Tears in my Paradise

By Maria Guadalupe Castro Ramirez

A gripping story which aims to describe the difficult life in slavery in the jungle, working the land under the burning sun, without shoes, almost burning feet and hands upon touching the terrible temperature of the earth. The clear struggle of those who put love and friendship before their own welfare and happiness, leaving behind a great lesson of perseverance and solidarity. Of course, the beautiful love stories that develop minimizing the cruelty and especially, the frantic struggle appearing to do justice and to end the reign of impunity, evil and corruption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maria Guadalupe Castro Ramirez
• Release date: Feb 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781005635725

Maria Guadalupe Castro Ramirez

Graduada en los cursos de Novela Experimental, Taller de Crítica Ficción, Taller de Cuentos, Taller de Creación de Personales, en la Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz en Ciudad de México y como Secretaria Taquimecanógrafa y Operador de Microcomputadoras, teniendo en mi haber la novela MIS LAGRIMAS EN EL PARAISO (Historia de un Secuestro) donde se narra el infierno que significa un secuestro y LA BRUJA DEL PUEBLO Y OTROS CUENTOS, que contiene entre otros la historia de una doctora que tuvo que esconder la belleza de su juventud, tras una bruja para poder atender a un pueblo entero que se encontraba a punto de colapsar por su rechazo a la ciencia y su devoción a las brujas, TANACIO, el viejo enterrador y sus historias dentro del panteón, ABOGADO, la noble lucha de quien se supera a pesar de las dificultades y pobreza.

Book preview

Chapter I

Esmeralda’s childhood

Esmeralda should have been happy as it usually is in childhood, no matter whether she was rich or poor; perhaps she should have known only the joy of living protected and sheltered by the love of her parents, ignoring the bitterness of evil, corruption, death, pain, and helplessness.

Where she lived, Valle de Bravo, was a picturesque, beautiful and quiet place for her; a magical place nestled on a small hill. In the evenings, the horizon could be seen in the distance gobbling up the sun, as if not wanting to let it go. It looked like a diamond on a green scarf, scattering gold and red flashes to the blue sky. The spotless streets were escorted by old trees swaying harmoniously with the breeze from the lagoon.

That day was happier than ever, well they were going on vacation; no one imagined that would be the beginning of a terrible nightmare. After several hours of travelling, they stopped to rest sitting in the soft sand and while they were talking, they could see how the sea water reflected the sky; it was deep blue, it seemed like a smooth, bluish glass.

Nora, her governess, she was short, brown-skinned, with long black hair; indigenous features, big mouth and small eyes with little expression. Nora was not really keen on showing her feelings, but when her face turned towards Esmeralda, her attitude changed completely. Her face showed the sweetness and love with which she looked at her and her eyes got a special glow. In addition to that, the tone of her voice changed, was the only person she thought she loved.

The next day, the picture changed completely; inexplicably, Esmeralda was found in a van along with Nora, but without her

parents, both of them were guarded by two nasty men. Great fear covered her body, she immediately started screaming frantically and scared for seeing me without them. Nora immediately hugged her and said: It's okay my girl, Trust me.

They walked hours and hours away, fatigue became extreme, but we finally arrived at a secluded forest as Nora indicated, near the Agua Azul waterfalls, in Palenque, Chiapas. The little cottage where they arrived had only very basic things: a bed, a heater, a table, some chairs and a small bathroom outside.

When she left it, she could not think about anything else than My God! What a beauty! That huge river ran over blue-green rocks, that contrasted with the brown of other rocks beautifully scattered along; breathtaking indigo blue waterfalls, formed by the Agua Azul River, sang beautiful and sonorous melodies harmoniously coordinating with the breeze.

Later, the moon full and large rose under the deep and starry sky, only the sounds of night birds and falling torrents from the waterfalls were heard. Nora got ready for bed, just like Esmeralda, they were exhausted because of the trip. It was far for her to imagine that this point of the jungle would become her prison.

Thus, began the torment of never knowing about her parents again, of longing for their kisses, their hugs, advice; their very presence, which was a symbol of protection and love. Thus, began the mourning every night, desperate, without any hope of seeing them anymore.

Some time went by, her governess treated her very well, she told her a bedtime story and they ate well because El Ronco gave her money to support her.

In addition, he brought enough medication so that Nora could take care of her when she became ill, including vaccines and healing material. They were forbidden to leave that place, only the governess went into town to buy groceries every month, wrapped in a shawl to not be recognized.

Meanwhile, at the Miravalles residence, desolation and pain started to be breathed, so the servants began to migrate to other jobs; only the faithful servant Efraín, and the faithful housekeeper Emma, stayed. Gradually, the health of Mrs. Matilde Abarca began to suffer serious deterioration. Alejandro De Miravalle was realistic with himself, he could not fool his wife, assuring her that her daughter would soon appear, while constantly reflected: I must be strong to give strength to my wife.

