Rules of Engagement

Emilia is notified of the couple's engagement. She finds more letters from the Dominican twin.

Jul 19, 2024

black and white light fixture — Photo by Justin Smith on Unsplash

New to the series? Start Here

Something happened between Celia and Gael, and I suspect it was something monumental. To put it plainly: the book went batshit crazy.

I was about to meet Carlos outside of my office building when it started glowing. Instead of its usual golden glow it emanated a sickly, lime green color. For a moment, I was a teenager again rattled by the bass of Space nightclub.

A gust of wind exploded from the pages, spreading its garish light around my office. The wind was so powerful that notebooks fell out of my desk. My picture frames trembled on the walls, causing a few of them to collapse on the ground.

The wind continued as the book opened to the family tree. I inched closer to see that Gael’s name faintly appeared next to Celia’s.

Before I could make my assumptions, another gust of wind pushed me away from the book. I swore I heard a voice cry out “¡Jamas!” before it slammed itself shut. Once everything calmed, I discovered that Gael disappeared from the page.

Carlos met me outside with alarm in his tone. I missed a few calls from him in the middle of the chaos. In an effort to lighten both of our moods, he joked that it was a matter of time until the book actually spoke. (I have tried talking to it before, por si acaso. It did not respond.)

Fr. Agustin confirmed that Celia and Gael are engaged. He tells me that both families are warily joyful. Celia is concerned that something serious could happen to her fiance, while Gael appears to be unphased.

I asked Fr. Agustin if anyone else in his family knows about the curse, and he assures me that only Celia and Gael know. He is certain that if Antonio knew about the curse, he would convince his daughter to call off the engagement.

This brought to mind Martin’s twin. Josue was the chaperone of the courtship, and likely of their engagement. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall from the start.

It turns out that Josue had been reporting back to his father throughout the whole engagement, because I managed to earth up some more of his letters to his father.

brown paper and black pen — Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

November 10th, 1844

Estimado Papá,

I wish to report that the courtship between Martin and Señorita Catalina Ruiz is progressing. He treats her with the utmost respect worthy of a young woman of good character. Of course, as the crown jewel of Our Lord’s creation, there is nothing a man can do to fully express the virtue of a woman. Nevertheless, my brother is proving to be the gentleman that you raised him to become.

Martin is generous with his time and gifts. Each time they gather at the marketplace, he indulges Señorita Catalina with Doña Maria’s churros. It is, apparently, her favorite dessert. Most notably, he crafted her a thread box for her birthday. The box can hold twelve spools of thread. While simple in design, the top of the box was engraved with delicate, winding floral patterns. This thread box is surely the result of his nightly labors in his room. It is possibly the grandest gesture he has made.

Señorita Catalina seems to share the same affections. Of course, she does not openly display her emotions. She is a young woman of great virtue, after all. Yet when they walk together, she lightly brushes against him. When they converse, her attention is on him alone. She actively inquires about his interests, and they engage in thoughtful dialogue.

Martin gets carried away at times. His questions draw dangerously close to more intimate topics. I have interjected to direct the conversation away from such matters. He is quick to apologize. On her part, Señorita Catalina handles his impropriety with grace. She proves herself to be a worthy wife.

I pray that my letter provides enough information to help you discern Martin’s request for an engagement. May Our Lord bless you and Mamá, and I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal His divine will to you.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Josue Echevarria, O.P.

January 14th, 1845

Estimado Papá,

The people of Salamanca express their blessings of the engagement of Martin and Señorita Catalina. They say that they are a perfect match. It seems that this eventual union is, indeed, ordained by God.

In your previous letter, you inquired about our progress in documenting our family lineage. I confess that between Martin preparing for his betrothal and I chaperoning the couple, less time has been devoted for documentation. Nevertheless, we work diligently to ensure that we have a thorough account of our heritage. I have taken the liberty of creating a family tree to offer a visual representation of our legacy. This is my humble way of propelling our lineage, despite taking my vows.

I am eager to see you and Mamá soon. May God bless you and keep you safe on your travels.

Sincerely,
Fr. Josue Echevarria, O.P.

Needless to say, the biggest revelation is that Josue started the family tree. This means that either he or Martin implemented the curse. My next task is to find out whether or not Martin made any contribution to the family tree.

I noted that Josue offers a lot of praise for Catalina. A chaperone was seen, but not heard. They never interacted with the couple unless they had to intervene when a social boundary was crossed. How could Josue hold Catalina to a high esteem if his only interaction with her was as the chaperone? Fr. Agustin agreed it was odd, but this did not impress him as much as it did to me.

After I recounted the last “activity,” Father expressed concern for my safety. I already promised Carlos to keep the book in a spare office. I can still keep an eye on the book since the office is across mine. In turn, I requested that Father keeps an eye on Gael. Even if he’s not worried (which is hard to fathom), I cannot shake the feeling that something serious could happen to him. I guess we’re all praying for this young man’s safety.