This above all: To thine own self be true, for it must follow as dost the night the day, that canst not be false to any man." Shakespeare (Hamlet)
Each relationship, unique unto itself, must find its way and become what it will. We all make the journey. Enjoy this story of Steve and Alejandro (sounds like a-lah-handro -- Spanish). Though the theme of wrestling will be a key component in the early chapters and a continuing theme, the story is about relationships and being true to oneself. Thanks to Bill M for his assistance proofing the story.
Please do not distribute to other sites without permission of the author. Comments can be sent to firehosejoe@yahoo.com
Note: Any character of depth has background. The families of origin and genetic markers help explain values, behaviors and physical traits. Alejandro's family history is briefly shared here.
Alejandro's story -- the beginning
With the approaching end of a century, the harbingers of change were dark on the horizon. The year was 1897. A baby cried, newly born, the Infata Isabella was the first child and would prove to be the only child born to Ferdinand, a distant member of the Spanish Royal Family. With strong lungs and a will to make herself known, Isabella cried lustily till cradled next to her mother's breast and the smell of milk. She latched on to the nipple and fed.
Her father, Ferdinand entered the birthing room when permitted and spat out "Where is the heir to my estates? Where is my son?"
With no other concern for his wife or daughter, he ordered his manservant to pack his clothes and papers, and prepare to journey to Madrid.
The Princess Margarethe, cousin to the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, watched the door close behind him and looked to her maid in waiting, tears running down her face. Like her mother, her ability to bear a child was done at great cost. After a still born child and two miscarriages, Isabella seemed a perfect gift. The doctors told her she would never again bear a child. She consoled Anna, her childhood friend, maid in waiting and soon to be nurse to the new Infata. Seeing a smile of sympathy and understanding Margarethe closed her eyes, rested and finally slept from the exhaustion and the agony of delivery.
Her husband's travels to Madrid were not unusual. The exaggerated work he claimed to do at court did not fool her. She was of the Hapsburg family, had lived at court and could see that her husband was just one of many sycophantic leaches at the court of King Alfonso XIII. His male libido had demanded a son. A daughter was a burden, requiring a dowry. It was a burden to secure a proper family with whom to arrange an acceptable, or hopefully an advantageous marriage.
Margarethe would wait. She had always waited, it seemed. An only child herself, Margarethe was the darling of her mother's eye and lived a magical life at Schoenbrunn Castle. Being a close cousin of Franz Joseph, her mother, Sophia had been wed to a Hungarian prince in an arranged marriage. Even though it was the habit of royalty in the nineteenth century is was an abomination to Sophia. Fortunately for her, her lineage by blood was to the emperor and though ignored by her husband, she enjoyed some privilege.
By the time Margarethe was of the age to marry, alignments with Spain proved to be advantageous. Her father cared not a whit; the dowry was being paid by the crown. Her mother was powerless save the advice she could give and support she might be able to offer, albeit from a distance. So Margarethe found herself in Spain with only Anna, maid in waiting.
Ferdinand had leveraged Margarethe's handsome dowry by buying land, olive groves and regional markets making significant additions to his meager holdings in Leon. The additions of olive tree plantations and the encompassing small towns and villages greatly expanded the responsibilities of Ferdinand. These he assigned to overseers, as was often the custom.
Margarethe had spent the five years prior to Isabella's birth learning to manage her husband's house, gaining mastery of the regional dialect, Leonese, and becoming a fixture as she rode the estates with her Stable Master. It was, after all, her money that had purchased these lands, groves, and villages. She meant to know every face and every tree to the extent possible.
Anna, clever, intelligent and wise, learned both Castellan and the Leonese dialect of the house servants. Though held at a distance since her arrival, the birth of a baby and her place in the family hierarchy gave her added gravitas. She continued to work tirelessly to engage and win over the house staff. With constant planning but without any perceived pressure she became part of the grapevine that carried the important and vacuous news of the day.
