His own family destroyed their 4 dresses in hours of the wedding out of pure envy, but the imposing outfit with which he came to the altar made them tremble in shame in front of everyone
PART 1
In Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, weddings are usually events where tequila magically erases family grudges and everyone pretends to be perfect to the rhythm of mariachi. However, for the Navarro family, Valentina’s impending marriage only served to expose the venom and envy they had been secretly ingesting for decades.
At 32 years old, Valentina had broken all the traditional molds of her bloodline. She was Captain Second Air Force Pilot of the Mexican Air Force, a woman of unwavering character forged in strict military discipline. But in his house, success was an unforgivable sin. For his father, Don Arturo, an old-school stoned machist, it was a constant humiliation to have a daughter who pilots airplanes and commands troops, rather than being a submissive wife. To her mother, Ms. Rosa, Valentina was the rebellious and uncaste daughter who preferred the barracks over staying at home to knit and listen to her neighborhood gossip.
The real pride of the home was Czech. A 28-year-old young man who neither studied nor worked, the classic living “nini” who woke up after noon and to whom his parents applauded every breath as if it were a miracle, while he emptied their wallets without any shame.
Valentina had learned to swallow the pain. The military taught you to endure extreme climates and high-risk missions, but no combat tactic prepares you for the utter rejection of your own blood. Luckily, life rewarded her with Matthew, an engineer from the Montana region he met during hurricane rescue efforts. He wasn’t intimidated by her uniform; on the contrary, he loved her deeply for being a strong, goofy woman.
Just 2 days left for the big religious ceremony. Driven by a false sense of nostalgia, Valentina decided to spend her final bachelor nights in her childhood home. Arrived carrying 4 beautiful wedding gowns stored in impeccable covers: one spectacular and pompous for church, one lighter for the garden, one with fine charro embroidery for the photo shoot and a simple design for the civil.
That last night, the tension in the house was suffocating and you could cut with a knife. Don Arturo was drinking in the living room spitting insults in front of the television, Mrs. Rosa was whipping the mud pots in the kitchen and Czech laughed out loud watching nonsense on his cell phone. Avoiding the quarrel, Valentina locked herself in her old room at 10 p.m. He hung all 4 dresses in the closet, caressed the silk of the principal and felt for the first time the butterflies of who is about to start a new life.
But at 2 in the morning, a deafening noise suddenly woke her up. The unmistakable crunch of the wood in her closet and some dragged steps led her to light the lamp of a clap. The scene in front of her immediately chilled her blood.
The covers were open in pairs. The first dress was ripped, brutally cut from the neckline to the tail with heavy gardening scissors. The second one was cracked exactly in half. The other 2 dresses were reduced to unrecognisable straps, simple dirty rags hanging sadly from the hooks.
Valentina fell to her knees on the grief, in a state of total shock. At that very moment, the door swept wide open.
Don Arturo was standing on the threshold, with his arms crossed and a defiant stance. Behind him, Mrs. Rosa looked away with a cowardly smile, while Checo laughed openly, savoring the suffering of his older sister.
-That happens to you because of arrogance and for playing very saucy – spit Don Arturo, with a demonic coldness -. Let’s see if this is how you’re grown and you understand that you’re not better than us just for being a soldier.
Valentina couldn’t even breathe. The lump in her throat suffocated her as she sought an ounce of mercy from her mother, but she kept utter silence. Checo let out a malicious giggle from the hallway.
—Things are very simple, mija: without a dress there is no wedding — her father said, turning half way around with a disgusting smile of victory —. Matter settled.
They closed the door in one blow, leaving her lying in the penumbra, surrounded by pieces of fabric, about to make a drastic decision that would leave everyone frozen and that would trigger an unbelievable scandal…
Part 2 is in the comments 👇
