Estefanía (Estefanía)

A couple of weeks ago my niece Estefanía had her ‘Sweet 15’ birthday party. In Latin America we celebrate a girl’s coming-of-age when she turns 15, not 16. Here is an interesting website that explains in detail what happens in a traditional ‘quinceañeras’ party (which is just as huge as a wedding), the dance of the waltz with their father, protocols, what sort of alcoholic drinks under-age boys are allowed to consume, etc. Have a read at this example from the site:

“I am concerned about alcoholic beverages being served.
Yes, there will certainly be an open bar, with waiters usually on hand to serve the drinks. Girls under the age of 17 do not drink at all, but it is quite normal to serve 14 or 15 year old boys rum or beer. Although this may clash with some foreign cultures, there is no apparent peer pressure to drink in this country. The aim is not to get drunk but to enjoy the company of your friends. It is a good opportunity to have a ‘heart to heart’ with your children and agree upon some rules.”

From my Dad’s book The celebrated afternoon (La tarde festejada).

Estefanía (Estefanía)

In the stubborn loneliness of my years

I pictured you walking in the rain

with dolls in your arms and muddy blue jeans,

and your school-girl shoes ruined.

I foresaw you like the light in my persistent stubbornness.

I used to believe that I felt you

trembling in my tired arms, and I was saddened

by the shortcomings of my shelter of an old man.

(There is a memory in this image and that

premonition. Three faces of women as girls

talk in the memory of my distant youth).

And one day you arrived, Estefanía, as it happens

with dreams after fantasy.

Estefanía, the name of a dream,

I give you my blessing on the threshold of oblivion.

To Ana María

Morales