Chapter 7

Life had been going well for us the last few years. Carmelita and Diego's marriage was a delight for us all. They had produced a beautiful daughter and another child was on the way. Juanita and Jesus returned after the death of Juanita's mother. Juanita asked that Carmelita continue in her role as chief housekeeper; Juanita would be happy to fill in on an emergency basis, but she was just tired of responsibility and wanted to rest.

Jesus was not anxious to take over, so Diego continued in his farm supervision duties. As with Juanita, Jesus was available for consultation, but did not want to resume the day-to-day responsibilities.

Sarah was 14-years-old and becoming quite the beautiful young lady. Yes, she was noticing boys, but did not have a serious boyfriend, yet. Isolation was a major part of the problem. There were no rancher's sons of the proper age near by and Julesburg was too far away for casual contact. Bill, Sam's son, already had a girlfriend he was serious about, so Mr. Woodruff and I were the only male companions Sarah had on a regular basis. Sarah may have been setting too high a standard for her potential boyfriends, since most of the young men she knew came from the many books she read. I was afraid that she was romanticizing the male image to that of a "knight in shining armor."

I discouraged Sarah from getting interested in any of the workers' sons, since I felt that her intelligence far out ranged theirs. Furthermore, they all had the Mexican macho self-image which would forever keep her from being a full marriage partner. I wanted more for Sarah, but I did not yet know how to get it.

This all came to a head one day in March when Carmelita came to me to discuss Sarah's quinceañera. Carmelita insisted that, as the patron of such a large and successful ranch, it was my duty to host a quinceañera for Sarah commensurate with her social standing. Everybody at York Ranch, the neighboring ranches, and Julesburg would probably want to attend. The special guests would receive invitations to the affair, but everybody should be welcomed.

Carmelita would organize the whole quinceañera, all I had to do was pay for it. Carmelita had already discussed the situation with Fr. Murphy and they had settled the religious connotations. Since Sarah was not Catholic, Fr. Murphy could not hold the mass for her that was traditional for Mexican girls, but he could attend the fiesta part of the celebration as a friend of the family. Carmelita decided that, with the religious part set aside, we could make the quinceañera into a massive birthday party.

I was so stunned that I agreed.

Sarah, of course, had to be told about this, since there was so much for her to do to get ready. She was struck speechless when she was first told, and then she broke into happy tears. "I never expected such a wonderful 15th birthday! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you both so much!"

This reaction, of course, soundly killed any lingering doubts I may have had about the wisdom of this massive undertaking. I did ask Carmelita how her current pregnancy was going to affect the party preparations. "Oh, don't worry about it! My mother can cover for me for the few days I will be unavailable!"

The fact was that I heard "don't worry about that" so many times during the next few months that I couldn't help worrying.

The first item on the agenda was getting Sarah fitted with the proper clothes for the event. Everything had to be brand new! She must have all new clothes from the skin, out. Fortunately, there was a very good seamstress in Julesburg who could fit Sarah with the latest fashion. A visit was paied to this paragon two days later. Sarah, Carmelita, and I went--them with bubbling enthusiasm, me with trepidation (what did I know about women's clothes?). Of course, I had to approve of the dress, so they showed me picture after picture after picture after picture until it all became a blur. I really couldn't see much difference among the dresses which they all insisted were quite different. Finally, I broke down and said, "You pick the dress. They all look good to me. The only thing I insist on is that due attention be paid to modesty in the neckline."

Sarah hugged me tightly and laughed, "Oh, Daddy, you are such a goose!"

After several hours, a dress was finally agreed upon, and the topic turned to shoes. Satin must be chosen! The shoes would be white, to match the dress. A suitable pair would not be available in Julesburg; they would have to be ordered from St. Louis. I then blushed and went into another room as the conversation turned to underclothes and stockings.

I remained out of the room while Sarah disrobed and was measured from tip to toe. Finally, a dressed Sarah came to me with the announcement that we were ready to leave. It would take several weeks for the special white brocade to arrive and the initial sewing to be done, but Sarah expected to have to return to Julesburg at least once a week for fittings for the following month or so.

We finally left in the carriage, though I was sure that Sarah and Carmelita did not really need it; they could have floated home. I, on the other hand, was so exhausted that they had to pour me into the carriage.