Viva la Independencia

by Sheryl

"Miss Sterrett said they was gonna have fireworks and everything!" Joe exclaimed, waving his arms wildly.

Ben folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the porch railing, feigning surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, Pa!" Joe nodded, his eyes bright with excitement. "We're gonna go, ain't we?"

"Aren't we," both Adam and Ben corrected simultaneously.

Joe sighed, but he wasn't about to let anything dampen his mood. "Pa!"

"Well, I don't know, son," Ben rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and winked at Adam. "There's a lot of work to be done around here. I'm not sure we'll have time . . .."

"But, Pa," the boy whined, "it's Independence Day."

"That doesn't mean we're all free from our responsibilities. You boys got a barn that needs cleaning out, not to mention the tack room -- then we'll talk about celebrating."

"Aw, Pa . . .." This time the whining came from Hoss.

"Go on," Ben said waving them toward the barn. "Free the horses from their dirty stalls."

Joe and Hoss trudged toward the barn both rolling their eyes as soon as they were sure their pa couldn't see them.

Grinning, Adam and Carlos followed the younger boys figuring things would get done a lot quicker with two extra pairs of hands.

It took the four of them a few hours to get everything completed. When they'd finished and cleaned up a little, they headed back toward the house.

Ben had just finished bolstering the loose railing on the porch. He had a feeling with the way the boys roughhoused that the railing would be wobbling again in no time.

"So, what is this Independence Day?' Carlos asked, playfully tugging at the brim of Joe's hat.

Joe grabbed a hold of the newly repaired railing and swung underneath it to duck away from Carlos.

Ben glared at them all.

"You don't know what Independence Day is?" Hoss asked, disbelieving.

Carlos shrugged, looking at each of them. "I have never before heard of this day."

~ * ~

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to

dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to

assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to

which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect

to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes

which impel them to the separation. (From the Declaration of Independence -

4, July 1776)

~ * ~

"Basically, it's the day our government formally declared this country's independence from England," Adam explained as best he could, caught a little off-guard by the simple question.

Carlos nodded, but by the look on his face, Adam could tell he was still waiting for more details.

"July fourth is the day our government signed the Declaration of Independence, which is a document summarizing the political ideals of our nation, things like individual freedom and liberty. It also includes a formal list of grievances -- reasons for our wanting to be free from their rule."

Carlos seemed to think this over then nodded, looking more resigned than enthusiastic. Adam would have gotten along very well with Carlos' father. He had always loved to discuss political things, and Carlos regretted that he had not made more of an effort to indulge his father.

"Actually there's a lot more to it than that," Ben continued, giving Adam a wry grin. "It's more than simply declaring our independence from the reign of another country." He gestured for Carlos to have a seat then sat beside him on the bench. "By declaring our independence from England, we were also declaring our freedom -- personal freedom to make our own decisions, freedom to pursue our own dreams, to choose how we make our living, where we live, how we worship God."

~ * ~

*We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that

among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (From the

Declaration of Independence - 4, July 1776)*

~ * ~

Adam smiled at his father. "Freedom to decide the course of our own lives, instead of having a government make those decisions for us."

"On the fourth of July, lots of people have parties, or picnics." Joe licked his lips as he tried to call to mind the fun things that people did to celebrate the occasion. "Some places have parades and . . .and fireworks!"

Again at the mention of fireworks Joe became even more animated, waving his arms with enthusiasm. "You're gonna come too ain't ya, Carlos?"

Carlos looked slightly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat then looked down at the hat he had propped on his knee. "I do not think so, Little Joe," he said, reaching down to polish one of the silver studs with his fingertip.

Joe looked at Carlos for a long moment then nodded and sat back against the house. He understood, sort of. This wasn't really Carlos' country. Not anymore, anyway. His home, the place he'd lived his whole life was now the territory of Utah and the family he lived with had the last name of Cartwright, not Rivera de Vega. He had a home and a family, but they weren't the ones he'd choose if he could, so why should he want to celebrate a freedom he wasn't able to have.

~ * ~ * ~

Carlos watched from the porch as the Cartwright family rode out of the yard, toward town. He was thankful they'd been understanding and not tried to pressure him into attending the celebration. He held no pride or patriotism for this country that had stolen his land, his home -- everything he'd ever loved.

