“And how I am so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” from the Gospel of Luke

“Fool, why do you embrace your cross?” The Passion of the Christ

Pounding heart. Airway shriking. This is how the end began before.
“No, this is the beginning of your life.”

Curled in a corner by the dresser. Broken crockery. Two scratches across a soft forearm. A small hole in the sky blue wall. A dent in the bedroom door. Sobs. An angry glare at the retablo of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A photograph held to a lighter. Tears.

And later in the night, an overwhelming smell of roses. A breathful of sugar and flowers and peace.