*
Jane urges her son forward as a thousand dancers shuffle around them and spin up Calle Hidalgo under a darkening sky, their faces hidden behind paint depicting the dead they will become, with skull-white skin, black nose and eye sockets, and skeletal grins stretched wide. Women soften the ghoulish effect with glitter, gems, or floral designs around the eyes. They wear long gowns while the men sport top hats and suits, and children master the look in stylish miniature.
She wants to dance, but Liam holds back, his hand in hers transmitting the weight of his fear. As thoroughly as he has adapted to Mexican life, he still shrinks from the loudest mysteries. So, at first, they walk. After a couple blocks, he begins to recognize friends and teachers under layers of makeup. Jane senses that he's still jealous of his big brother for being tapped to march at the front of their group with the school's banner, but he allows himself to be charmed by the huge mojiganga puppets that move through the crowd. Nervous giggles erupt when one of them leans over him, her twelve-foot frame tilting at a crazy angle. The man inside looks out through a hole in the puppet's skirt and suggests a dance. Wide-eyed, mute, Liam shakes his head. The mojiganga straightens up and whirls away.
A block later, Liam lets go of Jane's hand and joins two seven-year-old girls from his class. The girls' urging has more impact than his mother's. Hands on hips, Liam stomps out a pattern learned at school. The girls match his steps, and a handsome father Jane recognizes from the drop-off line approaches with approving eyes and joins in.
The author; photo by Shadi Yousefian
*
They arrive at the heart of the city and circle the central plaza where several bands compete to be heard. Above them all looms the façade of the famous church, a pink marble confection with elaborate spires. Friends jump in line, cameras flash, and Liam still dances.
Then it's over. Drifting away, Jane shouts her goodbyes to fellow parents and corrals her boys. It's time to meet their father for dinner.
On the restaurant's terrace, where other elegantly dressed skeletons enjoy their arrachera or carnitas with an enthusiasm belying their deathly appearance, Kevin waits for them, tall and coiled, intensely alive, his chiseled face just beginning to soften with age. Even after all these years and despite the current tensions between them, Jane feels a potent tug of the attraction that has sustained them. The boys run to him.
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Ann Marie Jackson is co-founder of microlending organization Mano Amiga and former Vice President of Casita Linda, which builds homes for families living in extreme poverty in San Miguel de Allende. Early in her career, after earning degrees from Stanford and Harvard, Jackson joined the U.S. Department of State to promote human rights in China and other East Asian and Pacific Island nations. She has worked with Human Rights Watch, A Better Chance, and Internews to further social justice causes and advance respect for human rights. Her essays and short stories appear in Mexico News Daily, San Miguel Life, Sanctuary Magazine, Solamente en San Miguel, GirlTalkHQ, and more. A 2023 International Book Awards Finalist for Women's Fiction and 2023 American Fiction Awards Finalist for Women's Fiction and Best New Fiction, The Broken Hummingbird is Jackson's first novel.
In San Miguel, The Broken Hummingbird is available at Aurora Books and in the Biblioteca Publica's tienda, as well as on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, and more.A portion of the proceeds from book sales will benefit Casita Linda and Mano Amiga. Learn more at:
www.annmariejacksonauthor.com
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