One day, while putting his robe, he took a deep breath trying to console himself. With firm steps he approached to the door and rang the bell; old Efraín, his faithful servant, almost his friend, appeared immediately bringing the correspondence. Perhaps they brought medications for my wife? Alejandro asked while sitting before the mirror. They are on the table sir, Efraín replied with an air of understanding and absolute solidarity with his master.

After a brief silence, he added: Is there anything else that the master needs? Hand me the telegram that arrived this morning; Miravalle opened the telegram, read it and said: The godson my wife is coming with his family on vacation, they'll be here next week. While Alexander held the cup of coffee he was drinking, he was thinking that unfortunately they were coming in a bad moment. Then Efraín said: As soon as they arrive, we must tell them that we cannot serve them as they deserve, because we have to put all our efforts and attention in finding Miss Esmeralda.

Meanwhile, the Flores family prepared to spend their holidays in Valle de Bravo, although when reaching a red light, they were intercepted by a van that blocked their way and they were forced to get, off without a reason to do so; they were all riddled with bullets. Once the Federal Highway Police arrived, reported that their nice van, perhaps could have been confused for that of a criminal with whom they surely had some conflict.

A few meters away, the Mirons approached in their rickety cart, so they witnessed the terrible drama. After the confusion, Benito, the eldest son of the Mirons, took a small card that fell to the floor with the address where the Flores were probably headed to.

Esmeralda mother’s health continued to deteriorate and became worse than ever; her husband was watching after her and while her doctor arrived, he recalled when he met her:

She was in the park going over a school lesson, while they were waiting to enter their university; in an instinctive movement, he looked at where she was. He could not say more than: ¡My God! ¡What a beauty! She was wearing white, her hair, was braided in a delicate cape that made her look like a medieval princess.

Once she noticed his gaze, her lips graciously showed him her beautiful smile for an instant. After a while, as they prepared to enter to the university, he wanted to introduce himself to her; he timidly approached, dazzled by the breathtaking beauty of the girl. After taking her thin hands... Oh God! They were as white doves struggling to escape. In that moment, I definitely knew that she would be my lifelong partner.

He soon returned to the terrible reality, directing his gaze to his dying wife. He saw her smile and open her eyes to say: Alejandro, I am holding my beloved daughter’s hand, I have found her, I am happy, she how she’s grown. We are walking in a beautiful place with two streams of very fresh and clean water; we both feel an amazing peace, see how she won’t stop smiling. I will finally, join her in her prayers, now I am sure that we will be together forever; she just promised me. Yes, I'm watching her, he replied, his face filled with tears when she breathed her last breath.

Alejandro, wept uncontrollably for several hours, next to the body of his beloved wife; recalling the beautiful moments they lived together, as if in a beautiful film that a child wants to repeat over and over again. He thanks her for how happy he was by her side, he kissed her forehead trembling and said softly: Someday we will meet again and we’ll be as happy as we were before the disappearance of our beloved Esmeralda.

After he had slightly groomed his suit and hair, he opened the window and saw his faithful servant Efraín, who completely ignored what had just happened. He came to the door and rang the bell,

Efraín, as faithful as ever, went upstairs almost immediately, accompanied by Emma. Irrefutably, he had to give both of them the bitter news. The faithful servants, extremely shocked, said: We share with you this moment of deep pain; do not worry about the funerals, we will take care of it.

Once in the hall, he wore a dark suit in rigorous mourning and a scarf silk embroidered with his name, with which he often discreetly wiped away his tears. Friends, acquaintances and relatives arrived to the place little by little, he had no strength to hear the condolences that were repeated a thousand times, like a monstrous endless litany. In addition, not knowing what had happened to their beloved daughter, doubly shattered his heart.

That was a terribly cold and long night, until at twelve o'clock of the day after he journeyed to the cemetery to lay the body of his beloved wife. Late at night, Emma, very concerned, told Efraín: Go to see Mr. Miravalle, he is very depressed and I am very afraid that he might threaten his life. May God have mercy on him! His suffering is terrible and I am moved to tears to see him.

Alejandro De Miravalle, with a very sad look, he kept the papers of the funeral, his wallet, his watch and took a pair of resting shoes. Still, in his mourning attire, but with more comfortable clothes, dropped face up in one of the armchairs; he slightly closed the curtains and, almost in darkness, squinted to forget the awful moments that he had just gone through.

The small lamp that dimly lit room, barely helped him to glance over those pages of verses he had dedicated to his wife some time ago. He was alone within those walls that had seen him suffer now, but that had also seen him happy; in the same place where today his troubled spirit did not understand why fate had to be like that. Sensing the presence of his wife, despite he knew in his hear that she no longer was with him and that nothing would ever be the same.

