Bea's Bedtime Story

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Lights out, princess nightlight on, in the corner next to her bed. She sat up as her mother finished organizing for the day that followed, her uniform on a hanger in front of her closet and sure of her homework in her backpack. Bea wasn't a messy girl, but her mother expected all to be in order by the end of each day.

"Mamá can you tell me a story before I go to sleep?" Beatrix was tucked in her pink and baby blue cotton blankets, ready for bed when her mother sat down beside her.

"Sí mi amor, what story do you want to hear?"

Bea pretended to think for a second or two and then looked her mother straight in their shared coal colored eyes, so dark you couldn't see their pupils from afar.

"I want the story of how you met papi, pretty please."

Her mother smiled at her request that sounded more of a command, thinking it familiar, "Are you sure? It's a long story." Bea nodded once and snuggled close, letting her mother's golden brown skin surround her.

"Once upon a time in a country far away called España, there was a young lady named Elana who always asked her parents for the same gift, it was her only wish."

"That's where abuela lives, I want to go visit her again," Bea commented as she leaned her head closer into her mother's touch.

"Yes, we will soon enough, bebé."

She pouted at being called a baby, but her mother simply brushed her fingers down the hair of her precious daughter.

"She wanted to go to America because she'd heard that's where freedom was. Land of the free, they called it.

..Elana wanted to see what the people were like in America, but her parents couldn't take her with the little money they had. One day Elana went to a festival with her friends to have fun and that's where she met the most handsome man she ever saw, with auburn hair and hazel eyes that couldn't decide if they were blue or green. His name was Armando."

"Papi!" Her mother smiled happily, loving her daughter's giddiness of hearing her father's name.

"Elana asked him to dance, but Armando told her he could not. He thought he was a bad dancer and that made her laugh. She got him to dance with her anyway. Elana was a great dancer, she even knew how to tango. Armando was so impressed by her dancing, he asked her to teach him more," a smirk played on her mother's lips at that moment.

"They saw each other almost every chance they had and danced deep into the night. When they talked, they noticed they both wanted to leave Spain and be free. So they decided to leave together. They cared for each other so much, they helped themselves reach their wish, but the only way was to be married. Their parents were very angry about that."

"But why, why was abuela mad at you?," Beatrix asked with a face of pure horror knowing she'd never seen her abuela to be upset with her mother or anyone for that matter.

"Well, their parents thought we didn't know each other that well and shouldn't be married if we weren't in love," she nodded confirming her statement and Bea looked back with doubtful eyes.

"Armando lied to his father to convince him of giving them the money they needed to fly to America, but lying is still wrong so don't ever lie to me Beatrix," her mother ordered and she just nodded in response.

"Anyway..although they knew their parents were so angry with them, they went to America. It was amazing, they liked how different it all was. They went on an adventure, tasted foods, and walked to many places. It was a great feeling to be free. Then there was a problem.." Her mother's frown mirrored her own glum face there then.

"Armando wanted to keep exploring all the states and Elana wanted to do other things by herself. So they went separate ways, Elana was sad for a long time, but she did do all she wanted. She learned inglés, had her own studio, a place where she taught everyone to dance."

"What about papi?" Came the innocent enough question from her daughter.

"Hmm..he traveled, yes, all around America and his dad talked to him again, then together they bought buildings here, some small some so high they touched the sky. Gave a lot of people jobs in those buildings, even had a special party for charity. You remember, like the one we took you to help the kids that had no food," Bea smiled brightly at the memory, she had made a new friend that day named Emma.

"..A couple years later at another charity, he saw Elana—"

"Years?!," Bea interrupted.

Her mother laughed softly, "Yes, and he walked up to her, kissed her hand and said, 'I missed you Elana'. She gave him a big bear hug and told him she missed him too. After that, they were insepretable, they did everything together. Eight months later they got married in their favorite place, with all their friends and family that came to share one of their happiest days. On April tenth they vowed never to leave again because they knew, now they had love...The end."

"I love you mamá."

Elana heard clear, though her daughter was so worn out it was bearly a whisper.

"I love you too, bebé."

She slowly placed her on her pillows and slid off her daughter's bed. Gently pressing a kiss to her temple and tucking another blanket up to the knees, so they wouldn't get cold, she slid out of the room. Elana stayed under the threshold to see her daughter soundly asleep, even as she heard light footsteps behind her.

"Nuestra angelita," Her husband said as he approached, hugging his wife, olive toned arms around her waist. Earnest kisses all over her cheek and the side of her face expressing only the love he had in his heart. She leaned her head on Armando's chest and hummed a positive response, knowing Bea was their little angel in disguise.