From birth, Anna was present with the child, holding, loving and nurturing. Austrian was spoken in the nursery part by nature but also as part of the developing plan. As the child matured and began to develop basic facility with language, Leonese was introduced. Basic phrases that would engage the staff were first drilled until the child could charm anyone in the house with the stumbling phrases and words of thank-you, please, and the various nouns that were of importance.
Quickly, she became the darling of both the casa and the surrounding town. Carefully dressed, both in appropriate attire for an Infata and at times in clothing seen around the estates and towns the message was received. This child would not be remote but would be part of her culture and the heritage that surrounded her each day.
When she was able to sit at table, her language lessons expanded. Castilian only was used and she quickly adapted. The discipline fell to the adults -- Austrian in the nursery, Leonese in the house and in traveling nearby and Castilian in the dining room. The diligence of Margarethe and Anna paid rich and quick dividends. The children began to master and segregate each language appropriately.
Just before her fifth birthday, Margarethe arranged for train passage to take her daughter home to visit her Austrian family. Ferdinand could not be bothered with details, gave her permission and busied himself with other endeavors. It was as Margarethe had hoped and planned.
It was an arduous trip by carriage and train. However it proved to be the beginning of the key to the emerging plan. Margareta was determined that Isabella would be free from required servitude of marriage and child bearing expected within the Castilian royal family.
She was welcomed by a car with royal livery at the train station in Vienna. Escorted by the Emperor's guard she reminisced briefly about the charm of her childhood. Quickly putting that wasted fantasy behind her she began to plan for Isabella's entrance into the royal court of the Hapsburgs.
On arriving at the Schoenbrunn, she went immediately to her mother's suite. The reunion there was all anyone could have wished for. Her mother swept Isabella into her arms with compliments and praise. The child, prepared for the moment responded in perfect Austrian that she was pleased to meet her grandmamma, and glad to be in the palace of her cousin the emperor. From there on out the child was golden.
Her birthday at the palace was a quiet affair, punctuated by a brief surprise appearance by Franz Joseph. On being presented to the emperor, Isabella performed a deep curtsey and spoke in flawless Austrian that she was glad to meet him and hoped that she would see him again soon and often. Franz Joseph, smiled broadly, picked up the tiny girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek, promising her he would see her soon and inviting her to join him for tea. Her grandmother and Margarethe beamed.
During their stay at the Schoenbrunn, Margarethe worked to build bridges long neglected by time and distance. Isabella's childhood mastery of Austrian quickly became part of the palace gossip and afforded her numerous opportunities to `show off' her skill.
One of Isabella's favorite pastimes, to the delight of her grandmother, was playing princess. With her grandmother's older dresses and jewels the young Infata imagined the far away places of childhood stories. Her grandmamma was a willing participant and reveled in the child's pleasure. With ropes of pearls and diamond tiaras the image Isabella saw in the mirror was in every inch a fairytale princess.
Far too soon the month was past. Margarethe and Isabella began the long train ride home. All communication switched to Spanish and Isabella fell into the rhythms of home far easier than her mother.
During the balance of the year Margarethe directed the education of her child. On returning home from her visit, an instructor of English was invited to the casa. He found there a bright and inquisitive student who readily picked up the new language. He schooled her in enunciation, vocabulary, grammar and reading.
She continued her mastery of riding, as well as lessons in dressage, dance, language and poetry. Her knowledge of the business of the family estates and the lessons in court politics and society were well modulated and carefully directed by Margarethe and Anna. She seemed to intuitively know that some of her schooling was only discussed in the nursery away from the staff and particularly her father when he was home.
The activities of her husband kept him at court and away from the casa. Margarethe and Isabella attended court at appropriate times but otherwise stayed in Leon. Profits rolled in and Margarethe was sure to post them to him so he would not be concerned as to the activities on the estates. He was not in the least concerned about a daughter he'd have to marry off in the future. The less he knew of her, the better, as far as Margarethe was concerned.