The Mirón family, composed by Petra López, Benito the eldest son and Valentina, were on the same street where the Miravalles’ residence was located. Upon their arrival, they were pleasantly

surprised; the beautiful residence with gleaming white marble facade, contrasted with his red tiles. They knocked the beautiful wooden door through, which thick glasses nothing inside could be seen.

Efraín approached to the door to see who was calling and asked them: How can I help you? Does Alejandro De Miravalle live here? Who is this? he replied, Benito Mirón and his family. Then the servant, not letting them further explanations, said: Ah! You are the mistress’ godson, right? Come in please. Excuse us for not welcoming you personally there, but we had a series of events that changed everything. Mr. Miravalle will tell you about this later, please, take a seat; I will let him know that you are here so he can come and meet you.

Alejandro heard heavy footsteps coming upstairs and, making a great effort, he walked to the window and he saw Efraín coming who was knocking at the door of his large bedroom. He then, returned to his armchair and from inside asked: What do you need Efraín? Sir, I only came to tell you that your wife’s godson is here with his family and they are in the main living room.

He, remain seated, but turned towards the door and said: Please Efraín, install them in their bedrooms, let them know what happened and tell them I’ll welcome them later. Efraín frowned, worried about the mood of his master and he left there at a slow pace, somewhat disillusioned.

Efraín ushered them to their rooms, which looked no less majestic than other parts of the house, the Miróns could not believe their eyes, they were more than surprised. Efraín, before they got ready to rest, briefed them on what was happening in the family.

Seeing that it was not appropriate to continue there, he insisted Benito and tried to tell Efraín they had only come to inform, that the mistress’ godson, due to a terrible mistake, had passed away because of the organized crime; to which Efraín replied: You can speak later with the master, I already fulfilled my orders, good night. He then went to rest.

Benito was a very nice eighteen, year-old boy, noble hearted, honest, and who loved his family, but talkative and somewhat bizarre: He wore black clothes full of studs, boots that went half-way up his legs, hair full of styling gel, with a Vulcan punk hairstyle and although he was not lazy, he had a major flaw; he was not into studying.

Valentina, on the other hand, was a beautiful thirteen, year-old girl, very nice, hardworking and studious. Mrs. Petra was also a good person, she had survived alone with her children, whom she loved deeply. They were very poor, they had suffered a lot from their father's abuse and abandonment and, within their limitations, they struggled to have a better life.

One of those days, Nora inexplicably disappeared from the cabin. After her absence, Esmeralda was stunned, with a terrible loneliness, without the slightest idea of how to go back home. She never tried, perhaps it was the fear of dying in the attempt, or because from that moment, she unconsciously set her mind to do justice and find the wretch who had caused her misery and that of her parents. Above all, to stop his evil career.

Esmeralda lay for a while on the bed crying for herself; she ate crusts of moldy bread, she had not heard the human voice in months, her clothes soon became rags and the beauty of nature no longer comforted her. Only an uncertain future awaited her and finally death.

Esmeralda was now near the waterfall, as a feather in the midst of the universe, while far away the footsteps of a horse can be heard. A terrible fear gripped Esmeralda; she knew what awaited, for her if those who had killed Nora found her.

However, the picture was not of El Ronco, but of a young man who was coming towards her. Either way, she ran as fast as her legs allowed her, because she knew she could not take risk to find out if he was part of El Ronco’s people. Inevitably, before she could reach the hideout that once saved her life, she was finally reached. Seized

with terrible panic, she started screaming: Don’t kill me; don’t hurt me, please. Do not be afraid little one, but, how did you get here?

Esmeralda had calmed down, less fearful, she told him what happened and he decided to help her. Look, my name’s Rubén Terrones y Aldama, I’m a Medicine intern, I have been going to several places for some time, now in order to find healing herbs to bring their properties to my knowledge.

Esmeralda then said: How wonderful! I would also like to know about plants and their healing effects It, must be really amazing and satisfying to relieve illnesses and diseases. She paused briefly before going on; but what am I saying, I do not even know how to read or write. That is not a problem, I’ll teach you how to read and write.

Alejandro De Miravalle was depressed and did not want to leave his room, his faithful servants Emma and Efraín, were extremely alarmed; he only admitted that food, which he barely tasted and amenities to bathe himself be brought to him. He also stopped going to his businesses and asked not to be disturbed.

He continued staring into the darkness of his room, thinking and crying silently, sleeping only at times and barely trying some food, at the request of his faithful servants. He had no strength to get out of bed, not even the slightest illusion to continue living. He was, in fact letting himself die because he had exhausted all the resources to find his little Esmeralda and because of the death of his beloved and unforgettable wife.

