Member-only story
THE NARRATIVE ARC
My Aunt Taught Me to Be Fearless and Free
Remembering my first and most important ally
Aunt Lola was the sun — you couldn’t ignore her, even if you tried. She was a force of nature and taught me how to survive on my own terms.
I can still smell her perfume: geranium, orange blossom, tobacco, and a hint of nutmeg. Whenever I smell that fragrance, my mind shifts into reverse. I am taken to another era. I see her smile. I see the love flood into her eyes. Oh, how I miss her.
The first time I saw Aunt Lola in her element, it was like watching a queen hold court. That is precisely what she was. A queen. She oozed regality.
She quietly demanded attention, and then she claimed it.
I remember lights dancing wildly against her black hair, casting her cheekbones in dramatic relief. Good lord, she was beautiful.
Her thick, gold-plated hoops swayed with every passionate turn of the head. She rattled off Spanish like a machine gun. Her stilettos clicked like a loyal metronome against the marble floor.
Lola was the height of glamour. She was the woman I wanted to be; she was filled with pride that was impossible to ignore.