They continued their birthday trips, as Isabella began to refer to them. With each visit, her grandmamma greeted her with joy, laughter, and to continue their favorite game of princess dress up. Margarethe knew that though seen by Isabella as only a game played with her treasured grandmamma she was learning court manners and courtesy expected at the Schoenbrunn.
Save for the punctuation of visits annually to Vienna, time seemed suspended for Isabella. Her world was secure. She continued to grow in all areas. Her increasing mastery of English and Austrian along with her dark beauty gave Isabella cachet to any future men in her life.
Margarethe received a telegram prior to Isabella's thirteenth year that her mother was dying. Arrangements were made for an earlier trip to Vienna and they traveled with the dread that this would be the last visit with grandmamma.
On arriving at the Schoenbrunn and being shown to their suite, Margarethe rushed to her mother's side bidding Isabella to wait until they had had a brief time together. Her mother was ashen and in obvious pain though she tried to contain it. She gently let her daughter know that it was a matter of weeks and of the arrangements that had been made.
Custom bade that the estate of a deceased member of the Habsburgs reverted to the Emperor. However Franz Joseph had made an exception that allowed fifty-thousand Krona to be left to Isabella in that she was of Hapsburg blood. The personal effects of Margarethe were passed without claim from the crown. This included an extensive collection of precious and semi-precious gems.
During her visit to her grandmamma that afternoon, the fatigued lady did her best to enjoy a game of make believe princess. Isabella could tell it was a drain on her beloved grandmamma and welcomed her invitation to sit and chat. Her grandmamma gently told her of the illness, believing that children of Isabella's age need not be shielded from reality of life and death. They shared favorite stories of Isabella's visits over the years and Isabella was retold events from her grandmamma's life. Isabella promised to remember it all and to tell them to her own children.
Margarethe was called and the three women visited for a while longer. Finally, grandmamma told Isabella that all her jewels were to be given her as a reminder of their special times together. As an adult she could wear the jewels and could smile a secret smile when matters of court were tedious remembering special days playing make believe princess.
Sophia died in her sleep two days later. After the final visit with her beloved Isabella, her doctors kept her heavily sedated to minimize the pain. Margarethe was with her when she passed. It seemed to everyone, as they spoke quietly before the funeral mass less than a week later, that Isabella's grandmamma had waited until she could see her grand-daughter one last time.
During the trip home Isabella and her mother told and retold stories of the regal lady. Laughter and tears were their friends during the long hard journey. Gently Margarethe reminded Isabella that these gifts to her would be another secret shared by mother and daughter.
As a young lady of fourteen, at court of Alfonso XIII, Isabella behaved perfectly doing her father and mother proud and catching the eye of many a family with young men of marriageable age. As she matured past her childhood and blossomed into a young lady she gave evidence of the perfect blend of the elegant carriage and bone structure of the Hapsburg blood complimented by the darkness of her Spanish father's family.
After that season at court, the first offer of marriage came. She cried in her mother's lap that she didn't like any of the boys she'd met and refused to marry. As Margarethe stroked her daughter's hair she knew it would be a battle of wills with her husband but she had not nurtured this child to live a life like hers had been.
She parried each thrust as proposals were made. With each event at Court interest in Isabella grew stronger both as a beautiful princess and as the only daughter of a rich member of the family. On her fifteenth birthday her mother began to talk of a grand tour to America. It would round out Isabella's education. Of course, it was the capstone of her grand plans for Isabella.
Ferdinand at first absolutely refused to consider such an outlandish and expensive venture. However, he began to weaken as Isabella hinted that on her return she would seriously consider the offers for her hand by some of the richest and best connected families in Spain. This caught her father's imagination and finally he conceded. With his permission in place, Margarethe completed the last details that she had been working on for the past six months.
