It was a warm and humid Friday morning in a small village located in southern Oaxaca, Mexico. Most of the villagers were already awake and working on their daily activities which included: getting their children ready for school, checking and feeding their animals, or tending to their fields,

Near the edge of the village, outside of a fairly small house was an older lady in her late fifties opening a rather large bag of feed. Once it was opened, she reached for a small bucket and filled it before heading towards her chicken cage. As she was reaching the door, all the chickens gathered around the entrance knowing they were about to be fed. The female opened the cage and proceeded to enter. While walking deeper inside, she grabbed handfuls of feed and scattered it all around her. The poultry immediately frenzied to where feed had landed and began to eat. She continued to scatter food all over the ground until her bucket was empty. While all the chickens were eating, the female opened the coop where all the nests were and began to collect the eggs that were laid. The heat along with the humidity in the air made for a very uncomfortable atmosphere to work in. There was a lot to do today and the elder lady could already feel her age playing a negative role in her. She was pleasantly surprised however by the number of eggs that were in most of these nests. She was definitely going to need multiple trips in order to collect all of them.

Once her small bucket was full of eggs, she began to exit the cage in order to take them inside and grab a basket. As she was closing the door, she heard her name called out by a familiar voice. She turned to her right and smiled as she saw a young man approaching her.

"Good morning Ms. Fuentes," he greeted as he quickly offered to carry the bucket for her.

"Thank you, Jaime. It's always good to see you," she responded as she handed him the basket and immediately noticed that he was holding an elegant white rose in his right hand. "I can tell you're doing well today."

"Fortunately," he responded with a warm smile. "I also see that you're working... Perhaps later I could stop by and give you a hand.

"No no," quickly responded the elder. "I appreciate the offer, but I am perfectly capable of tending to my own home."

"Honestly," began Jaime. "No need to be proud, I would love to help you out."

"Thank you but it isn't necessary," she replied. "I will admit that it hasn't been easy; but as I previously told you and your father, it's my home and therefore my responsibility."

"Well, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

The elder gave him a smile as she fully appreciated his generosity before focusing on the rose he had in his hand. "That is a beautiful flower," she began. "Would it happen to be for my daughter?"

"Yea..." confirmed Jaime with a slight blush. "I was hoping to see her today."

"Of course," she responded as they both walked towards the house. Once they reached the door, Ms. Fuentes opened it and called out for her daughter. "Araceli...! honey, Jaime is here to see you..." she turned back around and faced the male. "Oh, by the way, how is your mother...? has she been doing better?"

"Yes," he immediately responded. "A lot better actually. The doctor is optimistic that if she continues her current progress, she will be able to remove her cast next week."

"That's wonderful news," voiced Ms. Fuentes happily. "Please tell her that I will try to visit her as soon as I can."

"Definitely... I'm su-" before he could finish his sentence, they were both interrupted when Araceli appeared. "Araceli, H-hi…" he said as he began to stutter his words immediately from the instant nervousness that he began to feel.

"Hey Jaime, it's nice to see you again," greeted Araceli with a gentle smile.

Jaime was totally speechless. He was truly in awe of the young female's beauty. She no doubt had a near-perfect physique. Along with her allure, she had the curves and looks that truly made her the envy of all other village women and the desire of men. She was currently sporting a dark pink tank top that complemented her greenish eyes, and black shorts.

Ms. Fuentes gave a slight giggle as she noticed that look in the boy's eyes, "Well I'll leave the two of you alone to talk… It was great seeing you again Jaime."

"It was great seeing you too," responded the young adult as he smiled at her before she took the basket of eggs and entered the house. Once she was gone, Jaime returned his focus on Araceli. "So, what are you doing?"

"Just studying," she responded. "Is it not a little too early to be coming over here?" she asked playfully.

"You know I'm always up during this hour to help my father with his work," he replied with a small chuckle. He suddenly remembered the gift he brought her, "Oh yeah I brought you something." He raised up the rose and offered it to her.

"A rose," acknowledged Araceli as she took it. "Haven't received one of these in a few days…"

Jaime did his best to hide what he felt towards her response. He knew fully well that every single man in the village was trying to court her. "So, do you like it…?"

Araceli looked at the rose and removed one of its petals, "A white rose… A symbol of purity and innocence… is that what comes to mind when you think of me?"

"Among other things," he responded with a warm smile.

"That's adorable," began the young female. "But, I just feel that white isn't the appropriate color… perhaps a blue rose would've been a much better choice coming from you."

"Oh…" responded Jaime completely disheartened. "Perhaps next time I could find you one than."

"Anyways, what could I do for you?" asked Araceli with an innocent smile. "Would you like to come in?"

"No thank you," he responded. "I just wanted to stop by quickly and ask you if maybe you would like to hang out later today… I mean if you're not busy."

"Aren't you going to help your father?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

Jaime gave a playful laugh as he smiled, "He gave me permission to go out today. So, I was wondering if you would be interested in taking a break from your studies so we could do something…?"

