In the Cards

In the game of Lotera, we are each destined the cards that decide our fate as players. A sensitive young man in mourning is visited by his dead mothers spirit. A girl is captivated by her brothersmelancholy music with no clue of the grim sadness his future holds. A trio of youngsters learn the meaning ofretaliation against the ultimate summertime rejection. Beginning with a few pages of ghost stories told to her by her grandmother, Christina Saballos started a blog thatfeatured short memoirs based on family lore and personal experiences. For an amusing challenge, each story wasinspired by one of the iconic images of the popular Mexican card game Lotera. With fifty-four cards in the deck,she flipped through the images until an idea sparked and a memory was awakened. These memories, best shared around the dinner table, on long road trips, by letter, or those delicious one-on-oneconversations over coffee or beers, are intimate examples of pain, struggle, and love that build our identities andmake up our destinies.