~ * ~

We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our

Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War,

in Peace Friends. (From the Declaration of Independence - 4, July 1776)

~ * ~

He knew it wasn't fair to judge all people by one standard, just because they were Americans. The people around here had been mostly fair to him. Not right away, but then he hadn't expected them to, not with the war still so fresh in everyone's mind. But eventually the people had come to treat Carlos with respect. They no longer called him names, or looked down on him, and he knew that had a lot to do with one person. The one person who had always treated him fairly and with respect -- always, right from the beginning. Ben Cartwright was the type of man who judged people on their individual merits, as human beings, not by their nationality, or the color of skin.

Perhaps it was time that he make more of an effort to put the past where it belonged and stop laying blame on individuals, as difficult as that would be to do. The war was over and no amount of regret or anger or hostility would change the outcome, but perhaps, as Ben always said, a little forgiveness and understanding could go a long way in making things better.

And Ben Cartwright was one of the wisest men he knew -- as wise as Carlos' own father had been. Ben Cartwright had walked through gunfire, stood against his own people to save Carlos' life. The bond that he shared with this man and his family went beyond commonalities and nationalities, it was something he could depend on through all things, in time of war or peace.

Family.

Carlos had made the decision to stay here in this place, in this land that was no longer Mexico, but was still the home of his heart, and was thankful for being able to choose to remain here. Independencia, meant that a man was free to choose his own destiny, and Carlos Rivera de Vega had.

~ * ~ * ~

Eagle Station's first annual Independence Day celebration was a huge success. The town council and the citizens had worked together to make it a day of fun and laughter and patriotism. There were red, white and blue banners all along the main street and everyone was given a miniature version of the American flag. There'd been games for young and old, a picnic supper with enough fried chicken to feed a whole army and afterwards, just before dusk, some of the men had stood at a podium in the middle of the town and given personal accounts of patriotism. They all wanted to ensure that the meaning of the celebration would not be lost in the fun.

The townsfolk waited patiently -- some more patiently than others -- for the sun to set and the sky to grow dark. A massive cheer arose when the first

Roman Candle lit up the sky; then it fizzled away with nothing more following. The crowd quieted to murmurs as the display apparently halted, but after round of wicked cursing was heard from atop of Shelby's saloon the crowd's discontent began to increase steadily.

Ben was about to go and see what the problem was when a shrill, piercing whistle immediately hushed the crowd. "Everything's fine! Just keep yer pants on!" Shelby shouted from the rooftop.

With a chuckle, Ben shook his head then turned back to his family just as a familiar dark figure approached.

"Carlos!" Little Joe shot up from where he'd been seated on the ground.

"Hey, Little Joe," he said with a smile and put an arm around the small boy's shoulders.

"I thought you weren't gonna come," Joe said, looking up at him with questioning eyes.

Carlos shrugged elaborately. "I changed my mind."

"I'm glad," Joe said, and the grin on his freckled face assured Carlos that he'd made the right decision.

"Me too, Little Joe."

~ * ~

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the

protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives,

our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.(From the Declaration of Independence - 4,

July 1776)

~ * ~

Carlos sat down near the rest of the Cartwright family, his back against the trunk of a tree and Little Joe tucked against his side.

"Now if they'd just get the dang fireworks goin'," Hoss complained, reaching into the nearby picnic basket and pulling out a biscuit.

"Patience, brother, patience," Adam said, raising an eyebrow. "How can you still be hungry?"

"I'm a growin' boy," he answered with his mouth full.

Ben looked to the heavens; he had long ago given up on reminding the older boys to mind their manners.

"Hoss! Do not talk with mouth full." Thank the Lord for Hop Sing.

Little Joe shook his head and smiled up at Carlos who returned the smile. "I sure am glad you came."

"I'll second that," Ben added quietly, reaching over to give Carlos an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder.

Carlos looked at Ben with gratitude. He wanted to thank the man for his patience and wisdom, for saving his life and taking him in, helping him keep his honor and for giving him choices that in turn gave him a reason to live; but he just couldn't seem to get his voice to work. Ben simply nodded, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding and maybe even a touch of pride -- like he already knew everything that Carlos was thinking.

A moment later, a high-pitched whistling sound split through the air, followed by a distant, muffled boom and they all got to their feet, cheering as spectacular starbursts began lighting up the night.

Carlos hoisted Little Joe up to perch on his shoulders, just because he wanted to. Then he joined the rest of them with a cheer of his own. "Viva la Independencia."

The End

~ * ~ * ~

For information on, or to view a copy of the Declaration of Independence or read the transcript, go here:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/declaration/declaration.html