Araceli's expression immediately turned into one of guilt, "I'm sorry Jaime but I have an important meeting in a few hours… I really can't today"

"Oh really…? well, that sucks… perhaps next time then?" he asked with a sad sigh.

"We'll see…"

"Alright, well then I should probably let you prepare for it then… I'll see you soon?"

"Of course," responded Araceli with a smile. She waved goodbye as the young man turned around and left. She gave a small giggle before closing the door and going back inside.

Later that day

Both Araceli and her mother were at the dinner table, each eating a serving of grilled chicken with vegetables that the older female had prepared. For the most part, dinner was mostly silent. Much to Ms. Fuentes's annoyance, every time she looked up from her plate, she would catch her daughter on the phone. A habit she deeply disliked from the twenty-two-year-old. After some more time passed, the elder lady decided that she wanted to talk with her only child. "Did you have any trouble with your studies today?" she asked in order to get a conversation started.

Araceli took a bite from her food before shaking her head, "Not really, I finished most of the work this morning. I'll do the rest when I get to the library."

"You're going to the library today?" asked the mother with a raised eyebrow.

The young female nodded, "You know I have to work on my report and I'm really close to finishing it… that reminds me, the next payment is due very soon."

"I guess you have a point," conceded Ms. Fuentes with a disappointed look as again she wasn't going to spend a night with her daughter. She was proud that Araceli was taking her studies very seriously but at the same time she hated not being able to spend as much time with her as she would have liked. "So, what did Jaime want?" she asked.

Araceli rolled her eyes, "Nothing important…"

"Really? He sounded like he wanted to spend some time with you…"

"He did, but as I said, I have a report to finish."

"Well, I'm sure the report can wait another day if you're almost finished with it… I really like that boy," she commented. "He's a total gentleman, handsome, very hardworking, and our families have been friends for years."

"Not to mention poor," murmured the young female.

"What was that honey?"

"Nothing," Araceli responded quickly. "It's just… I don't really see Jaime as anything more than a close friend."

"Well Araceli, it wouldn't hurt to give him a chance… I have no doubt that he truly loves you and will treat you right. Unlike other men in the village…"

"I'm sure he would, but I honestly don't feel the same…"

"Unfortunately," sighed Ms. Fuentes. "By the way, what did you do to that gorgeous rose he brought you?"

Araceli had completely forgotten about that rose, "Oh I umm… took it to my room."

Ms. Fuentes gave her a rather disappointed look, "Why do you always lie to me?... I found that rose on the table completely forgotten half an hour ago."

Araceli sighed, "I'm sorry mom, but I haven't been focused lately… if it will make you feel better, I'll take it to my room right now since I should probably get going anyways." She took a final sip of water before getting up and heading to her room. She spotted the rose and picked it up from the counter and showed it to her mother, "See? Didn't forget this time."

The elderly lady sighed as she too got up and began to pick up the plates.

Half an hour later, Araceli came out of her room looking like she was going to a nightclub instead of a public library. She was wearing a white short-sleeve shirt that left her midsection completely exposed, and a black mini skirt that barely reached her kneecaps. She was about to head out the door when her mother quickly stopped her.

"Don't you think you're a little too... exposed for the library…?"

Araceli rolled her eyes and smiled, "Mom, you know I always have to look stunning everywhere I go."

"Well, I don't like it," stated her mother. "Would you please return to your room and put on something more formal."

"Sorry mom, but I have to go," said the young female choosing to ignore her mother's order. Before Ms. Fuentes was able to stop her again, she opened the door and left the house leaving her mother to sigh in frustration.

It was starting to get late in the Village. Mostly everyone was already done working for today and were inside their homes. Araceli was walking in the direction of the village library. Once she reached the front steps, she turned in every direction before suddenly making a run towards the woods.

After some time, she eventually reached an excluded cabin in the middle of the woods. She took out her keys and opened the front door.

"You're late," stated an older man once she entered the cabin.

Araceli scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "Like you wouldn't have waited."

The man got up from the couch and walked towards her. He gently leaned in and kissed the left side of her neck. He was immediately surprised when the female pushed him back a few steps before reddening the right side of his cheek with a slap. "What was that for?" he asked with a look of anger.

Araceli returned his glare. "Not until you pay," she firmly stated.

The man smiled mischievously, "I love it when you get like this." He pulled out a roll of bills and gave it to her.

Araceli began to count the money as the man quickly started to kiss her around the neck. "It's all here," she mentioned as she turned to him and kissed him on the lips.

They locked lips for several minutes until eventually, he pulled away. "That reminds me, our company just signed an international deal with a company in the states."

"So?" asked the young female not really caring.

"I wanted to celebrate it by getting something extra from you tonight…

"What did you have in mind?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. The man leaned in and whispered his desire in her ear. "Yeah, that's going to have to be extra," she responded to his plea.

The man smiled as he raised another bundle of cash, "It's like you still don't know me enough."