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A Coin Sandwich Rocksea

Camila steps out of the elevator leaving a fresh trail of mud across the freshly polished marble floor as she makes her way towards the computer on the edge of the living room. Her pointe shoes have clearly evolved into a light brown color, just as her pink tutu has now become specked with brown dots. Before proceeding she takes off her tutu and sits in her tights as she would much rather wear pants instead of a “fluffy puff” as she calls it. Her hair once pulled up into a tight bun has strands of curly hair poking out due to the rain.

“Camila, you left behind a trail of leaves and twigs covered in mud as you came inside. May I remind you that there is a doormat at the front of the house.”

Too astonished by the glistening gold coin, Camila furrows her eyebrows to interrogate the coin. She studies the silver lining around the coin before observing the rusty gold circle in the middle that holds an ingrained sun.

Upon hearing no response her mother moves closer to the neatly placed computer on the edge of the living room. It is often times unoccupied as they all now have their own laptops to carry with them, so she is shocked to see that her daughter is eager to use it. Besides that it is odd to see her daughter inching as close as she can towards the screen, not even bothering to spin around in the swivel chair.

“Camila Cole what are you holding in your hand?.”

Startled by the sound of her last name as her mom’s sweet crisp voice evolved into a firm stern one she says, “I found it outside sparkling in a puddle of mud.”

As Camila responds, her mother turns away and makes her way towards the kitchen where she continues to prepare her daughter’s favorite Spongebob shaped macaroni and cheese snack (topped with not only the Kraft mac n cheese’s cheese, but also Swiss, American, Cheddar, and Gouda for a special twist).

Continuing to wonder about the coin Hadley presumes to look up its information.

“Un Peso, Del Rio, De La Plata, Provincias,” she murmurs to herself become typing it into the computer.

Her search information pops up with “Argentina.”

She has never left the country; her biggest trips consist of taking the subway to Boston to see her grandparents. So she is intrigued by the seemingly mundane coin that is really her gateway into the world.

The images of the distinct flag, the asado, and all of the people enjoying their time makes her even more eager to explore the world.

She continues scrolling before lifting her finger off of the mouse to study the photo in front of her. A young girl stares back at her, as though she is looking into a mirror. Her hair is a curly light brown colored with streaks of blue, pink, and purple from the markers clenched in her toddler fists. Her eyes are a deep brown and as she stares back at her she cannot help but notice both of their similar rosy cheeks. In the background of the image she sees a giant pink ball gown worn by a teenager with a tiered cake on a table beside her. Upon seeing all of this, now Camila’s face has evolved into one plastered with confusion as pale as the full moon.

Once her mother returns with her bowl of mac n cheese Camila begins eating it alongside her favorite spicy buffalo wings which accompanies all of her meals. She savors the cheese, and enjoys the rich flavor of the buffalo wings pinching her tongue. Her eyes begin to well up with tears, but not from the buffalo wings.

She cannot bring herself to question her mother, and so she silently wonders about the world she has supposedly never seen. She had always known she was adopted, but she always assumed she was originally from another part of Manhattan.

As her mother hears sniffles she assumes that Camila had found the buffalo wings too spicy. But upon moving closer she realizes what her daughter is looking at.

“You have seen the world after all,” she begins. “Sometimes mothers face different challenges. So it can be hard to raise a child alone with no support… but you know your birth mom loved you a lot.”

Receiving no response she is hesitant to continue, but soon she picks up the golden coin and presumes.

“You were originally adopted from Argentina, Camila.”

Camila is not shocked after hearing this after seeing the picture but instead just says, “I want to live like I would at my other home.”

And so her mother promises her that one day she too will have a Quinceñera like the girl in the picture. A celebration of both of her cultures.

Smiling, Camila responds saying, “I would love to as long as I don’t have to wear an enormous fluffy puff dress.”

After pinching her daughter’s cheeks and reassuring her that she can wear pants to her Quinceñera she takes her daughters coin. She tapes the coin from Argentina against a Quarter like a coin sandwich before giving it to her daughter.

“This is for you, because you are the embodiment of two distinct cultures that you will always carry on into your life.”

Credits:

Created with images by Alexis - "currency money metal" • Caleb Woods - "Child about to jump rope" • Gaelle Marcel - "Ballet Slippers" • donnierayjones - "Reese's Smile" • Dawid Sobolewski - "Mac desktop computer" • Mary Cata Linic - "tutu" • The Marmot - "Mac N Cheese" • Kaufdex - "argentina flag" • Craig Philbrick - "5th Ave" • Senjuti Kundu - "Little Queen" • SodanieChea - "Wings" • Jp Valery - "Sunset Boulevard" • Jon Flobrant - "Together down the trail" • boxzero - "world map europe" • Hanna Pedroza - "Fifteenth birthday cake" • Tamara Menzi - "Bride’s feet on stone steps" • katkaZV - "slovakia coin old" • Zach Miles - "NYC from Rockefeller" • Allie Smith - "Sundance Resort"

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