K.Esquivel-LWFC

When the dough has doubled in size for the
second time, remove it from
the container, place it on the table, and form
it into a strip.
If you wish, you may place some bits of
candied fruit in the middle.
If not, just the porcelain doll, placed at
random. Roll up the strip,
joining one edge to the other. Place the
bread seam down on a greased
and floured baking sheet. Form a ring with
the dough, leaving enough
space between the ring and the edge of the
baking sheet, since the
dough still has to double in size one more
time. Meanwhile, light the
oven to maintain a comfortable temperature
in the kitchen until the
bread finishes rising.
Before placing the porcelain doll in the bread,
Tita looked at it for a
long time. Traditionally, on the night of the
sixth of January, the
bread is sliced and the person who finds the
doll hidden inside it is
required to hold a celebration on the second
of February, Candlemas
day, when the Baby Jesus is removed from
the Nativity scene.
Ever since they were very young, this
tradition had been converted into
a sort of competition between her and her
sisters. The one lucky
enough to find the doll was considered lucky
indeed. That night, with
the doll clasped tightly in her two hands, she
could make any wish she
wanted.
Carefully studying the delicate form of the
doll, she NF- 11 was
thinking how easy it was to wish for things as
a child.
Then nothing seemed impossible. Growing
up, one realizes how many
things one cannot wish for, the things that
are forbidden, sinful.
Indecent.
But what is decent? To deny everything that
you really want?
She wished she had never grown up, never
known Pedro, never had to flee
from him. She wished her mother would stop
tormenting her, jumping out
at her from every corner and crying contempt
for her behavior. She
wished Esperanza could marry, without
Rosaura being able to stop her,
so she would never know this pain and
suffering! She wished that the
child would have the strength Gertrudis had
shown and run away from
home, if necessary! She wished Gertrudis
would come home, to lend Tita
the support she needed so much now!
Making these wishes, she placed
the doll in the bread and left the bread on the
table so it could
rise.
When the bread has doubled in size the third
time, decorate it with
candied fruit, glaze it with a beaten egg, and
sprinkle it with
sugar.
Bake it in the oven for twenty minutes, and
let it cool.
When the bread was ready to serve, Tita
asked Pedro to help her carry
it to the table. She could have asked
anyone's help with it, but she
needed to speak to him in private.
"Pedro, I need to talk to you alone."