The smell of burnt tortillas wafted in the air as Secilia woke up. “Not again,” she whispered to herself. Welita Tencha had been trying to teach Lala, Secilia’s twelve year old sister, how to make tortillas from scratch and so far it had not been working.

“Seci!” yelled out Lala, “Apurate! Las tortillas are burning. Again!”

Seci groaned as she rolled out of bed and walked into the kitchen.

“I do not know why Welita trusts you making tortillas. It has been a complete failure every time you try,” Seci frustratingly said to Lala.

She shut off the stove and went to open the kitchen window and let some fresh air in to replace the smoke from the burnt tortillas.

“Do not even try to blame me for this. I refuse to learn, but dad is forcing me. He says I am soon going to be a woman and no man is going to have an interest in me without the ability to make tortillas and blah, blah, blah,” mocked Lala, as she walked towards her room, “besides, I almost had it this time, but I was reading my magazine, and by the time I turned to flip the tortilla, well it was too late.”

“Mi’ja, did Lala burn the tortillas again?” asked Seci’s father, Carlos, as he walked in.

“Buenos días, papi,” said Seci, “What would you guess? I honestly believe she is doing it on purpose, hoping we’ll tell her to stop trying.”

Carlos chuckled, “ I am starting to think that too.”

“So mi’ja, what time do you work today?” asked Carlos.

“Oh, no work today dad. It’s my only Saturday off this month. I’m going to help Welita clean and get rid of anything unnecessary in the house,” replied Seci.

“Que bueno. Well I’m off to work myself. If you need anything just give the shop a call, don’t give your Wela any hassle, and be good,” Carlos told Seci as he kissed her forehead.

“Always dad.”

Seci had always done what she was told and never complained about it. After her mother’s passing six months ago she had become especially responsible and was determined to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a great woman.

She put coffee on to brew and sat at the kitchen table to wait for it.

Her mind drifted to that time --- another time. Mamá had walked to the supermarket four blocks from the house to buy the flour Seci had forgotten the evening before. Seci remembers waking up and asking for Mamá, her dad had responded with the simple word, “tienda”, or store. It usually took her fifteen minutes but when those fifteen minutes turned into an hour something was definitely wrong. Just as her dad was going to find her, a phone call came in asking for relatives of Lucinda Hernandez. Before she knew it, Seci was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital where her mom had been taken by ambulance. Her mom had been hit by a car on her way home from the supermarket. Everything happened so fast. The only words she remembered hearing were, “Mi’ja she’s gone. La Virgencita de Guadalupe has asked for her upstairs.”

“Gud Morning Seci,” Welita said with her accent, startling Seci and waking her up from her daydream.

“Welita, I didn’t even hear you walk in,” replied Seci with a slight smile.

Seci’s grandmother had moved in with the family back when Seci was nine years old and in the fourth grade. Her grandfather had passed away and Carlos didn’t want his mother to live alone. Seci was now seventeen and was finishing up her junior year in high school.

“Wela! You put Lala to make tortillas unsupervised again!” Seci told her grandmother.

“I guess it wasn’t a good idea to do that, huh?” asked Welita with a slight grin.

Secilia laughed, “Nope.”

“Anyways, Mi’ja I checked the mail this morning. There was another one of those school postcards.”

“Oh Wela, just throw it away like all the others,” replied Seci.

“Mi’ja I think you should actually read some of these. They sound great. Don’t you want to go to college? Don’t you want to go off like your friends and find a career?” questioned Welita.

Seci sighed. “Welita. We have been over this. It isn’t so easy. We need money for it. And even if we did, dad wouldn’t let me go. You know him. A woman’s place is in the house. Plus, if I was to go off, I would leave Lala and Carlitos. I couldn’t do that. They need me here for them.”

“And what am I here for?” replied Welita immediately. “I will talk to your father. He needs to understand times are different now. A woman is supposed to go out and get her own life. You shouldn’t have to rely on marrying a man to work for you.”

