The face was so intensely indigo that everything beside it seemed to lose colour. I found it at La Lagunilla, amid the market’s cheerful overload. It looked stern rather than threatening, with the authority of a guardian.
I walked away further into the market, but within minutes I knew I would always regret leaving it. I turned around, scurried back, found the stall and bought it.
I thought I was buying it for myself. I was wrong.
I was meant to keep it... But some days later I met my best friend, who was going through a rough time. I loved the mask, but at that moment I felt in my gut that I had found it for her. It now stands on her mantelpiece and has become one of her favourite things at home. Each time I see it, it warms my heart to see it has found its home with her, maybe even... Watching over her?
A good gift proves you have paid attention, but sometimes the meaning arrives after the purchase. You find something without knowing why, then understand when the right person is in front of you.
When I see its serious blue face, I remember walking back through La Lagunilla because I was afraid I would lose it. I thought I was buying it for myself. I was wrong, but I still visit him as often as I can.