Dolores only half-listens to Sister Ortega’s teachings. It’s all about the same thing anyway: the Glory of God, how God granted the strength to the ancestors to survive the Great War and make their place in what used to be the American Southwest, how they needed to give thanks and praise His name. She’d heard it all before. She’d heard it every day. She wanted to learn something new for once. She loved God but He got boring after a while. She rolls her eyes up to look at the ceiling.
“Sorry,” she mouths. She continues to take notes on yellowed paper dutifully but her pencil strays every once and awhile to draw doodles of squiggly rosaries and disproportionate foxes.
“Hey,” a voice startles her from beside her ear. She tries to slam her notebook shut but it gets snatched out of her hand by swift and nimble fingers. Zorro Pequeno flashes her an unapologetic grin and holds it open.
“I wonder what God would think about you not paying attention to Bible study,” he muses as he takes in her drawings.
“Give me that,” she says, only half-serious, swatting at it. He easily lifts it out of her grasp. “What do you care? You don’t believe in Him anyway.”
“No, I don’t,” he says. “But they still make me come to these boring classes.”
“Madre and Padre don’t want you to feel left out,” she says. “And they aren’t boring.”
“Oh? Says the girl who has more tribal doodles than words,” he says.
“Well,” she starts reluctantly. “I already know this stuff.
“Hence, it’s boring,” he says with a smile. He looks around the beaten and ragged classroom. Most of the children had gone outside for their short break from studying Scripture. He places a hand on her desk and leans forward. He close enough that she can feel his breath dance across her cheek.
“Let’s go on an adventure,” he whispers excitedly. She gasps, looking around the classroom to see if anyone had heard him.
“You mean leave Bible study?” she whispers back. “That’s sacrilege!” He rolls his eyes but the smile never leaves his face.
“Not if it’s boring. Come on! It’ll be fun!”
“I don’t know,” she says, her voice trailing off as he cups her chin.
“Dolores,” he says seriously. “I would never get you in trouble, with God or anyone else.” She lowers her eyes away from his intense gaze. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“It’s not just a good idea. It’s the best idea. Come on,” he says, pulling away from her and holding out his hand for her to take.”I wanna show you something.” A hesitant smile breaks over her face and she takes his hand.
Aches and Sorrows 5/?
“Sorry,” she mouths. She continues to take notes on yellowed paper dutifully but her pencil strays every once and awhile to draw doodles of squiggly rosaries and disproportionate foxes.
“Hey,” a voice startles her from beside her ear. She tries to slam her notebook shut but it gets snatched out of her hand by swift and nimble fingers. Zorro Pequeno flashes her an unapologetic grin and holds
it open.
“I wonder what God would think about you not paying attention to Bible study,” he muses as he takes in her drawings.
“Give me that,” she says, only half-serious, swatting at it. He easily lifts it out of her grasp. “What do you care? You don’t believe in Him anyway.”
“No, I don’t,” he says. “But they still make me come to these boring classes.”
“Madre and Padre don’t want you to feel left out,” she says. “And they aren’t boring.”
“Oh? Says the girl who has more tribal doodles than words,” he says.
“Well,” she starts reluctantly. “I already know this stuff.
“Hence, it’s boring,” he says with a smile. He looks around the beaten and ragged classroom. Most of the children had gone outside for their short break from studying Scripture. He places a hand on her desk and leans forward. He close enough that she can feel his breath dance across her cheek.
“Let’s go on an adventure,” he whispers excitedly. She gasps, looking around the classroom to see if anyone had heard him.
“You mean leave Bible study?” she whispers back. “That’s sacrilege!” He rolls his eyes but the smile never leaves his face.
“Not if it’s boring. Come on! It’ll be fun!”
“I don’t know,” she says, her voice trailing off as he cups her chin.
“Dolores,” he says seriously. “I would never get you in trouble, with God or anyone else.” She lowers her eyes away from his intense gaze.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“It’s not just a good idea. It’s the best idea. Come on,” he says, pulling away from her and holding out his hand for her to take.”I wanna show you something.” A hesitant smile breaks over her face and she takes his hand.