Rain of Gold - half grown

Salvador sat there looking at his mother, realizing that it was true; he was, indeed, only half grown and knew very little about love and women and marriage and many of the great mysteries of teh heart. It seemed to him as if he'd been a child all these years, thinking only about survival and his own amusement. He took a big breath, wondering if he was really ready for this big new step in life called marriage. He decided yes, definitely, if he was ever going to be ready it was now. (484)

Rain of Gold - first years of marriage

"Listen to me carefully," she continued. "Lupe is right; the first few years of any marriage should be lived alone. Your familia will still be your family, of course, but it can no longer be your first family. This is the miracle of marriage. Each new marriage is like a whole new beginning--a return to the Garden of Eden--and each new couple is Adam and Eve, the first two people on earth"

"I swear, Mama," said Salvador, laughing, "don't you think that you're being just a little too..."

"Too romantic? Too dramatic?" she snapped. "No! A thousand times no! You open your eyes and see what I'm saying or your marriage will not work. This life that you and Lupe are about to begin has only the value you place on it, not the value that the Church gives it, or what we, the parents, give it, or even society. Its value is what you two agree upon giving it. And given full value, marriage is then, indeed, a return to Eden, and you two are, indeed, the first man and woman on earth. Marriage isn't sex, mi hijito, and it isn't even having children. Sex and children can be had all life long without marriage."

He breathed deeply. His mother always had to make things so complicated. But then, on the other hand, that was probably how all his talk about money had sounded like to Domingo.

The old woman saw his confusion. "Give me your hand," she said. "Look, I'm not saying that you're going to stop loving me or that I'm going to stop loving you. No, I'm not only saying that our family will no longer be your first love. Both you and Lupe have to understand this or you won't be able to make a home. this is the very reason why Adam and Eve are considered the first two people on earth. They were the first to make a promise between themselves to join body and mind and give honor to the glory of God."

"You mean, they weren't the actual first two people on the earth?"

"No, of course, not, but for their tribe, they were the first two people who made this most profound of agreements between themselves, relinquishing the devil and giving honor to the greater glory of God." (478-479)

Rain of Gold - choice

"You're good boys, the two of you," she said, "so I want you to listen closely and remember this for as long as you live: a man doesn't have the choice of how or where he is born, nor does he have the complete choice of how he must die. But, to bring the miracle of life into this world, he has the absolute complete choice every time!" (458)

Rain of Gold - marriage

"Well, I did; I survived, and I'll tell you why: because marriage is the greatest journey any man and woman can ever undertake--two strangers, not knowing each other, but yet still willing to join together in heart and soul--hoping, guessing on which star that might land as they cross the heavens, hand-in-hand like two clouds gliding on the winds of God's breath." (434-435)

Rain of Gold - love & hate

Lupe was in ecstasy. She got down and went to Salvador. And in that moment of sun and joy, Lupe knew why she loved and also hated Salvador. He gave her wings. He didn't try to lock her in, as had Jaime and the other boys she'd known. No, she could dream her wildest dreams with him and so she loved him for this; but she also hated him because it made her fearful. No one in her family was like this. They were always very cautious. (431)

Rain of Gold - different people

Lupe's family were village people who'd always lived with neighbors close by and were used to keeping things neat and orderly. On the other hand, his were ranch people, six miles from their closest neighbor, and used to riding horses up to the front door and coming inside with guns on their hips and cowshit on their boots.
(421)

Rain of Gold - dreams

Then Salvador said, "Give me your hand, querida."
Without hesitation, Lupe gave him her hand.
"Lupe," he said trembling, "tell me, what are your dreams? My mother has always told me that we never know another human being until we know their dreams. So, please, tell me yours."
"My dreams?" she asked, feeling her mind go reeling. What a beautiful thing to be asked. Oh, she was flying.
(408)

"I was wondering if, you know, your dreams and my dreams, if maybe they can't accompany each other and make a life together." (472)

He hadn't asked her if she loved him or if she'd accept his hand in marriage; no, he'd asked her if their dreams--their most private parts of all their lives--could accompany each other. (472)