Anna would accompany her. Her first visit would be to the Austrian Embassy. Franz Joseph had given her a letter of introduction which would be an entrée for Isabella wherever she went in the social circles in the cities she planned to visit during her tour. It was 1913 and unknown to her father, both she and Anna would be leaving Spain forever.
Eighteenth century Europe's colonial domination still had tentacles that reached around the world. They were however weakening as the indigenous people of various countries, having grown in their understanding of a new order of governance, began to throw off the shackles of foreign power. The cost of maintaining a strong military presence to enforce the foreign government often came at a price greater than the benefit of maintaining power far from the home countries.
As in other parts of the world, in Mexico, the grip of European domination and influence was steadily weakening. After an Austrian venture to influence Central America by imposing Emperor Maximilian I failed, the Mexican people won their freedom and elected their own government. In 1876 Porfirio Diaz overthrew the elected president of Mexico and set up, by proclamation, the Plan de Tuxtepec. It was a leveling of Mexican society and was seen as a threat by the wealthy, some of whom were related to Maximilian I, Emperor, deposed in 1866.
Juarez Algara was one who looked to distant economic and political horizons. The money required for the Plan de Tuxtepec would come from the wealthy via taxation of monies or lands and likely both. Juarez, a substantial landowner, was determined not let his fortune be caught in political unrest and crossfire. He kept his wealth in as liquid a position as possible.
Recently widowed he decided, in 1880, to leave and packed a small train of wagons with chests of Mexican gold coins and silver ingots. Crossing into Texas he made his way to Austin and converted his silver and gold into US dollars. Business interests that he had developed in the United States over a decade helped him focus on two things he knew best -- cattle, and the slaughter and sale of beef. Earning his credentials as a cattleman in Texas was tough. Fortunately money talked and even though tongues wagged behind his back, his money required people take him seriously.
He learned all he could about the trail drives, the large spreads and the cattlemen who mostly ran the industry of moving meat on hoof north to Chicago. Within a few years he struck out, sold his holding and accompanied a drive of his cattle to Chicago. There he began to carve out a place for himself in the burgeoning city. By 1895 he was settled and was known as a very available bachelor. Money, connection to royalty and distantly related to the powerful Hapsburg dynasty gave him entry into salons in the city that would normally be closed to a Mexican, no matter how rich.
The Chicago Board of Trade building, with its electric lighting was an icon of the coming twentieth century. It was ompleted in '85 and the first with electric lighting. Juarez Algara set a goal of owning a seat within ten years. He began laying groundwork to buy a seat on the Board. Fortunately, the way was made smooth by his introduction to a headstrong, beautiful debutante and daughter to a committee member of the Board. Within a year, their marriage was announced and his place on the Board secured. Juarez success on the Board, buying and selling beef, enabled him in very few years to build both a new fortune and a name for himself. It would be ten years before a child was born. His namesake, Salvador Algara was born in 1895. He judiciously bought positions on foundation boards and charities with his money. His influence was significant at Holy Name Cathedral. As a practicing Catholic, even though he was of Mexican birth, his faithfulness to the sacraments and his generous contributions to both the Cathedral School and charities as well as to the discretionary fund of the Bishop gave him status. In Chicago, with its significant portion of Catholic population, this influence reached into layers of government, city service and finance.
As it always is with the second generation of immigrants, the passage is a bit easier. Salvador was born into Chicago society. His grandparents ensured that, at least socially, he would never be shunned. A charming child, his complex racial heritage served him well as he grew. His dark eyes and hair provided a certain charm that blended with his sunny disposition and made him a sought after friend.
His academic work gave evidence of a good mind. Disciplined by his father to the tasks of learning and sport, Salvador grew into a well-rounded young man. Juarez watched at a distance and with some amusement to see the independent streak that Salvador developed as he matured. It would, Juarez knew, serve him well, if kept in check.
Though he was on every socialite's "A" list, Salvador didn't intend to settle down into matrimonial bliss and avoided the numerous `opportunities' that seemed ever present. On completion of his formal schooling he began working with his father in the various businesses.
