoree, is the pequeña fiesta del decimoctavo cumpleaños. It is the acknowledgment of a shrunken woman's eighteen birthday, where she becomes the "small wife" of the man who buys her wedding contract. A man can take a small wife but is not required to show her fidelity. Indeed, he can take a regular wife, and is only required to have his regular wife's permission prior to their marriage to keep his small wife.
The origin of the tradition of the small wife are lost in history. There are existing tales among Native people in Mexico and Central America of women being born miniaturized, and only growing to six inches in height. Legend and myth always attest to their great beauty, and some are spoken of doing heroic deeds in epic tales.
In 1568, the daughter of a Veracruz family was the first person of European descent to be born miniaturized.
Since then, less than one percent of women in families living in, or originating from Mexico, are born miniaturized. Governments and Non-governmental organizations alike have tried to work to prevent the trafficking of the tiny women, and are for the most part successful, but in poor families, their tiny, beautiful daughters are considered a great windfall. So the tradition of the small wife continues.
Alexis Fuentes is the oldest of six children, and the only miniature one. She has a flawless complexion, dark lustrous straight hair that falls to her waist, soulful brown eyes, fit, trim and possession luscious curves. She is standing nervously on the table in her most colorful dress, waiting to meet her new husband. Her mother and father are both undocumented workers, but along with the money Alexis future husband is going to pay, he is using his contacts to get them their citizenship.
Alexis' heart sinks when her new husband walks into the room. He is old, fat, greasy, bald and is smoking a foul cigar. Every part of his body seems to be covered by rolls of fat.
Alexis' face must have shown her revulsion, because her father and mother turn white in fear. The fat man just laughs.
"Don't worry, little one," he says, leaning down toward Alexis. It takes all of Alexis not to gag at his breath. "I am here to arrange the marriage, not to enter one. Miguel, came in and meet your new small wife."
Eighteen year old Miguel enters the room, and he is nothing like his father. The piercing blue eyes are particular set off by his light olive skin and dark hair. Alexis will find out that Miguel is very nice, gentle, polite and indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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