Whispers from the Mesas

By Dora Gonzales

To my dear friends, relatives, Danny and Bonnie, and those who have bought my book, may you enjoy and find solace in these stories of another time, having taken place in my beloved Atarque, New Mexico. A time which has passed to the ages, never to return. I hope that my series of short stories, Whispers from the Mesas will bring you memories and fill your hearts with joy. Thank you for listening to the Whispers from the Mesas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798891126657

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

And the Rains Came

Memories of Yesteryear

Don Ramón Garcia

The Legend of the Lights

About the Author

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Whispers from the Mesas

Dora Gonzales

ISBN 979-8-89112-664-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89112-665-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Dora Gonzales

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

And the Rains Came

Jose was trying to be very quiet as he started the fire in the woodstove so as not to wake the children but was not succeeding very well. He dropped a piece of wood on the bare wood floor and hit his head on the table as he bent to pick it up. This caused him to swear in Spanish, which he very rarely did. His wife, Luisa, walked in and softly whispered, Jose, the children.

He smiled sheepishly and continued building the fire. As Luisa turned to the children's beds in the kitchen, Rita, who had awoken when her father started swearing, closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Luisa pulled the rumpled covers over her and her two sisters and tucked them in. This made Rita feel warm and safe. She snuggled into her pillow and fell back asleep. Luisa then awoke Daniel to go and milk the cow.

After starting the fire, Jose went outside to chop more wood while Luisa got dressed. She came back in the kitchen and began making breakfast. She filled the coffeepot with water and set it on the stove; and while waiting for it to boil, she peeled potatoes, sliced them, and began frying them in the black iron skillet. She warmed the beans and green chili left over from the day before and began frying eggs. By now the water was boiling in the coffeepot, and she put two measures of coffee in and moved it to the side of the stove to steep and keep warm. The aroma of the food and coffee was exhilarating, and as Jose walked in with an armload of wood, told Luisa, "Mmmm! Smells so good, mi amor! I'm starving."

He placed the wood in the woodbin and pulled a chair up and sat while Luisa started serving the plates with the simple but delicious fare she had prepared. Daniel came in right behind him with a bucket of steaming fresh milk. He put it on the windowsill to cool and placed a clean dishtowel over it. Luisa told him to sit, handed them their steaming plates, and served their coffee cups. She warmed the leftover tortillas, and after saying the ritual prayer of thanksgiving for the food they were about to eat, they began eating and discussing the day's work in low voices so as not to wake the little girls. It was only five-thirty, and they usually slept till seven.

While they were eating, muted thunder could be heard in the distance.

I think we might finally get some rain, Jose said.

Yes, answered Daniel. It's still pretty far off, but the sky looks very dark toward El Morro.

God knows we need it badly, Luisa answered. But I'd better hurry and wash clothes before it rains. If it's a big storm, it could rain for days.

She got up and went in the other room to separate the clothes into whites, coloreds, and dark.

Daniel followed her in and, hugging her, said, Mom, you work too hard. Maybe I should stay home and help you. Washing is a big job for you alone, and Rita is really too small to help you much, although she tries.

Luisa answered, You're a good son, and I'm grateful for your concern, but your father is counting on you to help with the hunt. She patted him awkwardly as Daniel very seldom showed such affection and she didn't know just how to take it.

"Go, go, mi hijo, your father is anxious to go before the rains start."

Daniel went outside to help his father get the tubs ready for the wash. Jose had built a fire in each of two circles of rocks, put the round tin tubs on them, and started filling the tubs with stored rainwater from the cistern. Rainwater was much softer than well water, and so it took less soap to wash the clothes, and they dried much softer.

While the water warmed, Luisa cleared the table and woke the three little girls. Since Rita was the oldest, she had to feed the two younger ones. After they were through eating, Rita washed the dishes, dressed the younger girls, combed their hair, braided it, and put ribbons in the braids. The two little girls loved to have ribbons in their hair, and they admired each other's ribbons. Rita then made the bed and went outside to help her mother.

While this was going on, Jose and Daniel covered the woodpile with a canvas so that the wood wouldn't get wet if it rained, then saddled the horses. Luisa cautioned them not to stay out too long and to take shelter if the storm caught them out in the open. She commented as she looked toward the dark southern sky that this storm made her uneasy, and she needed them both at home if it was as big as it looked. Reassuring her, they waved as they rode off toward the red mesas in the distance.

Jose had prepared a plate of breakfast to take to Joselito, their Navajo friend, who also was their sheepherder.

*****

Arriving at the sheep camp, which was only a couple of miles from the ranch house, they sat while he ate and told them how the sheep had fared since he had last seen them about three days ago. Jose finally said they had to be going and asked him if he needed anything. He