“It isn’t the same. I am not going to college. Even if that is what I want, it won’t happen,” said Seci with a little quiver in her voice and a tear rolling down her cheek.

Welita hugged Seci, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I know that you can do it, though. You are a great, young señorita and if anyone can do it, you can. Plus,” she added, “I know your mom would help you if she was here and that she would want this also.”

Seci’s eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t help herself but cry. She hugged Welita tight. She wanted, more than anything, to attend college. All those letters in the mail brought many dreams to her. She wanted to become a nurse. Seci knew that her mom wanted her to go to college and pursue her dreams. They had already coversed about it before her mom had passed away. The words her mom had told her were fresh in her mind.

“Siempre has tu mejor por prosperar. No dejes que, por ser mujer Mexican te discriminen. Si tu quieres ir a la escuela yo te voy a apoyar. Tu papa va a tener que entender.”

“Always do your best to prosper and don’t let anyone discriminate against you for being a Mexican woman. If you want to go to school I am going to support you. And your dad will have to understand.”

But when Seci and her mom tried talking to her father about college. He angrily shook his head and refused to respond to either of them. Seci dropped the subject. She knew it was a bad idea to mention something like college to a man with strong views of machismo. Women worked in the house. That was it.

Seci has had plenty of talks with the counselor, which helped Seci get her ACT and SAT testing underway. Having already had that incident with her dad, she hadn’t considered taking them. The counselor advised her to do it, just as a shake-off thing. To get her off her back, she did. Her scores came back high. Her grades showed the time and commitment she put into schoolwork. Seci was smart and had the potential to fulfill her dreams, but there was no way of actually going to school without the approval of her father.

The following Monday Seci woke up early, like every other weekday, to get the sack lunch read for her dad and head off to school. Seci and Lala then walked to school. Junior year was about to end for her. Finals were about to start the following week and then summer was going to start. That meant getting away from the counselor and get all the college stuff off her mind.

“Hey Seci!” shouted Macy.

Macy was Seci’s best friend. They met three years ago both on the first day of high school. Macy sat next to Seci in homeroom that morning. She was loud, outgoing, a bit overdramatic, and white. She was the complete opposite of Seci. But as the saying goes, opposites attract. Macy introduced herself and Seci responded with a simple grin. Since that moment, both the girls became friends, and little by little they got to know each other better. Seci knew Macy lived with her parents on the rich side of town with her parents and that both had jobs. They owned a two-story home, as opposed to Seci, who lived in a small three bedroom house with a joined living room and kitchen. Seci had gone to visit Macy a few times and her parents made her feel right at home -- that was when they were there. She understood why Macy could do what she wanted when she wanted; her parents were always working and they trusted that Macy was going to be okay. Seci had a hard time trusting anyone and Macy was the only one she trusted and turned to with her problems at home. Macy seemed to know a response or word of advice for every one of Seci’s problems and thoughts.

“Hey Macy,” replied Seci, “What are you up to?”

“I was waiting for you to get to school. Listen. I found another list of scholarships you and I can both apply for. And I found the perfect school for us to attend. It is right along the beach and would be marvelous! My parents are still up to talking to your dad about college and helping you out to pay for it. We could live together and…”

“Macy stop!” interrupted Seci. “I’m so happy you are trying to help me out but just stop.”

Macy looked hurt.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap and I know you are only helping. But this won’t work.”

“It’s okay. I understand. But I want you to know we are here to help. You are a smart girl Seci. You know that. We all know that. Times are different and your dad needs to see that. You could be someone in this world. If you set your mind to it, you will,” explained Macy. “Promise you will think about it? About my parents talking to your dad?”

“Promise.”

Seci went through school the whole day thinking about everything. Welita was right. Macy was right. But more than anyone, her mom was right. Her mom wanted her to go to college and become someone. She wanted it too. She wanted to be a nurse. She had all the support she could possibly need, but she just needed to gain one more person’s, her dads. And she was going to work for that. She was willing to do anything to show him she wanted this and to convince him to let her go off to college.
That day she went home decided to talk to her dad with the help of Welita.

