My Tia lived in Mexico with her first husband and had a son with him. One day there was an accident at his work and he died leaving her a widow. She tells me how painful it was for her and that she never thought she could find love again. Eventually she came to the United States with some of her other siblings that were already here. After living in the US and working here for a while, she started dating someone and got remarried.

My Tia says that her second husband did not treat her well. He was a “mujeriego” or a womanizer. They had a child together and she loved him even though she knew she should not be with him. She tells me that she knew he was bad for her but could not bring herself to leave him. Every night she would pray, “Dios! Quitame ese hiombre!” “God! Take this man away!” She would pray to God and ask, “please, make him find another woman and leave me because I don’t have the strength to leave him.” Eventually her prayers were answered and he did. He found someone else and left her.

Even though her prayers were answered she felt the most horrible pain. She had got what she wanted. God had answered her prayers, but it felt more like everything was taken away from her. She says, she felt like she could not breathe. She would be sitting in her bed and hold her hand to her chest and gasp for air. She felt as if she were going to die. It felt like her life was over and that she could not go on living anymore. Why did it hurt her so much? She got what she wanted. She knew it was the best thing for her, but still it was the worst pain she could ever experience in her life.

She managed to go on with her life. And eventually one of her friends wanted to introduce her to a guy. My Tia was not interested at first, but her friend told her that she was attracted to the wrong type of guys and that she should give him a chance. She gave him a chance and now they are happily married and have a son. He is a good man and takes care of my Tia.