Rosa of the Wild Grass: The Story of a Nicaraguan Family by Fiona Macintosh

Author:Fiona Macintosh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Practical Action Publishing

Rosa and María

María: Come outside. See those holes, up by the roof?

There was no warning. We just fell to the ground. The bullets were flying.

They got away, the men shooting, through the farm at the back. They had their faces masked. I don’t think they could have been from here.

I didn’t see the wounded. Ana said they were all taken to hospital. We know it was Don Salas, he hired the men. After all these years he’s come back. We knew he’d want to evict the families but to do such a terrible thing! These families have nowhere to go. They’ve been farming that land for over ten years. I hear the union man came to talk to Don Salas. They’ve reached an agreement for him to get back most of his land, but not all.

Rosa: I don’t know, giving land back to Don Salas is bad. He should be arrested. This is happening everywhere. You know the trouble we had renewing our land deeds. The rich are back and want to evict us all.

María: And here no one can get any farming credit. Marcos hasn’t been able to plant this year. And Guillermo hasn’t found any building work. The number of young men not working can only lead to taking things that don’t belong to them.

Myrna says next door to her they’ve started up gaming, and it’s not only gambling. She says they’re dealing drugs to youngsters. I think the parents are at fault.

Rosa: Mum, they’re not the only ones at fault. Last night when you were at Mass, Marcos’s mates passed Mauricio the bottle and to be drinking at his age and with his condition.

María: I know, poor Mauricio.

Rosa: And does Dora even know?

María: Oh, now, leave this to me. Dora did well asking Los Pipitos to send their doctor, a Dr Geraldo Solís. That was three weeks ago and he examined all the children like Mauricio. Dora took him and I went with Flor’s girl and we met at the clinic. Dora’s hoping Los Pipitos will open one of its centres here. There are certainly enough children with special needs to warrant one. I’d thought there’d be no more than fifteen children attending but there were more like thirty.

Rosa: Yes, the one in Jinotepe is too far for Mauricio to travel. Mum, what about Dora? I thought she’d drop by.

María: She has a job she needs to finish, alterations. She’s so short of cash she’s only sending Pilar to school. She’s stopped her check-ups too; she’s seeing the herbalist instead.

Rosa: There are herbs I know that help with her kind of kidney complaint. I can make quite a few remedies now. I’ve learned what helps with a lot of ailments. You know we’ve started up a herb garden since the barrio ’s health clinic closed; it’s where folk come now.

María: Your grandma would have liked to have seen that. These remedies seem to be making a comeback. The new herbalist here in La Concha prescribed me a remedy I’ve never taken before and it seems to be helping.

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