Once upon a time there was a little Mexican boy named Pablito and a little Mexican girl named Carnalita. They were very, very poor Mexican children, the poorest of them all. Their father abandoned their mother when they were very young and their mother died of a broken heart a few years later. All Pablito and Carnalita had in the world was one another.
But even though they had no material possessions, they still prayed the the Virgin.
"Dear Holy Virgin," Pablito would pray, "Please attend to the needs of my dear sister. I fear she might become ill and die and then I shouldn't know what to do with myself."
"Dear Holy Virgin," Carnalita would pray, "Please guide my brother with your ivory hand, that he may find food and perhaps some milk so that he might grow strong and protect me."
One day a grizzled old man led his burro into the heart of the village.
"Potions for sale! Magic potions for sale!"
At his cry, the children's ears perked up. Magic potions? How thrilling!
"Excuse me, sir," Pablito asked, "But what sort of magic potions do you sell?"
"Why, only the best kind!" he said with a twinkle in his eye. "For you, I could give you a potion that would help you grow big and strong!"
The man turned to Carnalita.
"And for you, I could give you a potion that would heal you from any life-threatening illness!"
"The Virgin be praised!" the children shouted. "For this is just what we have been praying for!" They reached into their pockets and frowned when they remembered they had nothing to buy the potions with.
"Do not worry, children," said old man. "I shall be here for a few days more. Perhaps you can find some pennies with which to buy some potions."
But as one day went by, and then another, Pablito and Carnalita became worried that the old man would forget about them and move on. It was then that Pablito decided to do something drastic.
In the middle of the night, after Carnalita was sound asleep in their little hovel, Pablito crept to the town square where the old man's stall had been set up. He found the box where the magic potions were kept and, as quietly as he could, broke the lock with a sharp stone.
"I don't wish to steal," he thought, "But I must if I am to save my sister. And I know how she wants this other potion for me...so I must take it as well."
With the potions in his arms, Pablito ran as quickly as he could back to their hovel.
"Carnalita! Carnalita! Oh, Carnalita! Wake up! You will never believe what I have!"
"What is it?" she asked, rousing from her dreams of sopapilla streets and candy-cane lamp-posts.
"The magic potions! Here they are, ready for us to drink! But first, we must find two glasses in which to pour the liquid."
Back into the night the two children crept. Carnalita knew of a secret way into a nearby inn where she often begged for scraps. The two children squeezed themselves through the hole in the wall and found themselves in the kitchen.
"Here are two glasses. Oh, my. They've been chilling by the window."
"They'll do," said Pablito. "Now let's pour the potions!"
"Wait," said Carnalita. "Before we do, we must make a circle of salt. I once heard a fortune teller say that a circle of salt makes magic more powerful."
Pablito picked up a nearby salt shaker. "I don't think there's enough in here to make a circle with. Could we put the salt on the rims of the glasses? That would make a circle."
"Of course! You are so very clever, Pablito."
The children rubbed their glasses in the salt until the rims were covered with the white grains.
"Now we pour!"
"Wait!" said Carnalita. "Think. Perhaps we should mix the potions!"
"Mix the potions?"
"Yes. That way we'll both grow big and strong and never have to worry about illness!"
"Oh, Carnalita, you're so very clever."
Pablito poured an even amount of both potions into the two glasses.
"Now we drink!"
"Wait!" said Carnalita. "This smells terrible. Perhaps we could add something to make it taste better?"
"Will these do?" Pablito held up a dish of sugar and some limes.
The two children mixed heaping spoonfuls of sugar and the limes into their magic potions.
"Now we drink!"
"Yes," Carnalita agreed. "Now we drink!"
As quickly as they could, the children guzzled down their potions. At first they felt only the sour sting of the salt and lime juice on their lips.
"Do you feel healthier, Carnalita?" asked Pablito.
"No. Do you feel stronger, Pablito?" asked Carnalita.
"No. I feel jussss fiiinnnee..."
"Meee tooooo..."
"Carnalitaaa...I thinks the poshins are wurkin!"
"Yer funny Pablitoooo...I luv youuuu..."
"No, I love youuuuuuuu!"
"No, I love youuuuuuuu!"
"No, I love youuuuuuuu!"
"There they are!"
The door to the kitchen was thrown open and three men came rushing in.
"There are the little thieves who stole from me!" cried the old potion-seller.
"Thieves and drunkards, by the look of things!" said the constable. "They'll go to prison for this!"
But even though they had no material possessions, they still prayed the the Virgin.
"Dear Holy Virgin," Pablito would pray, "Please attend to the needs of my dear sister. I fear she might become ill and die and then I shouldn't know what to do with myself."
