The Tale of the Lady in the White Dress
A woman cried out to her husband as she lay in bed, “Please don’t leave me.” She begged her husband not to go.
It was a cold Fall night on the first of November, and the whole village was getting ready to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead!
On this day in Mexico, people laugh in the face of death while celebrating and honoring all of those who have passed away. People honor their family members who have passed away by cooking their favorite foods, decorating altars, and walking in parades.
The husband and wife had been married for many years, and they loved each other very much. When they were young, their love was so strong that they could not wait to be wed. One day they ran off together without their families and got married in an old church outside of town.
As the husband and wife shared their vows at the altar, they stared into each other’s eyes and said, “We promise to stay together, till death do us part.”
But today the husband was sad. His wife had been ill for a long time and could not leave their bed. The husband had to celebrate the Day of the Dead alone.
As he left for the party, the husband called to his wife in bed and said, “I love you my dear. Get your rest and I will be back soon.”
On his way to the party the husband saw the people in the village celebrating Dia de los Muertos. There were families decorating altars at the graves where their family members are buried. Children were running around with their faces painted like calaveras on their way to the parade. There was excitement all around as everyone gathered to celebrate the lives of their loved ones.
But all of the excitement made the husband feel sad as walked by himself to the party. He could only think of his wife at home lying in bed.
At the party the husband watched from the side as the people in the village sang and danced. His friend came to him between songs and tried to cheer him up. He told the husband, “Your wife is not the only woman in the world. Try to find a girl to dance with.”
The husband reluctantly searched the party for a dance partner. To his surprise he saw a beautiful woman in a long white dress standing alone. The husband asked the lady in the long white dress to dance. They joined the celebration and danced together for many songs.
As they danced, the husband noticed that the people around him had begun to point and laugh at them. The husband thought that was rude and kindly asked them to stop.
But the laughing grew louder and louder. The husband started feeling angry and embarrassed. The laughing continued until the husband couldn’t take it anymore. He ran outside leaving behind the party and the lady in the long white dress.
When he saw his friend outside, he asked why everyone was laughing at him while he danced with the lady in white. The friend looked at him and said, “They were laughing at you, my friend, because you dance with yourself.”
The husband was embarrassed and ran home, but when he got to his room the bed was empty. His wife was gone.