Dead End

The story of "La Llorona, The Crying Woman", is a story about a woman named Maria who was very beautiful. She had met a man that was a Ranchero. Eventually they met and feel in love. Their relationship progressed and they had two children. A few years went by and their relationship started to take a turn. The Ranchero started to leave for months at a time. Maria started to grow angry. More time went by and the Ranchero started to pay less attention to Maria and more to his children. This made Maria more frustrated with her husband and he started to take it out on his children. One night Maria and her children were walking down by the river when her husband was riding in a carriage with another woman. He didn't speak to Maria he just made conversation with the children. Maria grew highly upset. So after her husband rode off, Maria started to get angry and she decided to push her children into the river. Then she came to her senses and tried to retrieve her children from the river. But it was too late. The next morning, a traveler had spread the word to the villagers that a beautiful woman lay dead on the bank of the river. That is where they found Maria, and they laid her to rest where she had fallen. Yet the first evening Maria was in her grave, someone said that they heard a voice down by the river saying "Where are my children?". They seen a woman in a white robe walking up and down the river bank. On some occasions they say that they seen Maria walking up and down the river bank repeatedly asking "Where are my children?". So they warned the village to tell their children not to go down the river at night time because "La Llorona" will snatch you up and you'll never return.

Maria is a high school senior who has her priorities ahead of her. She is focused and very intelligent. Maria was on her way to Calculus class, when she noticed she had forgotten her notebook. She was making her way back to her locker when she recognized a boy named Frankie Galvan was standing in front of her locker. Maria thought Frankie was the most handsome boy in the school. Maria walked to her locker pretending that she didn't see him. But that didn't work. Frankie said "Hi" to Maria. So she said "Hello" back to him. Maria friends mimicked them after their greetings were exchanged. Then later on that evening Maria had was helping her younger sibling with her homework, when she had some unexpected visitors. Her friends were calling Maria to join them. She wasn't going to go until she seen the Frankie was sitting alone in the car. Then she started to think to herself. "He's lonely" she thought. She heard that his girlfriend has passed in a car accident the year before. Then Maria heard her younger sister asking her "Please don't go". Maria seen the tears building in her eyes and made her decision. She wasn't going to leave. Maria went to the window and told her friends that she wasn't coming out tonight. After that Maria sauntered to the couch and started to cry and get angry inside. Maria was upset and started to think to herself because she wanted to be like the other girls in the school. They were smoking, attending class late, they wore make up, smoke and hooked with boys in the back seats of cars. She wanted to do what they did but she had a promise to her mother on her death bed. The promise what that Maria would not give up on her dreams of getting a good education.

The next evening Maria had another surprise. This time Frankie drove up to Maria's house by himself. She noticed who it was and went outside to speak to him. Frankie asked Maria to "Cruise with him". She hesitated to give him an answer because she had to help her siblings with their homework and watch over the house. But Maria eventually went with Frankie. Maria was very nervous but she began to calm down some. They made their way towards the bridge. When they got thee Frankie started to smoke a joint and asked Maria to smoke it with him. But Maria was scared to. Maria began to tell Frankie about the story of "La Llorona". She told him how she was in love with a man who had gotten her pregnant and they had gotten married. Then he began to mistreat her and give more attention to their kids. It made her upset and one night she decided to throw her kids into the river. So every night she comes back to the river and cries "Where are my children?". After Maria told Frankie about the La Llorona she asked him to take her back home. So he did so. When they arrived in front of Maria's place, She thanked him for the evening. But Frankie was determined to try and get with her. He told her "Hey, I like you. I'm sorry for what I said. So you're different. That's why I like you. Maybe I can call you later." But she responded with "School is almost over and the exams are almost over." After their conversation they exchanged good-bye's and Maria said "Thank You" then she kissed Frankie on the cheek, then quickly got out of the car and went into the house.

The word lonely play a heavy part in the story. Maria felt lonely because she didn't have any to talk to at home. And because her mom was deceased and she wanted to be with Frankie but she didn't want to make the wrong choice. Frankie loneliness is somewhat similar to Maria's, he's lonely because his girlfriend had passed the year before in a car accident. The promise that Maria had made to her mother on her deathbed played a heavy role in Maria's decision, she didn't want to be just like "La Llorona". She promised that she was going to keep getting a good education. The main problem of the story is how Maria envied the other females in the school because they wore lipstick and flirted with the boys in school. They were involved with the boys than she was. They hooked up with them in back seats of cars and smoked their joints as well. And Maria wanted that lifestyle but she had made that promise to her mother. So that stopped her from turning to the lifestyle that she desired. Although Maria really wanted to be with Frankie, she wanted to maintain a good education and keep her house together as a family. She was very busy with her family and school the rarely had time to for a boyfriend. The decision Maria had made was a good one because she didn't want to have the same life as "La Llorona". I feel that she made the correct choice because, It's okay to like someone but if their lifestyle is different from yours and you don't know if you can handle it then just leave it alone. Or just keep the faith that they'll change the way their living.

SheppardJrJames@yahoo.com
© James Sheppard 2010