The Red Parasol
The red parasol had been laying against that wall for twenty years. each time that Maria would come to visit her grandmother she always wondered about the story behind the red parasol but had never asked. Than one rainy January day she decided to ask her grandmother where it had come from. Maria's grandmother was reluctant to tell the story of the red parasol to her granddaughter, it had been a hidden family secret for so long. Her grandmother felt that it was time that the story of the red parasol finally be told.
Maria's grandmother went over to where the red parasol was, motioned for Maria to come and sit with her. They sat down on this old Victorian sofa, a few seconds later her grandmother started the tail of the red parasol. The story all began on a lovely Spring afternoon back in 1860 in Mexico. That was were Gloria had meet Lucero each and every afternoon for tea. This meeting would turn out very different than the rest had, it was on this day that their forbidden affair would start.
Gloria and Lucero had been raised together underneath of the same roof. Gloria was the daughter of a wealthy farm owner and Lucero was the daughter of her nanny. one day while they were out for a horseback ride together they spotted this beautiful little lake that lay just outside the propriety, it was warm so they decided to stop for a quick swim. Neither of them had their swimsuits so they had no other choice but to go skinny dipping.
As they swam along they eventually came to a point where the lake ended so they started heading back to where they had left their horses tied to a tree. They were in no hurry so they decided to sunbathe for a bit. As they lay there this strange desire over took Lucero, she began to slowly inch her way closer and closer to Gloria who was laying on the grass a few feet away. Lucero slowly straddled Gloria causing her too open up her eyes in surprise.
The next thing that they knew their eyes meet than so did their lips, than their hips followed as well until they were inthrowthed in passionate love making. An hour later they started to get dressed, got on their horses, began to head back to the horse stable. After they put their houses' back in the stalls they went upstairs to Gloria's room closing the door behind them. A few minutes later Gloria heard her father's voice calling for her from downstairs. The sound of her father's voice startled Gloria out of her daze back into reality.
Gloria's father started up the stairs headed straight towards her room. Opening up the door to find Gloria and Lucero sitting talking. Little did he know that a few moments before that they were engaged in a kiss. All seemed normal to Gloria's father though things were far from normal, matter of fact things would never again be "normal" from that day on.
Gloria and Lucero would spend their day's hiding in the gazebo in the garden behind the main house. Evenings were spent making mad passionate love in the old tree house that her father had built years ago for her older brother near the lake. Nights were spent skinny dipping in the lake.Mornings were spent on long romantic carriage rides together.
It was on one of those spring evenings when they were sunbathing by the lake that the unthinkable happened. They were using that very red parasol to shade them from the sun while they made love as usual but this day would turn out much differently than all the others. It was on that fateful day that they were caught by Gloria's father. Gloria's father moved the red parasol to discover the two of them in the middle of their love making.
Gloria turned around to see what had happened to their shade, discovering to her great horror her father standing there staring at the two of them laying there. They both jumped up and covered themselves up. They got dressed and headed back with Gloria's father following close behind them all the way. Once they reached the main house Gloria's father went straight to Lucero's mother revealing the truth that he had just discovered that their daughters were lovers.
After that fateful evening both of their parents forbid them from seeing one another ever again. Their parents disapproval did not stop them from seeing one another in secret for many months afterwords. The spring came and went, bringing with it summertime. The two of them continued seeing one another in secret fro the rest of the summer.
Than came the fall and the moment that they were both dreading the moment when Gloria would have to go back to school in Spain. When that day finally arrived Gloria decided to run away with Lucero instead of returning to Spain. They boarded a train one day and were never heard from of spoken of ever again by anyone in the family till today.
Maria sat back in her seat trying to wrap her mind around what she had just found out. She was shocked to find out the truth behind the red parasol. Maria's grandmother had one more revelation to divulge to her granddaughter, Maria could not believe that there was more to the story. Maria sat up in her seat looked her grandmother straight in the eye and said that your Gloria aren't you her grandmother replied yes dear I am.
THE END....
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