Well versed on the buy and sell orders and the workings of the Board, Juarez occasionally sent him with an official company representative to evaluate the market and to give orders for buying long or selling short. It was exhilarating as well as frightening. There were days when he made or lost tens of thousands of dollars. His father just laughed and commented on the continued expense of Salvador's education. Secretly he was proud that Salvador was learning quickly and would be a great asset and someday a worthy heir.
Adroitly, Salvador Algara managed to charm both society matrons and their daughters while avoiding any commitment. His life was devoted to the family businesses and his friends. An avid sportsman, Salvador was as comfortable astride a horse as he was with a fencing foil in his hand. He disciplined himself in the manly art of boxing and enjoyed bird hunting on the game preserves owned by friends of the family.
During the Season, as it was called, his evenings were filled with dinner parties, dances and the multitude of social activities that engaged the Chicago wealthy. Though pleasurable, it was an unspoken requirement for a young man of his standing. Most evenings were a game to him. As a twenty year old, he would soon have to settle into the expected protocol of married life.
The year was 1915. One evening, as a guest of the influential and wealthy Pullman family, he was introduced to one Isabella de Leon. A beauty with an air and grace he had not seen before, Salvador's imagination was captured. With discrete inquiries he learned she was a member of the Castellan Royal Family with ties to the Hapsburgs and Austria. As mysterious as she was beautiful, Salvador wanted to see her again and called on her with Mr. Pullman's permission the next afternoon.
Their interest and affection one for the other seemed to bloom overnight. Using contacts through his businesses, Juarez made diplomatic inquiries to confirm her background. They finally led to the Austrian Embassy in Washington where a secretary to the Ambassador affirmed that she was indeed an Infata of the Castellan Family and was traveling under the protection of the Emperor Franz Joseph.
After a bit more than a month of seeing one another, Salvador told his father that he wanted to marry her but under the circumstances had no idea of how to proceed. Salvador's mother had, through her social channels, learned that Isabella's feelings were the same but with no family present, she and her guardian had no idea how to accept the proposal and carry forward with marriage. Remembering her youth and headstrong nature, Salvador's mother began to plan.
She and Juarez discussed the challenges with their son and when sure of his intent and commitment they moved forward with the plan. The Archbishop agreed to marry them if proof could be given of her baptism and faithfulness as Catholic. The Pullman family, host to Isabella and Anna, met with the Algaras and with Isabella to hear the story of her history and desire to remain in the United States. The Pullmans then contacted the Embassy letting them know of Isabella's wellbeing and intention and inquired if permission of the Emperor could be arranged in lieu of her father.
Once documents were obtained to the satisfaction of the Archbishop that the sacraments of the Church were in order and that the couple, in lieu of the father's blessing had instead an Emperor's blessing he happily agreed and set a date for the nuptials. The year was 1915.
World War I and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire left Isabella in a mild state of shock. The Hapsburg monarchy had seemed immovable and impermeable, and now it had all but disappeared. Occasionally, she wept quietly at night thinking about her beloved grandmamma and her childhood memories. In those days when Salvatore was busy with work, Isabella would open her jewel chests and pull out the long rope of pearls and her favorite tiara that she had used in her dress-up games in Vienna.
Though beautiful, she knew these were baubles from another era -- of course with intrinsic value -- still part of a time now lost. She smiled quietly at the secret treasure, thinking that someday she would share them with Salvador.
As had been the case with her mother, Margarethe, Isabella had difficulty conceiving. Finally, in 1921 a son was born to the couple amid great celebration by the extended family. It seemed a good omen in a time of great prosperity and growth at the beginning of the Roaring Twenties. Named after his father, Salvador Jr. grew from a healthy, strong and curious toddler into his promise of a handsome and capable young man.
