A Pinata For Pepita

A Pinata for Pepita

by Delia Goetz

It was the morning of Christmas Eve. In the tiny town of Willowville, which is so small that it isn't even a dot on the map, everyone was up early. For days now, the Christmas tree had stood straight and tall in the center of town. The tinsel and bright balls sparkled in the sunshine, and by night the many lights twinkled like fireflies.

Although Willowville was such a tiny town, it was one of the best possible places to spend Christmas. The reason was that everyone tried to make everyone else happy – which is a very good way to celebrate Christmas. And instead of having Christmas by themselves, all of the people had it together down around the great tree in the center of the town. So it belonged to everyone, and no one was left out.

But although the tree was finer than usual this year, and the decorations more gay, people were not really happy in Willowville on the morning of Christmas Eve. It was all because of Grandma Ward's granddaughter, five-year-old Pepita. When she came to stay with her grandmother a few weeks earlier, everyone agreed that she must have a very happy Christmas. Of course, grandchildren weren't unusual in Willowville at Christmas time. But this was an unusual grandchild.

First of all, there wasn't another grandchild named Pepita. It wasn't that she looked different from other grandchildren, except perhaps her eyes were very black and her hair as black as shiny coal. But the thing that made Pepita different was that she could speak English like everyone else in town, and she could speak Spanish, which no one else could speak. Her mother, whom everyone remembered as Emily Ward, had taught her English. But her father, who was Mexican, had taught her to speak Spanish. And because she had always lived in Mexico, she had never had a Christmas in Willowville.

Pepita like to talk, and people liked to talk to her. Sometimes she spoke English, and sometimes she spoke Spanish. Mostly people could guess what she meant and that made them feel as though they could speak Spanish, too. When passers-by said, “Good morning,” Pepita sometimes said, “Good morning,” but just as often she said “Buenos dias,” which is Spanish for the same thing. When she went into Mr. Green's grocery store and held out her hand with a penny in it and said, “I would like some dulces,” Grocer Green knew that she wanted candy. When she thanked him, she might say “Gracias,” or she might say, “Thank you.”

Everything went along very well, with Pepita speaking first one language, then another, until one day when Grandma Ward asked what she wanted for Christmas. “A pinata,” Pepita answered promptly.

“Is that a doll?”Asked her grandmother.

“No, it's just a pinata,” said Pepita.

“How big is it?' asked Grandmother.

“Very big,” said Pepita, “but it could be little, too.” And her grandmother was indeed confused.

Soon everyone in Willowville began trying to find out what a pinata was.

“What color is a pinata?” asked Mrs. Dean the next time she saw Pepita. “Muchos colors,” said Pepita.

And although Mrs. Dean knew she meant many colors, it didn't help her to know what a pinata was.

“Is a pinata candy?” asked Grocer Green the next time Pepita went to his store.

“Some of it is,” said Pepita.

“What is the rest of it?” he asked.

“Surprises,” said Pepita. And Grocer Green was as puzzled as the others.

Then miss Perkins, the librarian, who knew more words than anyone in Willowville, suddenly had an idea. “I think she means a pineapple,” she said. “I am sure that's what it is. Pinata sounds like pineapple!” And everyone was happy until they found a book and showed Pepita a picture of a pineapple. She looked at it carefully while everyone waited. Then she said, “Does it have nuts inside, too?” And they were right back where they had started.

When Pepita went to the Christmas party at school, the children asked her about the pinata. “Could we play with it, too?” asked Dorothy.

“Yes, you can have all of the dolls in it,” promised Pepita generously. And to Freddy she promised all of the automobiles and trucks. “There might be animals, too,” she said. And then they all tried to think what could be big or little, with part of it good to eat, have many colors, and have nuts and dolls and animals and automobiles and trucks. And wherever people stopped to talk in Willowville, they asked the same thing, “Have they found a pinata for Pepita?” And the answer was was always “No.”

That was why people were not as happy as usual, for they didn't want Pepita to be disappointed in her Christmas in Willowville.

But shortly after lunch, a very surprising thing happened. The fast train that usually sped through the tiny town with only a hoarse whistle of warning slowed down and actually stopped. Everyone looked to see who would get off. But no one did. Instead, out of the baggage car the brakeman handed down an enormous box, and on it was Pepita's name. Old Mr. Pipps, the station agent, hustled over to Grandma Ward's with the box, and everyone on the street followed him.

When Grandma Ward opened the box, there was a big bright green and blue parrot. It was made of clay, and was many times larger and ever so much heavier than a real one.

“What is it?” asked Grandma Ward.

“It's a pinata,” said Pepita, dancing around the box. “What do you do with it?” everyone asked together.

“You break it,” answered Pepita.

They shook their heads, and thought that surely she was wrong about that.

But everyone in Willowville was very excited, and when they stopped to talk, they said, “Did you hear? Pepita has a pinata.”

And when Grandma Ward took a better look at the pinata, she found a note tucked under the wing of the parrot. It was from Pepita's mother and daddy in Mexico, and they told Grandma Ward just what to do about a a pinata. And that night, when everyone was through with supper, they hurried over to Grandma Ward's house. There was the pinata hanging from a wire strung across the dining room. All the furniture was moved back, and they stood around in a circle.

Grandma Ward tied a scarf around Pepita's eyes, and told her to point to someone. It was a little like playing “pin the tail on the donkey.”

Pepita pointed straight ahead and right at Grocer Green. Grandma Ward took the blind from Pepita's eyes and tied it around Grocer Green's eyes. Then she handed him a long stick and told him to see if he could hit the pinata. He drew back the stick as though he were going to bat a ball. He struck first to one side and then the other, and straight ahead. He struck so fast and so hard that the others had to dodge quickly to keep out of his way. He almost hit the window and did hit the wall with thud, but never once came near the pinata.

Miss Perkins tried next. Grandma Ward was ready to tie the blind around her eyes when Miss Perkins remembered that she had on her best pair of spectacles. Just then Mr. Pipps started to cross the room and Miss Perkins hit him right on the back, but not very hard. Then, because she was afraid of hitting someone else, she hardly tried at all, and, of course, she didn't hit the pinata. Mr. Pipps and Mrs. Dean didn't have any better luck, and neither did any of the others.

Then it was Dorothy's turn to try to hit the pinata. She stood near it and didn't move, even when the stick went swishing through the air without striking anything. She waited a minute, took a firm hold on the stick with both hands, then struck out as hard as she could. There was the sound of tearing paper and breaking pottery, and a shower of many things falling from the pinata. Peanuts and candy hit Mr. Pipp's bald head and bounced off. A tiny bright red automobile struck Freddy's shoulder. Soon everyone was scrambling to pick up the candy and nuts and toys that fell from the pinata. Such laughing and shouting and pushing until every last thing had been picked up. Dorothy took the blind from her eyes in time to catch two dolls.

And when they pulled back the chairs and the sofa and sat down, they looked at Grandma Ward, and all burst into shouts of laughter. For there, perched high in the knot of her hair on top of her head was a tiny toy monkey with very bright eyes. She took it out carefully and gave it to Pepita.

After they had eaten all of the good things from the pinata and the big chocolate cake which Grandma Ward brought out, they got ready to go home. To some of them Pepita said “Buenos noches,” and to some she said “Good night,” but it all means the same thing.

And that night Pepita was happy, and Willowville was happy, because there had been a pinata for Pepita.