Their mother had turned them out in their best summer dresses, the ones Abuelita had sewn for them with her crooked fingers on the giant, black Singer, the ones they wore to Mass every Sunday. Mamá told them to wait in front of the corrugated metal awning that served as the entrance to their house.
Rosa, the oldest, knew why she and her sisters had taken baths early on a Saturday afternoon instead of at night and why they wore dresses now. She remembered the other times they had posed like this, the three of them, little dolls waiting to meet the man who would be their new Papi.
Lupita sat on a weathered, straight-back chair, tethered there by her slender arms and fingers that gripped the edges of the seat. She fidgeted and giggled. A tentative smile put dimples in her cheeks.
Floresita, the youngest, stood next to the chair. She tilted her curly head down and looked up with doe eyes, the way she always did when she wanted a treat. A tiny hand rested on Lupita’s bare knee.
Her sisters were darker and much younger than Rosa who stood behind them wearing a sober expression, her arms folded across her thin chest. They had come along later, at a time when Rosa greeted the Papis by herself.
If they were lucky, there would be presents today. Happiness would fill the house, and their mother’s girlish laughter would drift into their bedroom and dance in their ears. But Rosa knew it would not last; it never lasted for long. After a while, bitter words and shouting would replace the laughter. Soon after that, it would be just the four of them again.
Lupita and Floresita could still get excited over a new one. When he arrived, they would pretend to be shy but would soon compete for his attention. Rosa would stand back and watch them. She would protect them until Mamá came to her senses.
This is powerful writing, K.C. You don't need to have lived it to empathize with the situation. My take-away is that Rosa is wise beyond her years and will serve as a gently guiding mentor to her sisters. At least I hope so.
I've been here three times. The new papi always "sucks up" in the beginning. One did give gifts to the five siblings. So I suspect this flash fiction is not fiction for many people.