As a last resort, Emma and Efraín, upon seeing that the mental and spiritual condition of Alejandro De Miravalle did not improve, stood outside of his bedroom and told him: Sir, you must be strong, you won’t get anything from being locked up, your daughter has to be found soon. Very deep in our hearts, we know that she’s alive. Have faith master, do not disappoint us, you are a fighting man, do not put out the last light remaining: hope.

There was so much vehemence, supplication and love in the words of his faithful servants, that they were able to make Alejandro

sit up, although painstakingly because of his mood, and that he opened the door for a moment. When he was in front of them, he let himself into their arms and wept bitterly saying: Forgive me but ... I cannot handle this! This suffering is terrible! I have no consolation either day or night, I know I'm dying and I can’t do anything about it.

The servants also embraced him, weeping: Master, you can do it; please, try we beg you, he replied: I, the strong man, am before you defeated, finished and crying as a child without hope in the future.

Miss Esmeralda is reported everywhere to find her, even abroad. All resources to find her have been exhausted, What, is left for us now is to entrust her to God so nothing happens to her, and you should take your life back. We know God put this big test on you, but you must succeed in it, now is the tie when you must demonstrate your strength and faith.

Again, Alejandro De Miravalle, moved by the affection of his servants, embraced them and said: "Thank you for your love friends, I need some time to get out of my room. I feel without any strength and I’m afraid to go outside; a terrible fear that I must overcome gradually.

Efraín, hand me my shaving cream, my razor and buy me a notebook and some pens, I'll write some stories and poems that I have long had in mind; that will relax me a bit."

Chapter II

Alexander retakes command of his residence

On the other hand, at the Miravalles residence, things had changed. If Mrs. Petra had been very poor, now that she had been living as a rich lady, along with her children, she got a big head, and had even left instructions for the servants to call her Madame Petri, to the surprise of Emma and Efraín, who could not believe what they were hearing.

They had to take action on the matter, So, they decided to talk to Alejandro to warn him of such situation. Also, letting him know that Benito had given orders to remove the valuable pictures and send them to the basement, and instead had put up lithographs of the Beatles, Elvis Presley and any rocker that had existed. The worst was that they had painted the marble facade of the residence in Mexican pink and had his brand new black car decorated silvery skulls.

To top it all and that audacity, they would soon throw a party to meet all the residents of the neighborhood. However, thinking deeply, Efraín took the decision not to mortify Miravalle more problems, since he was visibly improving. So, he decided that they would remain silent for the moment, until he finally got out of his room.

The he day of the party that the Miróns had planned at Alejandro De Miravalle’s house had arrived, since Mrs. Petra was in her role as millionaire, she had gone down to the basement looking for an appropriate attire for her new position. She had not realized that, although they had elegant clothes there, for this time most were in disuse, out of fashion or had become ridiculous. With their large ornaments and shiny fabrics, in addition to feathered hats and fur stoles.

Guests began to arrive, all of them mockingly whispered because of the folkloric characters that were in residence and their particular way of speaking, that was obviously slum-like. Instead of inviting guests into the dining room, they had asked the servants to put chairs around the yard and take there a huge pot full of carnitas (Is a typical dish from southwest Mexico, consisting in small pieces of pork.) A pot of rice and handmade tortillas.

Each one of the guests was given a plate to help themselves to whichever they wanted to eat, the guests were puzzled, but their confusion was even greater, when a tropical music band arrived and they announced that Madame Petri would dance to delight them.

Indeed, the group began playing cumbias and Mrs. Petra started dancing with her son Benito, swaying her bulky body. Guests would almost choke and strongly resisted bursting into laughter, at the ridiculous spectacle they were watching, could not contain themselves longer, when Benito stepped on one of the ruffles of his mother’s dress and almost left her in a miniskirt, showing her disfigured legs, all full of varicose veins.

Benito and Mrs. Petra continued dancing, showing their best steps, but when Benito realized how ridiculous this was, he tried to tell his mom to stop dancing. The worst happened when he turned around and saw one of the ladies who lived in that residential area, named Paloma Morquecho, in whom he was very interested, that would not stop laughing and was drowned in tears in uncontrollable laughter.

The laughter of the guests had reached the ears of Miravalle, who continued confined in his room, but as they did not stop, he finally decided to leave the room to investigate what was going on. Once in the courtyard and having seen the comedy show, for the first time in a long time he laughed again. Seeing that Alejandro had left his room, Emma and Efraín told him:

"Sir, we did not want to inform you about the situation that was arising with the arrival of your wife’s godson, so to not interrupt your recovery with problems. So, we decided to stay quiet and live all this time with the bizarre