The Feria

THE FERIA

JULIA BADE

SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

New York

THE FERIA

Copyright©2012

JULIA BADE

Cover Design by Rae Monet, Inc.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Published in the United States of America by

Soul Mate Publishing

P.O. Box 24

Macedon, New York, 14502

ISBN-13: 978-1-61935-099-1

www.SoulMatePublishing.com

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

First and most importantly, I give thanks to God for everything.

To my husband Eddie: You are my soul-mate. More than a decade later, it still feels like day one. Even amid the lack of sleep, little boys invading our bed at 5 in the morning, karate class, kindergarten, teenagers and diaper duty, it’s the life that we’ve built together, and it’s beautiful. My heart still skips when I hear your truck pull into the driveway, and I know that my love is home.

To my three little boys, Eddie, Andrew and Daniel, and my bonus babies, Alexa and Benny, who are now almost all grown: I love you with my whole heart and soul. You make me proud every day.

To my mom and dad: I love you both. You have hearts of gold. Thank you for everything you do for my family and me. Thanks for your unconditional love during the hard times, and thank you for supporting my dreams and goals through college, professionally, and personally.

To my daddy: I think of you every day, and I hope you are proud. Thank you and mom for always working so hard to give your six children everything we needed and almost always, the things we wanted, even when it seemed impossible. Thank you both especially for getting me my first typewriter and reading every story I typed out.

To my mother and father-in-law Lupe and Eduardo: I am so blessed to be a part of your family. I love you and your family with my whole heart. Thank you for your son.

To our grandparents: Grandma Cholita, Grandma and Grandpa Farley, Mama Ramona and Papa Nati: we will never forget you, and we will never stop telling our children about you.

To my sisters Jenny, Bernie and Becky: You are my best friends. I love you all so much. Growing up with you wasn’t long enough.

To my brothers John and Tim: Love you guys. Thanks for letting me hang out during my Tom Boy years.

To my brothers in-law on both sides of my family: there is no “in-law” to me. You’re my brothers. And by the way, Eli, I met you when I was a hyper-active kiddo, and I’m so glad I didn’t scare you into running away! Thank you for everything you do.

To my sisters in-law on both sides of my family, All my love, respect, and gratitude. You have impacted my life.

To my best friends, you know who each of you are: You are like my sisters! Thank you for your love and support in everything. It’s been an honor sharing life with you. Michelle, thanks for being my person. Corissa, THANK YOU!

Long ago, the Mexican fair, or as Soledad knew it, the
feria,
would arrive right on schedule, once a year, quietly in the night, and nestle itself just south of the river of a small town called
Amistad
,
México
.

This was a special time in the
pueblo
, as many men could find temporary work, and some even decided on permanent careers, moving away, often leaving women and children behind with a promise to send money. Many kept their word, and many more started out with good intentions but started new lives with new wives in peculiar towns the
feria
would take them.

This was the case with Perla. Perla was married to Roberto, and they had two little children. It was an arranged marriage, but Perla was ever-ready to pursue a successful marriage. But things had gotten difficult a few years in. An economic hardship struck the town when a fever plague tormented the people. Lives were lost, including that of Perla and Roberto’s little daughter, Elena. Perla had fervently nursed her baby for weeks in their quarantined adobe home without so much as leaving her side to eat or drink. The longer the little one held onto life, the more tormented her mother became, fighting to keep Elena alive, battling the raging fever that was ailing the both of them, and trying to make Elena nurse from her almost dried-out breasts.

Roberto and their son somehow remained untouched, and moved in with Roberto’s father. While many forsake the contaminated house of Roberto and Perla, some brave few went as close as the window to leave food and supplies. Perla, enraged with fear, and manipulated by fever, shunned anyone who attempted to help. Finally, weakness and illness were victorious, rendering Perla helpless and dying.

Several more days passed before someone realized that Elena was dead, and Perla was close to following her into the afterlife. Perla still clutched little Elena in almost lifeless arms, the body already decomposing.

Some said, “Let Perla die. It’s too dangerous to save her.” But her piercing cries never stopped, and the people were tormented. Roberto truly loved his wife, and decided to use what little he’d saved, what would have been Elena’s dowry, to lure some men into helping him save his wife.

As weak as Perla was, the strong village men had to wrestle her out of the house, then set fire to the contaminated home, leaving Elena’s little body to burn. Perla, beyond insanity, was marked for death, and even begged for it in her delirious state. No one knew how she’d survived, but she had. Time passed. Elena and Roberto eventually rebuilt their home, but their lives were shattered beyond that of repair. The display she’d put on during the loss of Elena translated to her not loving Little Roberto, according to her husband. Her disinterest in Little Roberto also added to her husband’s beliefs. Truthfully, she was disinterested in anything that involved getting up each day and living. She was destroyed.

As the pueblo worked to rebuild, no one expected the
feria
to appear, considering all that had happened, including the economic crisis the town faced. But there it was, like magic, south of the river as it always had been.

A spark was ignited in Roberto. He needed this opportunity. He was hired to clean up after the animals and repair anything that broke. His work was so impeccable, he was offered full-time work, but this meant that he would have to leave town. Guilt tried to deter him, but he didn’t think twice. His wife was no longer with him mentally. She was actually more of a houseguest or a dependent, caring nothing for him or their little boy. Furthermore and more importantly in Roberto’s eyes, he and his son would die if he could not work. Roberto waited until the very last minute, when darkness surrounded the
pueblo
. Just as the
feria
was traveling out of the city, he caught up to the caravan, and with the few possessions he had, he tossed his son onto a moving cart and jumped in behind him. They didn’t look back.

A few weeks passed before Perla received a little money, and then soon after, a little more. Although she understood what her husband had done, she never said much.

The next year when the
feria
returned, Perla waited until darkness settled and crossed over the river to the south on a small piece of wood. Shortly afterward, people of all ages were tragically killed during a terrible fire, and the
feria
suffered a great beating. Perla may have been lost in her own world, but according to many, she’d been smart enough to pull off such a thoughtless action and get away with it. Although many suspected her to have been behind the treacherous fire, no one could prove it.

The
feria
, what little was left, packed itself up and left, never to return. Many townspeople departed in order to survive and thrive elsewhere. The town dwindled in number until almost no one remained. Eduardo and his father, horse owners, and one of the wealthier families in the city, sold everything they had and moved their family across the border to Texas. Their bravery and quick thinking saved their lives.

Soledad was not yet born and hadn’t experienced such a tumultuous time, but she could tell the story as if she were an intricate part of it. She’d heard it over and over throughout the years. She knew her family had had to fight to survive, and no cost was too great to sustain the family name. More than anything, she lamented that she’d never get to experience the stories, the people, the attractions, the food and sounds of the
feria.

Then one day, when she was still just a little girl, across the border that separated Texas and
México
, something was happening. Just like magic, now a ghostly memory, the
feria
was suddenly back, healed and strong. While the little town she’d learned to associate it with was more of a legend now, the
feria
reached out to her grandmother’s hometown of
Juárez
.

Ever since the day the magic returned, the
feria’s
arrival
was one of Soledad’s favorite times of the year, and that time was finally here. The
feria
was all set up, and soon, she’d be on a train from California, heading that way, heading home. For a few short days, everything would be magically transformed. The food, the entertainment, the company, the games, the music, the culture. It all blended together like a beautiful Mexican tapestry, its colors boldly blaring its story. This time tomorrow, she’d be in her precious Mexico at an event she held sacred. Butterflies danced in her stomach at the thought, and she smiled, her far-off eyes inventing all the adventures she’d find there. Soledad couldn’t wait.