Speaker 1 0:12

The Santero written and read by Maria Rodriguez Bross.

Speaker 1 0:37

Santero was stabbed thirteen times with a fork in front of the Bodega, and no one knew why. It was thirteen times and not twelve. Everyone confirmed this number. Because Zoila, that's the old lady, she counted aloud for all to hear. She often sat in a metal folding chair in front of the Botanica across the he had a view of all the the happenings in and out of the bodega. So when the police arrived two hours after the a ttack, Zolia saw how the police scratched their heads, collected testimonies, and scribbled on tiny notepads. We, in the neighborhood, blamed Zoila's audible count because it caused all of our stories to slightly differ. Some said Santero dropped to the floor on his back like a cockroach after being sprayed with poison. And others argued that he reclined against the brick wall, waiting for someone to help him. No one ever helped, despite the blood pooling at the edges of the concrete sidewalk. One of the teen moms looked away and covered her children's eyes. But that wasn't enough, since Santero's agonizing screams could be heard blocks away. His blood slowly snaked its ways towards our little feet. But most of us knew who did it. Her name was Nitza. But still, we thought it best to keep it a secret from the cops. After all, Nitza ran away, and none of us truly knew if whether her attack on Santero was justified. Others believed that the rumors of Nitsa's husband leaving her was too much for her to handle. And it must have been Santero's fault, because Nitsa had done everything Santero told her to do. He told her to spray perfume onto her husband's work clothes, but her husband complained of the stench. He told her to wear makeup before her husband rose out of bed in the morning. That only caused her husband to say, you look like a clown. But come to think of it, Nitza had some blame too. She continued to visit Santero in that botanica, asking him to give her advice. Many of us heard that she tried to stop visiting Santero, but the attraction to the Botanica was impossible for her to ignore. Her husband's bodega was just right across the street. Santero promised solutions to answers while the bodega offered her work with no relief in sight. But nevertheless, Santero was the one who gave the order to retrieve a lock of hair. But no one could have predicted this. You see, on the day Santero put the lock of hair in Manteca, oh that's pig lard. Santero declared, "Your husband will fall madly in love with you again." Santero used the word again because this was the second time he had helped Nitza find love. The first time was when she was only thirteen, or maybe twelve, and back then Nitsa's mother asked Santero to find a husband for her daughter. And being only thirteen or twelve, Nitsa complained about Santero's detailed instructions. Some said she fidgeted in her chair until her mother slapped her into obedience. After all, back then, her mother wanted Nitza to avoid the bad luck she herself had endured, namely that of a woman abandoned. And now well now is different, since Santero used oil from avocados, which he believed was the ingredient to make anyone mad in love. And after many cycles of the moon, Santero returned the oily lock of hair to Nitza. He instructed Nitza to place it in her refrigerator with a bunch of cilantro and peppercorn inside the cavity of a fully cooked animal. Since Nitza was desperate, she did exactly what Santero said. And then she waited and waited. Until one day she returned to the Botanica, where Santero could be found collecting cash and predicting futures. Nitza explained that her husband had not spoken to her in thirteen days. That's because you were supposed to put the lock of hair in the penil. Not the chicken, said Santero. So Nitza went home and made a roast suckling pig. And again Nitza waited and waited. And this time her husband said I'll take the pernil to the bodega and make sandwiches. Nitza quickly ran to the Botanica and told Santero, "Something's wrong! He refuses to eat it alongside me." But Santero told her that she simply needed faith, and that required more locks of hair. So Nitza went home and cut more hair. But this time her husband said, "please make pernil. Business is growing." And all she wanted was for her husband to stay with her, but he refused. So Nitza remembered her dead mother and she slapped herself into obedience. And in that moment she accepted that her husband was only interested in what she cooked for him. So the next day, Nitza delivered the pernil to the bodega herself, without asking her husband. She made the sandwiches and placed them under the heated lap. And while she did this, Santero walked into the bodega but didn't notice her. So she approached him instead and said Santero, "It's me, Nitza." He politely half smiled, but then slightly recoiled from her. No one could blame him, since he couldn't even understand her between her bites. So he ignored her and started to turn his back, but then Santero hesitated. And that's when he said, "Why are you bald?" And as Santero asked this question, he suddenly realized he was the only person left in the bodega. But it was too late. When he finally managed to run out in front of the bodega, that's when Zoila started counting. We could see that Nitza had already stabbed him once with the fork. The same one she used to eat her own lock of hair. The same hair that was hidden in the pork. Well, after the police had secured Santero in an ambulance, the whole neighborhood went back to their lives. And after thirteen full moons, the people complained that the bodega was boarded up and closed. And that's when the police came back again, and they appeared at the Bodega owner's home. And it was Nitza who let them in. She showed them what was left of her decomposed husband in the refrigerator. And that's when Nitza was arrested. And after many months, and after most of the neighborhood had forgotten about the stabbing, Santero finally returned to the Botanica. On the day he opened the storefront, old Zoila didn't say a word, which made the rest of us a bit nervous, scared even. But then we saw her enter Santero's Botanica. We all watched outside the storefront window, and the front door of the botancia was open, so we could hear what was being said. Zoila asked him for the Agua de Florida. That's a type of ritual water. When he brought it to her, she handed him thirteen dollars. Or was it twelve? Something strange happened. Santero gently pushed her hand aside and said no charge. Zoila seemed pleased. And for some reason, we all let out a great big cheer. I guess because it seemed like a good thing. Soon after that day, many lined up once again to buy products and services from the Botanica. And no one cared that the bot across the street still hadn't opened. Or at least that's how it seemed. But what I remember most was that it was the last time Santero gave out something for free. And no one knew why.

Speaker 1 11:26

Thank you for listening to my tale. I'm Maria Rodriguez Bros. Until next time, Brujas.