The Sunshine Trilogy

Chapter 7: Abalone Shell Necklace

Francesca awoke with an unusual wetness near her belly. She reached down with her right hand and felt her s*x. Something wasn't right. She didn't remember urinating in her sleep and the wetness was sticking to her leg. She got up from the bed and quickly moved to the light coming from the bedroom window. Seeing blood pooling between her legs she screamed, "Abuela, Abuela, I'm bleeding!"

When Abuela didn't come quick. Francesca ran outside to the chicken coop to find her. Abuela wasn't there. She ran to the garden. Abuela wasn't there either. Remembering the story Abuela told her of the First People, she needed to tell Abuela the old curse was with her.

Was it the red wolf that Abuela spoke of in her stories that was causing her to bleed? Did the red wolf bring back the old curse because the people were killing wolves again?

Without answers to her fears she recalled what Abuela said when fear entered her spirit. You remain still.Abuela said; the barn owl hoots to scare the rabbit to run. Only when the rabbit runs, he is seen and caught, not when he is still.

Feeling very weak, she stumbled on a dried plant, hit her head and was knocked unconscious. In her dreamlike state, a red wolf spoke to her from a great green and gold forest. He said. "Your bleeding is a blessing of your ancestors who welcomed me to the First People. Awake daughter!" He then dissolved into a grey mist.

Chico, the neighborhood boy that drove Abuela to the market earlier, happened to be working at the next ranch adjacent to Abuela's. On his way driving to Lompoc to pick up supplies, he saw a white clump in Abuela's garden. He thought it strange, so he stopped to investigate. He drove the pickup on to Abuela's property and rolled down the driver's window. There on the ground was a young woman lying motionless.

"Are You Ok?" shouted Chico. The girl did not answer.

"Are you alright over there?" Still no answer.

Chico exited the pickup and walked apprehensively toward the body. It was a young woman of twelve or thirteen years of age curled in the fetal position. He had seen her at church and knew she was Father Paolo's niece. Francesca Da Rimini.

She was barefoot, wearing nothing more than an old threadbare night shirt. She was motionless and appeared to be dead. Fearing the worse, he came closer, He now noticed she was shaking slightly and attempting to speak.

"Francesca? Francesca? It's Chico. Can you hear me!"

"Cheek ah? Chee?" she muttered.

"Yes, it's me. Are you alright?" he replied.

When she attempted to speak her words were unintelligible.

On one bent knee he cradled her head with his right arm and placed his other arm under her legs and carried her back into the house. He noticed there was blood on her legs and night shirt. Chico was the youngest of his siblings. Having two older sisters, he knew what "having their period " meant and surmised that this must be the case with Francesca. He laid her on the bed and went to look for a telephone in the house. There was none.

He went back into the bedroom to check on Francesca and saw that she was inspecting herself in the mirror that hung from the bathroom door. She saw him in the mirror and quickly skirted back to the bed and covered herself.

"Francesca, remember me? I'm Chico. I pick up Abuela."

"You called me Francesca, only white people call me that name," she said.

"You appear to be okay now. I must go. Got to make one more stop before the high sun!"

"What did you see when you saw me?" she asked.

"Nothing really, just you."

"Was there a wolf here when you arrived?"

"No. there wasn't anyone except you! I saw you lying in the yard motionless, so I stopped. I'm sorry if I upset you, but you looked like you might need some help."

"But you must have seen my Ginny and the blood!"

"Maybe I did, but I got two sisters, so it's not like something I've never seen before!"

"Two sisters?" she asked.

"Jeez, I really got to go! Please don't tell anyone that I was here."

" Why?" she asked.

"You don't know?"

"No, I don't. Tell me."

"Los Viejo's think you are cursed and bad luck!" replied Chico.

"Why would they say that? Because of the mark on my hand? Abuela said that's just crazy talk."

"That's partly it," said Chico.

" What else?"

" You're a Rimini."

" My uncle Paolo is a Rimini and the old ones love him!"

"Yes, they do, but he is a good priest who shows the ways of the white father. He's not bad luck for the community."

"My mama's a Rimini?"

"They say she's even worse. She rides with people of loud horses and soft talkers. Their medicine is death to our people, and only brings sadness to those who follow their ways. You know what I'm talking about don't you?" continued Chico.

Francesca began to sniffle and tear upon hearing this from Chico. She thought he was very handsome and wished that maybe she could see him again under different circumstances. His eyes were kind with very long lashes like a cow.

"I can see that I've upset you. I really got to go before anyone sees my truck. Abuela should be here soon. Please don't tell her I was here with you, alone. Father Rimini told me what people would think."

Abuela arrived soon after Chico left and found Francesca watching a soap opera on Telemundo. This was unlike her, being a studious girl, mostly her time when not in school, was spent cleaning the chicken coop and tending to their small vegetable garden.

"Ha'Na Panai, I did not wake you this morning before I left for market. You are a young woman who needs her rest," she said.

"Abuela?I was bleeding this morning"

" Bleeding? From below?"

"Yes, my Ginny." Francesca answered.

"Poor child. I have been praying for this day. I'm sorry I was not here to help you. Did you run like the rabbit?"

"No, I was still and...Chico came."

"Chico Standing Bull?"

"Yes, I'd like if you let him come again."

Abuela didn't answer and went to her bedroom to retrieve something. She returned with a shiny object in her hand.

"I tried to give this to your mother, but she refused it. So, I kept it for you when you became a woman. You are a woman now and it is yours to keep. This is the shell that I cut you from your mother's life. If you wear this is will give you strength when you have none and vision when you cannot see."

Francesca held the Abalone shell in her hands and wondered if its magic was real, or as her mother would say; Injun hocus pocus.