Esperanza Rising Las Papayas

​Esperanza Rising: Las Papayas

By LEANDRA GARDNER

Match

Match the vocabulary word.

funeral

gifts

lawyer

governor

• funeral

• gifts

• lawyer

• governor

​Esperanza heard Papa and the others singing the birthday song outside her window. She opened her eyes. The song had just been a dream. Then she remembered last night.

Papa and his vaqueros (cowboys) had been killed by bandits. The bandits had found them fixing a fence far from the house. The bandits had stolen their boots, saddles, and horses.

Esperanza went downstairs and stood in la sala, the hall by the door. The house was empty and silent. Abuelita and Alfonso were taking Mama to see the priest this morning.  They were planning the funeral. There was a knock at the front door.

“Who is there?” called Esperanza through the door.

“It is Señor Rodríguez.”  He was Marisol’s father.

Esperanza opened the door. Señor Rodríguez stood with a big box of papayas.

Multiple Choice

What did Senor Rodriguez bring to Esperanza on her birthday?

“Your father ordered these papayas from me for the fiesta today.”

Papaya, coconut, and lime salad was Esperanza’s favorite. Hortensia made it every year. 

“Señor,” she said through her tears. “Have you not heard? My…my papa is dead.”

Señor Rodríguez said, “¿Qué pasó, niña? What happened?”

Esperanza told the story. Hortensia came and put her arm around her.

The funeral and prayers lasted three days. People came with food and flowers.

Marisol came with her parents Señor and Señora Rodríguez. The two girls went to Esperanza’s room. They sat on Esperanza’s bed, held hands, and cried together.

Open Ended

How long did the funeral last?

Start your answer with: It lasted ____ days.

​The house was full of visitors for the next few days. But at night Mama and Esperanza missed Papa in the big empty house. Abuelita sat with them until they went to sleep.

One morning, Mama said, “Esperanza, you should open your birthday gifts.  Papa would have wanted it.”

Abuelita handed Esperanza each gift. From Marisol, there was a white purse for Sundays, with a rosary inside. There was a rope of blue beads from Chita. There was the book, Don Quijote, from Abuelita. A beautiful scarf was from Mama. Finally, she opened the box from Papa. She knew it was the last gift Papa would ever give her.

Open Ended

What gifts did Esperanza receive?

​It was a doll. She wore a fine white dress and a white lace mantilla over her black hair. Her round face had enormous eyes.

“Oh, she looks like an angel,” said Abuelita.  Esperanza hugged the doll to her chest and walked out of the room, leaving all the other gifts.

Tío Luis and Tío Marco came every day to “take care of the family business.” Soon they became like la calabaza, the squash plant, going where they were not welcome. They would even eat their meals at the ranch.

Finally, the lawyer came. The lawyer’s job was to decide who would own Papa’s ranch, and who would get Papa’s money. Mama, Esperanza, and Abuelita sat in their black dresses to talk to the lawyer. Then the uncles walked into Papa’s office.

Open Ended

Does Ramona (Mama) want the Tios at the ranch? How can you tell?

Tío Luis said to Mama in a loud voice, “Ramona, I hope you will not be sad about your husband’s death for too long!”

          Tío Luis began to talk with the lawyer about Papa’s ranch and money. Why is he sitting in Papa’s chair? Esperanza thought. Everything felt wrong. Mama and Abuelita looked angry.

“Ramona,” said the lawyer to Mama. “Your husband, Sixto Ortega, left this house to you and your daughter. You will also get the money from selling the grapes every year. But it is not our custom to let women take care of the land. The land will now belong to Luis, because he was your husband’s banker.”

Open Ended

Now that Papa is dead, who owns the house? Who owns the land?

​Tío Luis said “I am the bank president. Now that I own this beautiful land, I would like to buy the house from you, Ramona.”

Mama shook her head, “This is our home. My husband wanted us to live here. I will not sell it. Besides, where would I live?”

“I thought you would say no, Ramona,” said Tío Luis. “But I have an idea that will let both of us have the house. I would like to marry you. You are beautiful and the people in our town love you. If I marry you, people will vote for me as governor. Wouldn’t you love to be a governor’s wife?”

Open Ended

What does Tio Luis want to do?

Esperanza could not believe her ears. Mama marry Tío Luis? An ugly, greedy man?

Mama stood up and spoke slowly and clearly. “I do not want to marry you, Luis, now or ever. Your offer makes me angry.”

Then Tío Luis’s face became red. “You will be sorry, Ramona. Remember, this house and those grapes are on my land. I can make many problems for you if you do not marry me. I will give you some time to change your mind.”

Tío Luis and Tío Marco put on their hats and left.

“What evil, greedy men!” said Abuelita.

“Can Luis really make problems for me?” asked Mama.

“Yes,” said the lawyer. “He owns this land.”

“But if he wants a house, why doesn’t he just build his own?” asked Mama.

“He wants you more than the house,” said Abuelita. “People in this town loved your husband and respect you. If Luis married you, the people would vote for him as governor.”

Mama said “I will never, ever, marry him.”

“I will tell him that, Ramona,” said the lawyer. “But be careful. He is a dangerous man.”

The lawyer left and Mama sat in a chair and began to cry.

Esperanza ran to her. “Don’t cry, Mama,” she said. But she was worried about Tío Luis.

Open Ended

Why is Mama crying?

That evening, Esperanza went outside to Papa’s rose garden. She sat on a stone bench.  These roses remember when Papa was alive, she thought. Abuelita says if a person drinks tea made from roses, the person gets all the beautiful memories from the rose. I will ask Hortensia to make rose tea tomorrow.

Miguel came and sat beside her.

Open Ended

Why are roses special to Esperanza?

​“Anza,” he said, using her old nickname. “Which rose is yours?” His voice sounded like a man’s now. She pointed to some tiny pink roses.

“And where is mine?” asked Miguel, smiling like he did when they were younger.

Esperanza smiled and pointed to the orange rose next to hers. Papa had planted them.

“What will happen to us, Miguel?” she asked.

“People think that Luis will take over the ranch,” Miguel said. “My father wants to go to the United States to work.”

Esperanza could not imagine living without Hortensia, Alfonso, and Miguel.

Draw

Highlight Miguel's nickname for Esperanza.

“My father and I think that Mexico is not a good home for us,” said Miguel.  “Even if we work hard, we will always be servants in Mexico. Your father was a good man. He gave us a small piece of land and a house. But your uncles would treat us badly.  We will not work for them. In the United States the work is hard, but we have a chance to be more than servants.”

Open Ended

Why does Alfonso want to move his family?

“But Mama and Abuelita and I...what will we do without you?” said Esperanza.

“We won’t leave until we have to.” Miguel took her hand. “I’m sorry about your papa.”

His touch was warm and Esperanza’s heart jumped. She felt her face turn pink. She pulled away from Miguel and stood up.

Miguel’s feelings were hurt. “You were right, Esperanza,” he said quietly.  “In Mexico there is a deep river between us.”

Esperanza went up to her room. She felt lost. Alfonso, Hortensia, and Miguel were leaving. Would she have to leave too? Where would she go?

The wind carried a smell through the window. It was the papayas from Señor Rodríguez that Papa had ordered for her birthday. They were still sitting in the box outside. Esperanza closed her eyes tightly. She tried to find the dream where Papa was singing the birthday song.