America began a decade of riotous growth and change after the war. Business expanded for both Juarez and Salvador and their wealth increased along with their position in Chicago society. Isabella watched all this with a wary eye. It was touted as a new era for the United States as a time to stand alone and grow to the fulfillment of her manifest destiny. With all evidence against it, Isabella continued to harbor her own distrust at the sudden, rapid growth that seemed to be built more on promise than accomplishment.
Late in 1927 her building sense of ill omen finally forced her to confront Salvador and share her concerns with him. Much of their fortune was founded on the Exchange and the Stock Market. They held controlling interests in two banks where they kept their money. All was well, insisted Salvador.
Undaunted, Isabella reminded him of her mother's and grandmamma's bequest to her. It was her family that had collapsed, she reminded him - the might of the Austrian Empire and its seeming permanence; and the house of Castile now beset by revolution. Salvatore listened in an attempt to humor her.
With a building sense of desperation she made him wait in her sitting room and brought the chests of jewelry given her by her grandmamma. Somewhat dumbstruck by the jewels, he asked about them and she reminded him of the days of her childhood spent in Vienna emphasizing that they could not depend upon the current economy, no matter how attractive.
Later, talking with his father Juarez, Salvador related the stories and surprise at the chests of jewels. Juarez sat, his fingers tented and listened. After a few moments of reflection he began to tell Salvador of his family history, his own distant relation to the Hapsburgs through the Mexican Emperor Maximilian I. Finishing the conversation he added, "Perhaps we should heed the voice of caution. I will talk with your mother and perhaps we can sit and discuss this together."
During the next two years they followed a plan hatched from that conversation. Juarez and Isabella both knew first hand that one had to live in the present but must remain aware that change can occur with sudden ferocity. Isabella, keeping only the ropes of pearls and her favorite tiara slowly sold all the jewels to jewelers in New York. They were disassembled and recreated into Art Deco masterpieces one of which Isabella kept as her own memento. Along with the jewels, she and Salvador began to exchange paper currency for gold pieces.
Juarez began in the same way to liquefy as he had done in Mexico. Slowly he sold off majority interests in the banks and stored both currency and gold in a fire proof vault at his home. By the end of summer 1929, while many of their friends were sipping martinis and bragging on their latest investment, the Algara families were quietly selling stocks and withdrawing cash to the degree possible without causing concern at their banks.
In late October and on into Christmas of 1929, they watched in horror as the glittering Chicago society shattered and fell to pieces around them. With a suddenness of a storm cloud darkening the sky, the Great Depression was on them. Having learned in his youth, Juarez was cautious to retain cash and move with care into any investment. Whereas in Texas he had flashed money to gain acceptance, now he knew that to do so would earn him the enmity of long-time friends.
Both he and Salvador continued their trade on the Board of Exchange and began to expand exponentially their real estate holdings using shadow corporations that would remove them by name from the purchases. Thanks to the spur provided by Isabella's concerns, the family had been saved and would continue to prosper in future generations.
Salvador Jr. matured into the hoped for promise of his childhood. With his father and grandfather he learned and began to manage portions of the family business. Excelling in academics and gentlemanly sport, he followed in his father's footsteps and became one of the more eligible bachelors in Chicago.
Finally in 1940, his imagination and heart captured by one of the `worthies' of an old Chicago family, he began his courtship as the clouds of war gathered over Europe. Though his fiancée pushed for marriage, Salvador insisted that he would not leave a war widow behind and promised marriage on his return from the war.
Heedless of the plea by her mother to wait for a `proper' wedding, the Archbishop performed and blessed the union and amid all the celebrations in late September 1945, Salvador and Anna were married. As snow flakes fell late in the fall of 1946 Alejandro Davila Bojorques Algara was born. He was never to taste the milk of his mother's breast or know its comfort. Anna Algara died in childbirth.
Thank you, reader, for your patience as the background is laid for Alejandro.
Remember that writers are fed by comments from readers. It is the meat and drink of the creative drive. firehosejoe@yahoo.com