Cute Host-Sister Moment

Being the youngest in my family, I have never been able to experience my "little sister's" woes. Esperanza (age 8) and I had a nice bonding time the other day. She had several cards that she had made spread out on the table, as she was preparing to attend a birthday party that afternoon. She instructed me to choose my favorite, and I naturally chose the one with big read hearts that read "Te quiero."

A few minutes later, Esperanza came into my room. She closed the door, closed the window (so her parents on the patio couldn't hear) and began frantically pacing around my room. She said that she needed help, and that she was going to tell me a secret. The problem was that she felt that if she gave Jesús, the birthday boy, a card that said "te quiero," everyone would laugh at her. The secret was that Jesús "[le] ha gustado desde hace siempre" (she has always liked him. You know, LIKED him liked him). I understood the dilemma. She wanted to make the card special without being the laughing stock of el Parque de los Principes. We discussed his interests, and Esperanza said that he likes Sevilla (the soccer team, of course). I tried telling her that it would never work between them, since her family supports Betis, but it didn't translate well. I suggested that she draw the Sevilla logo on the more platonic card with the flowers. She loved this idea, thanked me profusely, and set up on my floor to draw it. We constructed the perfect heading: "Feliz Cumpleaños, Jesús! Tu amiga, Esperanza."

When she had finished, she ran into the living room to show her parents. That's when the truth came out: Esperanza had never been invited to this birthday party. She had heard about it from another kid, but never received her own invitation. She started crying, and I could feel my heart break. There is nothing worse than finding out that the man of your dreams does not want you at his party. Poor Esperanza.

Despite the sad ending, I was pleased that Esperanza confided in me, and that we had some girl-bonding time. I really need to spend more time with her before I leave.