DOMÍNGUEZ, maría soledad

[maría soledad domínguez]

maría soledad domínguez
FIFTY-FOUR. LOCAL. ORGANIZED. INTELLIGENT. MOTHERLY. GLORIA ESTEFAN

history
maria was born in havana, cuba on september first, nineteen fifty-seven. her mother was a schoolteacher and her father worked as a personal bodyguard for fulgencio batista’s wife at the time. their family wasn’t particularly rich, but they weren’t poor either. when fidel castro seized power in nineteen fifty-nine, the family fled to the united states and settled in miami. maria’s father enlisted in the united states army. they were relocated at least three times during her childhood, so she never had an established place to call home. he assisted in the bay of pigs invasion and fought in the vietnam war. he returned with no major injuries, but he was definitely worse for wear and not the same person. he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years later and died from assumed exposure to agent orange when maria was twenty-two. maria spent most of her childhood and teenage years helping her mother take care of her father and younger sister, rebeca (forty-nine). she didn’t have much of a social life. she spent most of her free time doing homework in her bedroom or playing guitar and singing songs from the radio; it was her way of crying. her favorite song of the time was ‘bridge over troubled water’ by simon and garfunkel and it remains to this day one of her favorite songs. she graduated from high school in nineteen seventy-four. she started college later that year and earned a degree in music education four years later. she married at the age of twenty-one in nineteen seventy-eight to emilio dominguez. they had their first child, benjamin, on their second anniversary. maria began teaching at a public high school in miami a year after she graduated from college. she and emilio welcomed their second child, gregorio, six years later in nineteen eighty-seven. the couple conceived a child (unintentionally) three years later, but maria miscarried the baby because of stress following a car accident that nearly left her paralyzed. during her recuperation process, since she was unable to work, maria began taking college courses to earn a master’s degree in music education. while doing that, she began studying education administration. when she returned to work, she served as the vice principal and chorus teacher. after four years of being vice principal, the principal retired from his job and she took over his position. she got pregnant later that year and gave birth to her third and final child, kennedy. the next few years of her life went normally, at least until nineteen ninety-nine when her husband was diagnosed with cancer. he underwent extensive chemo and radiation therapy. he was cancer-free for two years, but the cancer came back in two thousand three. after three long years of battling, the cancer finally took his life in two thousand six. devastated and hoping to escape from the sting of all the memories, maria searched for available positions. she found an open teaching position at fairfield high in maine. she and emily moved into a three-bedroom house there and have been there since. emily is currently a sophomore. gregorio still lives in miami and is studying to become a doctor. benjamin, a budding director, lives in los angeles with his wife, laura; they are expecting their first child in may. as for maria, this will be her fourth year teaching at fairfield high. she has recently (as of about three months ago) begun seeing somebody, and she’s noticeably happier than before.

personality
likes - organization, professionalism, punctuality, discipline, heeled shoes, café con leche, chocolate, fried foods, playing guitar, singing, her children, thanksgiving, christmas, walking her dog, being in love, speaking in spanish, her age, reminiscing, being a teacher, impacting others’ lives, wearing makeup, laugh lines, toe rings
dislikes - being underestimated, being criticized, being told what to do, being alone, being interrupted, repeating herself, raising her voice, punishing her children/students, arguing/fighting, breaking up fights, her height, wearing glasses, awkward silences (and conversations), lying to people, menopause, spicy foods, public speaking, talking about her husband‘s death, crying
strengths - organized, professional, intelligent, motherly, excellent wife/mother, giving advice, helping people, patient, teaching, modest
weaknesses - public speaking, emotionally dependent on others, introvert, overly protective of her children, (sometimes) overly emotional, (sometimes) loses her temper, lying, perfectionist, letting people in
habits - cleaning excessively when she’s upset or angry, humming/singing/dancing while cleaning, talking to herself while grading papers, calls her children her ‘creatures’
fears - losing a loved one, being alone, death

appearance
short woman in her fifties. dark reddish-brown hair (obviously dyed) down to her shoulders, naturally curly. dark brown eyes, usually outlined with heavy black eyeliner and mascara. age lines around the outside corners of her eyes. mole (“beauty mark”) under her right eye. somewhat large nose, disproportionate with her face. thin lips, almost perfect teeth. bright smile. rounded face with chubby cheeks. overall slender build, though slightly pudgy from menopausal weight gain. curvaceous, particularly in the chest and hips. dresses stylishly, usually professionally. low-cut shirts, but not in a trashy way. always wears heeled shoes, unless at home, then goes barefoot. wears minimal jewelry, usually limited to earrings, a toe ring and three rings her late-husband gave her.

AMBER. TWENTY. EASTERN. FIRST CHARACTER