America
just stopped by and left me some pan de Mexico, made by her mom. She
moved out Jan 20. She was actually gone except for her bed in the
garage and a nightstand by Sun the 13. Ugh. The tears again!
The
first chart is for 4:38 this eve when Renee came home and said,
“Guess what I got!” She finally got a copy of John Dancy-Jones’s
Raleigh Nature.
Wow. Still have not gotten a good look. Saw a few of his
illustrations. Really amazing. So, that’s a cool moment. She had
to run off as soon as she cleaned out all the stuff that accumulates
in her car. Renee lives like an urban gypsy. She spends more time
on the street, hanging with friends, attending music or art events,
community meetings, or just chilling alone in the rose garden at the
park, than she does at home. The book keeps selling out at the local
book store, but she finally hit the store while they were in stock.
So now she is going over to a mutual friend’s house to talk about
an upcoming housesitting gig.
I
was sitting outside, enjoying the warm evening. The house was
freezing today. 51 degrees on the thermostat is usually cold, but my
preferred temp in the house. Today it was weird though – it looked
so cloudy outside, I kept forgetting how much warmer it was out
there. I didn’t want to go for a walk because I needed to get
stuff done around the house. I start a new customer tomorrow morn,
and that is like going on a blind date. I always fall in love with
my customers. So, I had gotten the counters full of dirty dishes
cleaned, made bread dough, and fixed a nice meal of taters with
cabbage, bit of broccoli, and other goodies. I was sitting out on
one of the chairs in front of the house, with one of the cats, Mimi,
on my lap. Tiger was playing with the water. She likes to tip the
water dish.
I
saw America pass like she was headed for her sister’s house (Nati)
down the street. Next thing I knew she was headed back and slowed
down in front of the house. Hmm.
She
was pretty mad when she moved out. She left the key without even
telling me or saying good bye. I couldn’t blame her. It was
totally cool. I love her and feel sure she loves me; but we sure
were due for a break. So having the back room empty, and less music
and beer drinking and smoking is cool with me. I figure she won’t
stay mad forever. She just needs a break from MP.
Well
she stopped the car and got out with a plastic shopping bag. Did I
want some pan from Mexico. “Ohhh, America!” I whined, “I’ve
got masa rising.” She took a piece out and said, “This kind you
have to taste.” It was rosca, the bread they bake for Three Kings’
Day. I took a piece that was already broken off. “That’s just a
piece,” she said. “That’s all I can eat!” I complained.
Then she pulled out corn patties, “Just one!” I begged. No. She
was adamant and said I had to try those, they’re just corn, but you
heat them up and they’re sabrosa. Then she broke off a piece from
a brown bread, I recognized, like a molasses or ginger bread. “Oh!
I know that kind,” I said. But I couldn’t remember the word for
ginger bread or molasses. Shoot, I never have learned the name of
that bread, but I know I’ve had it. They do this a couple of times
a year. They know not to offer the dried meat or fish. But the
pastries they can get me to enjoy. I swear one time their brother
told me about getting dried iguana. Iguana is pretty plentiful game
in their parts. And fish, they live on a river, so lots of fish.
Well
I feel better now. The tenderness has passed. America is so
important to me, the posts about her make that clear. I did not want
to let pass the opportunity to document this big step in our life.
We are separated, her life is changing in ways I can only imagine.
She has lived for more than 6 years in an American house. I’m not
going to look the date up now. She’s been living here a long time.
I remember the post a year or so ago when I talked about discovering
that she had begun taking night classes.
A
week after she moved out, the day I bought my new phone and switched
to a cheaper cell service, I was sitting on the couch figuring out
the new phone and service when I got a call from her. She wanted to
know if I could come down and interpret for her at her sister’s
house. A cop was there, and she wasn’t sure what he was saying.
Uh
oh. Here it comes again. I was so dispassionate that day. But now
it is sinking in. She had been robbed at gun point over the weekend.
There was a gash on her chin and forehead. The cop was a detective
come to show photos of possible suspects. The regular routine of me
referring to her using a female pronoun after the cop referred to her
using the male. Everyone takes her for a man. I suspect her
nephews, Nati’s two sons, are not sure which gender pronoun to use.
It is confusing enough to grow up speaking Spanish at home and
English in school, sorting out the gender of their aunt falls by the
linguistic wayside. She’s generous to them, but bossy and has a
temper. She takes them to mass and MacDonald’s every Sunday, the
State Fair every year. They know they can get what ever they want
from her. But they also know they are to sit quietly in the pew and
pay attention to the sermon or there will be a long sermon from La
Koala. That’s her apodo, or nickname. She works on roofing crews
with men. She dresses like a man. She drinks beer, shoots pool, and
tosses piropos to the women with men. But she is always a woman to
me. A very special woman and a friend for life.
The
second chart is for 6:22 when La Koala stopped and gave me pan de
Mexico.
It
is 7:38 Sunday night. I hope I can stop by the library and upload
this post after my exciting fun at a new customer’s house tomorrow.
 |
| Renee comes home and says, "Guess what I got!" She finally nabbed a copy of John D-J's Raleigh Nature. |
 |
| America stops by and delivers pan de Mexico. |
