Beyond Mud and Vines

A violent storm dropped Sabina into her mother's bed, according to her sister Emilia, who knew everything just because she was the oldest child in the Montalvo family. As the only child (among eight siblings) with light skin, blond hair, and green eyes born to dark parents, Sabina was constantly told that she was weird and different.

Her father insisted that the sun would darken her skin, if he kept her pulling weeds, planting crops, and helping him up on the roof. The sun blistered the top...