K.Esquivel-LWFC

them perfectly, until the dough comes off
your hands easily. Use a
scraper to remove any dough that has stuck
to the table, so that it can
be blended in as well. Place the dough in a
deep container that has
been greased.
Cover with a napkin and wait for it to rise
until it has doubled in
size yet again. Take into account the fact
that it takes approximately
two hours for the dough to double in size and
that it has to rise three
times before it is put into the oven.
As Tita was putting the napkin over the
container where she had set the
dough to rest, a strong gust of wind banged
the kitchen door wide open,
causing an icy blast to invade the room. The
napkin flew into the air
and an icy shiver ran down Tita's spine. She
turned a around and was
stunned to find herself face to face with
Mama Elena, who was giving
her a fierce look.
"I told you many times not to go near Pedro.
Why did you do it?"
"I tried, Mami . but "But nothing! What you
have done has no name!
You have forgotten all morality, respect, and
good behavior.
You are worthless, a good-for-nothing who
doesn't respect even
yourself. You have blackened the name of
my entire family, from my
ancestors down to this cursed baby you carry
in your belly!"
"No! My baby isn't cursed!"
"Yes, it is! I curse it! It and you, forever!"
"No, please!"
Chencha's entrance into the kitchen caused
Mama Elena to spin on her
heels and go out the same door by which
she had entered.
"Close the door, child. Can't you feel how
cold it is?
Lately you've seemed so up in the air. What
is bothering you?"
Nothing. Except she had missed a period
and thought she was pregnant;
and she had to tell John when he came back
to marry her to cancel the
wedding, and she had to leave the ranch if
she wanted to have her baby
without problems, and she had to give up
Pedro forever, since she
couldn't go on hurting Rosaura.
That was all! But she couldn't say that to
Chencha.
She was such a gossip that if Tita told her,
the next day the whole
village would know. She preferred to give
her no answer and change the
subject without more ado, much as Chencha
did to her when she was
caught out on some weak point.
"How awful The dough is already rising over
the pan. Let me finish the
bread, or tomorrow night will catch us and we
still won't be done."
The dough wasn't yet over the top of the pan
where she'd put it to
rest, but it was an ideal pretext to divert
Chencha's attention onto
another topic.