05-28-2025, 11:19 PM
The man spoke to her in Spanish which elicited a smile from her. She missed talking in the language and resolved to spend more time speaking in Spanish with Ricky and Anna. Her smile turned into a frown when the Priest indicated his disapproval. She didn't respond or give the priest a dirty look even if she wanted to. It wasn't worth the talk during her religious education class to get into an argument with a priest. It was such a stupid rule.
He switched to English quite quickly. Like her, he was fluent in both and that really wasn't that strange. It seemed strange though to meet someone from Mexico literally on the other side of the world. Well - she assumed Mexico - it could any one of the Spanish speaking countries in Latin America. As she thought about it, his accent did seem to be a little bit different than hers or Ricky's. Probably somewhere else then. It didn't really matter though.
He spoke of her prayers and as he did she looked back up at the crucifix over the altar, considering his words. "Faith is still new to me, but I'm trying. It's not so easy sometimes," she said, her gaze fixed on the crucifix. She wasn't lying. It was hard to believe in a just God when your childhood had been taken from you in violence. "Sometimes all you have is hope. Hope that someone out there hears it and that it is answered."
Marta remained silent for a moment before facing him again. "I pray for a friend of mine - he's having a really hard time. It makes me sad...and I pray for..." her voice trailed off, uncertainty in her tone. She wasn't sure she wanted to say that yet, especially to someone she had just met. "Thank you for your prayer - sometimes, I need peace too." she said, voice unafraid. "My name is Marta." she said almost as an afterthought.
He switched to English quite quickly. Like her, he was fluent in both and that really wasn't that strange. It seemed strange though to meet someone from Mexico literally on the other side of the world. Well - she assumed Mexico - it could any one of the Spanish speaking countries in Latin America. As she thought about it, his accent did seem to be a little bit different than hers or Ricky's. Probably somewhere else then. It didn't really matter though.
He spoke of her prayers and as he did she looked back up at the crucifix over the altar, considering his words. "Faith is still new to me, but I'm trying. It's not so easy sometimes," she said, her gaze fixed on the crucifix. She wasn't lying. It was hard to believe in a just God when your childhood had been taken from you in violence. "Sometimes all you have is hope. Hope that someone out there hears it and that it is answered."
Marta remained silent for a moment before facing him again. "I pray for a friend of mine - he's having a really hard time. It makes me sad...and I pray for..." her voice trailed off, uncertainty in her tone. She wasn't sure she wanted to say that yet, especially to someone she had just met. "Thank you for your prayer - sometimes, I need peace too." she said, voice unafraid. "My name is Marta." she said almost as an afterthought.