<< Go Back

Rosita Valdez and the Spanish Doll

By Robin Densmore Fuson

Order Now!

Chapter 1

Excited

Rosie has a beautiful Spanish doll, her grandma gave her. A while back, as they were looking through her grandma’s trunks in the attic they came across the beautiful doll. The doll has a peineta in her hair and a blue lace mantilla. A Peineta is a comb that holds a person’s hair up. The mantilla is a veil that is placed over the peineta. The doll’s hair is long and dark and she is wearing a blue dress. Grandma said the doll was hers when she was little so it was old. Grandma giggled at the word “old” because she didn’t think of herself as old. Rosie didn’t either.
Grandma said Rosie needed to be careful with the doll as it was fragile and should be put on the high shelf Rosie’s room. That’s where she sits today as Rosie looks at her from her bed. The light from the moon shines through a slit between the curtains onto her doll.
Rosie is supposed to be asleep but her mind keeps wondering. In a few days she is going to have a birthday party. She will be be nine. Wow, nine years old! I can hardly wait! Mama said she could have a tea party with her friends and each girl could bring her favorite doll. She didn’t know what a tea party was so Mama explained, she had read about it in a book. It was when ladies wore nice clothes and drank tea and ate small sandwiches and sweets. Rosie thinks it will be fun to dress up and act like grown up ladies. Mama suggested the girls should bring their dolls. She said Rosie could assist in picking out the recipes for the food and help make the cake.
Rosie was so excited she couldn’t sleep. Rosie was thinking about how Grandma had taken one of the dresses they had found in the trunk in the attic and remade it for her. Grandma used the extra material and made a shawl for Rosie and a dress for her doll. They were all made out of the one dress so they matched. Rosie loved Grandma, especially when she made ordinary things special. Rosie thought about when she had told Jade and Belita bout the party and how excited they had been. A big smile spread across her face as she remembered their squeals of delight. They were excited to dress up and go to a “ladies tea party”.
Rosie’s thoughts turned to the recipes she and Mama had gone through. They had chosen some she thought would taste wonderful. Mama said she would add some of their traditional foods also, so everything wouldn’t be new. Rosie remembered what Mama said, “A meal is not complete without tortillas and beans.” Mama and Grandma had laughed so Rosie had joined in. Mama said she would roll the beans in the tortilla tight and cut small pieces. Rosie thought about all the other things Mama was preparing as she finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Rosie woke to Chico winning at her bedroom door. “Oh, I overslept!” exclaimed, Rosie. The door was closed just enough he couldn’t open it with his nose. “Chico, I’m sorry, here let me get you outside.” She hurried him to the back door and let him out. She started back through the kitchen just as Mama was coming in from the hall. Mama asked her if she had slept well. Rosie smiled her big smile and said she did after she finally fell asleep. She told Mama what she had been thinking about that had kept her awake.
Mama smiled as she said, “I’m glad you are excited about your party, you don’t get to turn nine years old every day. But Rosie, you have to remember the days are the same. You need to do all your chores, get dressed, clean up your room and get the eggs. I need to give you your breakfast, so I can do my work too.” Mama hugged Rosie, turned her, and gave her a little nudge toward her room. Giggling, Rosie skipped to her room.
Rosie made her bed and picked up her room in record time. She pulled on blue shorts and a white top. At the back door she slipped on sandals and ran to the hen house carrying a large basket for the eggs.
Rosie didn’t mind gathering the eggs it was her special job. The hens moved easily for her small hand so she could reach the egg. When the boys or Papa went into the hen house there was so much noise. The hens would start clucking and flapping around. But they just cooed when she came in. Mama said they loved Rosie because she sang to them a little song she made up for them. Rosie started singing her song before she went in.
“It’s Rosie, my hens;
I’m here to gather the eggs,
Don’t worry or ruffle your feathers,
For I won’t make any loud bangs.
I’ll be gentle little ones;
Don’t worry or ruffle your feathers,
I’ll be quick, little ones
So never you fear
Rosie is here!
La la, la la,
Rosie is here!
One of the brown hens, with the white feathers underneath, clucked along this morning as she sometimes did when Rosie sang. Rosie smiled as she thought; I wonder why she clucks when I sing. I wonder if I could train her to cluck all the time when I sing. Maybe I could make an act with her. We could be called, ‘Rosie and her singing hen.’ That would be so fun! Maybe I could bring her to show at school. Or, maybe…
“What are you doing?” asked Tomás.
“Tomás, you scared me!” said Rosie.
Tomás, her brother, laughed, “I thought you were in one of your day dreams. What were you thinking?”
Rosie looked down at her basket of eggs, and then walked out of the hen house, latched the door and replied, “Well, I was thinking of naming the hens.”
“Rosie, I won’t tease you, what were you really thinking?” Tomás said, as he turned her toward him.
Rosie looked up, smiled her big smile, and said, “I was thinking I could get the brown hen with the white feathers, which I named Brown Lady, to sing a song with me at school.”
Tomás grinned and kept his laugh to himself but said, “Rosie, chickens don’t sing.”
Rosie replied, “She almost always clucks along with me when I sing, that’s sort of singing.” Then they both started giggling and ended up laughing until their sides hurt.

Order Now!

<< Go Back