“Wela. I need your help. And I need you to help me before I change my mind,” Seci told Welita.

“Ay mi’ja. Slow down and talk to me in language I can understand,” replied Welita.

“You want me to talk in Spanish?” asked Seci.

Welita chuckled, “No. I mean slow down and talk calmly.”

Seci sat next to Welita on the sofa.

“I’ve decided to talk to Papi again. About college. I want to make mamá proud and to do that I need to go to college.”

“Aye mi’ja.” A tear rolled down her face.” I knew you would come to your senses. What do you need me to do?”

“Just be there with me. I will talk to him at dinner,” responded Seci.

“Seguro que si mi’ja,” said Welita with a big smile, “I will be there.”

Carlos walked in from work that day. Seci had built up the courage to talk to him. This time she wasn’t going to ask. She was going to tell.

“Hola dad,” said Seci as her dad walked in through the door, “How was work?”

“Same as everyday. Long and lots of new cars in the shop. How was school?” he replied.

“It went good. We started reviewing for finals,” responded Seci, “ Also, I got a packet today about scholarships.”

“What are those?” Carlos asked.

“Becas, dad. They help pay for your college and stuff. They ask you for your grades and test scores and they help you with money to pay for college.

“What do you need that list for? You have a job, and that is pushing what I think you should do. I have already talked to you about the way things go. Women stay in the house. Men work. You are supposed to marry a man who works for you…” said Carlos.

“Dad…” interrupted Seci.

“I am still talking!” shouted Carlos.

Seci could tell her dad was getting angry and at that moment Welita Tencha walked in.

“Do not raise your voice to her,” said Welita.

Carlos made a hesitant turn.

“If you would only listen to what she has to tell you, you would make so much more sense of it,” said Welita.

“Make sense of what? I have told her before to forget about this further education. It isn’t going to happen.”

“The young lady you have raised has the hope of being someone in this world and not having to worry about finding a man that will maintain her. You should be proud of raising a girl that wants to succeed in life,” added Welita.

Carlos kept shaking his head. He got up from the chair where he sat and responded, “I am proud of being her father. But she needs to keep the traditional values alive. Nowadays there are no women like her.”

Seci sat and watched as Welita did her part in her promise to defend her.

“Lucinda would have wanted Seci to attend college!” shouted Welita.

“Do not bring her into this!” Carlos responded furiously.

“I will bring her into this! She knew that Seci was a smart girl, she wanted her to go to college and you know that. Why can’t you see that times aren’t like before. Women are supposed to go out and be someone in this world. I would do anything to go back in time and do that myself.”

Welita kept her composure through it all. It’s as if she had planned out every possible argument Carlos could make.

Seci stood up, “ Dad. I am not asking any longer. I have had many people advise me and I know what I want. I am now telling you. I am going to attend college. I am going to be someone. I have everyone’s support but yours, which kills me, but I have to go on. I have a friend, Macy, whose parents are willing to help me out if you don’t want to.”

Carlos looked shocked. Seci had never back talked or stood up like she did today.
A tear rolled down his cheek. He had raised a strong girl. A strong girl who knew what she wanted. How could he take that from her?

“Dad, don’t cry. I am not meaning this in a bad way,” whispered Seci, “but I have got to grow up.”

“I understand Mi’ja and if that is what you want. I will have to agree. I am going to help you,” responded Carlos.

Welita let out a big sigh, “Gracias a Dios este hombre comprendido!” “Thank the Lord! This man understood!”

They all hugged and felt a great warmth of happiness and love.

Lala jumped in the kitchen, “So I have been listening. Does this mean I don’t have to learn to make tortillas anymore?”

Everyone laughed. And pulled her in to the big hug.

Secilia went on to achieve the valedictorian title of her class, with Macy, as salutatorian. Carlos and Welita sat in the front row watching as she walked the stage and gave her speech with a radiant smile. College was going to be paid for with all the scholarships she earned and Seci had gotten the approval she so desperately wanted.