The oldest of my mother's sisters is Cruz Eleuteria, since she was a little girl her family got used to call her Tera. She lived on Sucre Street in Cumaná-Venezuela, in a house with red tiles, built in colonial style. In the dining room she had a wooden table with eight chairs. And a wooden cupboard or pantry, with glass doors, where he displayed his crockery and glasses.
Since I was a teenager I loved to visit my aunt Tera, so I could keep her company. When she cooked fish stew, with beans, rice and fried slices, she would invite me to eat. And she would serve me a succulent dish. We both enjoyed that moment. As my aunt was alone, her husband had died and her children lived in other states of this country.
As the years went by, I became a woman. However, despite attending to other activities, I frequented my aunt's house on a daily basis.
At the beginning of the year seventy-two, I met Efrain, we were attracted by the force of love. We decided to get married in December of that same year. We began to organize the preparations for our marriage.
One day when we were out for a walk I said to my fiancé:
"I will talk to my aunt Tera, so that she can witness our marriage."
He answered me:
"Ok"
The next day we went to the aunt's house, knocked on the door:
As soon as she opened it, we greeted her, and she said:
"Come in, let's go to the dining room, hopefully today I cooked what Ramona likes".
We sat down in the dining room. She served that delicious lunch, While we were eating I told her:
"Tia, we are here to invite you to our marriage and for you to witness our wedding, which will take place on the 2nd of this month."
Very excited, with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her beautiful eyes, which radiated happiness, she replied:
"Thank you for appointing me as a witness to your wedding, I will be there",
As we were saying goodbye, she said to me:
"¡Tomorrow, come and get your wedding gift!".
The next day we went to the aunt's house. As we entered, we sat in the dining room. She pointed to me:
"You see in that corner of the dining room, on that little table, that gift, it's for you."
My eyes got bigger than usual, my cheeks blushed like red apples, I walked a little hurriedly and reached the place where the table was. I carefully removed the wrapping paper that covered the top of the box, I lifted the lid of it, I observed with great curiosity, that inside there were several objects covered with napkins, I took in my hands one of them, when I removed the napkins that covered it. I could not help a cry of exclamation:
"What a beautiful cup, it's identical to the ones in the cupboard!".
I was petrified with emotion. I looked back into the cupboard, and they were gone.
With great sweetness, the aunt said to me:
"They are the same. I used them in my wedding toast 50 years ago. They are made of Rock crystal. I hope they bring you luck."
Months went by and finally one of the happiest days for me arrived. In my house. That night, in a very simple and intimate way with my mother, my four siblings, my friend Celina, my aunt Tera and the prefect of the municipality. We celebrated our wedding.
Then we toasted. We raised our glasses. Tera, full of emotion, said:
"I wish you to love each other, forever, may not even death separate you!".
Then my husband and I, after sharing some time with everyone present, went on our honeymoon.
The following year, in December, I gave birth to my first daughter. When we returned home from the clinic, we dusted off the glasses and toasted with the objects most precious to me. I remembered Aunt Tera, who was not present because she passed on to another dimension.
I designated Celina, who is more like a sister than a friend, as godmother.
As the years went by. Celina came to my house to invite me to her wedding, she asked me to lend her my cups, to use them in her marriage. I hesitated to lend them to her, she begged me:
" Please lend them to me, I have seen that you have done very well in your marriage!".
I replied:
"Because it is you, I lend them to you! Take care of them!".
With great misgivings, I gave them to her.
The day of my friend's wedding. As I raised my cup and toasted to her happiness, I visualized my aunt in my memory.
Another month passed. I said to Efrain:
"My friend Celina hasn't brought me the cups yet, will you come with me to get them?".
Yes!
He started him car, and we left for her house. When we arrived, we greeted each other, and she said to me with great sorrow:
"I have not taken them to you, because the maid doing the cleaning has thrown away the box with all the cups. It was located on top of the cupboard".
She began to cry, then continued:
"They were all shattered, pulverized, because of the quality of the cup"
I felt an emptiness in my stomach, my face transformed, I turned pale, because of anger and pain, which I could not hide, my lips turned white like sea foam, and my eyes became moist, like dew falling on plants at dusk.
I exclaimed:
"It is not possible that my objects that have significant value to me, because of your carelessness have been broken."
A lump caused by holding back the tears, crossed my throat, my husband gave me a drink of water. Then I continued:
"I feel a great pain inside me!".
I could not hold back the crying and started to weep, my husband consoled me, then I continued:
¿Do you know what it means that among all her nieces, my aunt, chose me, to give me her glasses with which she toasted at her wedding ceremony?
Celina, speechless, when she could said:
"Excuse me, I should have been vigilant while the girl did the cleaning".
I was so upset, I went home. When I got, I threw myself on my bed and cried a lot. My husband said to me:
"My love, calm down, I will give you, other cups of that same crystal".
"No, only those are the ones that matter to me, they had a moral value, that no other object will be able to match!".
Several months passed, I felt very sad. Until one day I reflected and said to Efraín:
"I started to think, and I came to the conclusion."
"Those cups were objects (like talismans), so that we could be so happy, and fulfill my aunt's wish".
My eyes watered. My voice cracked. Then I continued:
I will cry no more. I will carry in my heart, forever, the memory of those precious objects my aunt gave me.
Immediately, I left with my husband to Celina's house, and when I arrived, I hugged her, with great sorrow for the aggressive way I had behaved before. Very submissive, I told her:
"Forgive me, for my attitude, assumed the day I came to get the cups".
Very excited, she answered me:
"I have nothing to forgive you, I love you very much, like the sister I didn't have!".
Things went back to normal. Years went by, the day of my silver wedding anniversary, my husband gave me a box with rock crystal glasses, very excited, I kissed it and I could not avoid that from my eyes came out a flow of tears of happiness similar to the Niagara Falls, at that moment I remembered Tera.
My aunt's wish when she raised her glass was fulfilled. My husband died, not even death has been able to separate me from him. He is always present in my memories, and every day I love him more.
This is a nonfiction story
I hope you like it
The drawings are from Pixabay
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