"Dear Holy Virgin," Carnalita would pray, "Please guide my brother with your ivory hand, that he may find food and perhaps some milk so that he might grow strong and protect me."
One day a grizzled old man led his burro into the heart of the village.
"Potions for sale! Magic potions for sale!"
At his cry, the children's ears perked up. Magic potions? How thrilling!
"Excuse me, sir," Pablito asked, "But what sort of magic potions do you sell?"
"Why, only the best kind!" he said with a twinkle in his eye. "For you, I could give you a potion that would help you grow big and strong!"
The man turned to Carnalita.
"And for you, I could give you a potion that would heal you from any life-threatening illness!"
"The Virgin be praised!" the children shouted. "For this is just what we have been praying for!" They reached into their pockets and frowned when they remembered they had nothing to buy the potions with.
"Do not worry, children," said old man. "I shall be here for a few days more. Perhaps you can find some pennies with which to buy some potions."
But as one day went by, and then another, Pablito and Carnalita became worried that the old man would forget about them and move on. It was then that Pablito decided to do something drastic.
In the middle of the night, after Carnalita was sound asleep in their little hovel, Pablito crept to the town square where the old man's stall had been set up. He found the box where the magic potions were kept and, as quietly as he could, broke the lock with a sharp stone.
"I don't wish to steal," he thought, "But I must if I am to save my sister. And I know how she wants this other potion for me...so I must take it as well."
With the potions in his arms, Pablito ran as quickly as he could back to their hovel.
"Carnalita! Carnalita! Oh, Carnalita! Wake up! You will never believe what I have!"
"What is it?" she asked, rousing from her dreams of sopapilla streets and candy-cane lamp-posts.
"The magic potions! Here they are, ready for us to drink! But first, we must find two glasses in which to pour the liquid."
Back into the night the two children crept. Carnalita knew of a secret way into a nearby inn where she often begged for scraps. The two children squeezed themselves through the hole in the wall and found themselves in the kitchen.
"Here are two glasses. Oh, my. They've been chilling by the window."
"They'll do," said Pablito. "Now let's pour the potions!"
"Wait," said Carnalita. "Before we do, we must make a circle of salt. I once heard a fortune teller say that a circle of salt makes magic more powerful."
Pablito picked up a nearby salt shaker. "I don't think there's enough in here to make a circle with. Could we put the salt on the rims of the glasses? That would make a circle."
"Of course! You are so very clever, Pablito."
The children rubbed their glasses in the salt until the rims were covered with the white grains.
"Now we pour!"
"Wait!" said Carnalita. "Think. Perhaps we should mix the potions!"
"Mix the potions?"
"Yes. That way we'll both grow big and strong and never have to worry about illness!"
"Oh, Carnalita, you're so very clever."
Pablito poured an even amount of both potions into the two glasses.
"Now we drink!"
"Wait!" said Carnalita. "This smells terrible. Perhaps we could add something to make it taste better?"
"Will these do?" Pablito held up a dish of sugar and some limes.
The two children mixed heaping spoonfuls of sugar and the limes into their magic potions.
"Now we drink!"
"Yes," Carnalita agreed. "Now we drink!"
As quickly as they could, the children guzzled down their potions. At first they felt only the sour sting of the salt and lime juice on their lips.
"Do you feel healthier, Carnalita?" asked Pablito.
"No. Do you feel stronger, Pablito?" asked Carnalita.
"No. I feel jussss fiiinnnee..."
"Meee tooooo..."
"Carnalitaaa...I thinks the poshins are wurkin!"
"Yer funny Pablitoooo...I luv youuuu..."
"No, I love youuuuuuuu!"
"No, I love youuuuuuuu!"
"No, I love youuuuuuuu!"
"There they are!"
The door to the kitchen was thrown open and three men came rushing in.
"There are the little thieves who stole from me!" cried the old potion-seller.
"Thieves and drunkards, by the look of things!" said the constable. "They'll go to prison for this!"
The deputy picked up one of the chilled glasses. "What is this? Why, it's delicious! I must take this to my wife, Margarita, and see if she can't discover the recipe."
"It's maaaaaagic!" said Carnalita.
"Deputy!" barked the constable. "I'm filling out an arrest warrant for these children! What day is today?"
"Today? Why today is the fifth of May."
"Cinco de Mayo. A day that will live in infamy. Come with me, children! You're going to prison for a very long time!"
"Wheeeee!"
"Pablito, I'm flyiiiiing! Mira! Mira!"
And that's how margaritas were invented.
THE END
