Tuesday, April 18, 2006

As I drove home tonight, it crossed my mind that today’s events would have served as perfect prelude to my next life: I was invited to lunch by one of my bosses, who holds the distinction of rarely going off-campus for lunch; after work, one of my best buds joined some students and me in a game of soccer, after which we spent about 45 minutes hanging out; once home, I chose to forget about the food I was heating in the microwave and accepted my dad’s invitation to join the whole family in a carne asada — this would involve making a 20-minute trip (each way) to my old home, for what I expected to be 15 minutes of family time (at most), considering that I usually take less than 15 minutes to eat. As I lay in my bed, hearing nothing but the noise caused by my keystrokes, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. After the day I spent today, ridden with the fulfillment of one unusual activity after another, anything short of getting some will be a sheer disappointment. 😀

All jokes aside, I should expand on what I did during my visit to my old home. After eating a couple of pieces of steak served with spanish rice, six tortillas, two jalapeños, and one piece of Mexican cheese, I spent about five to ten minutes playing ball with Tita, my one and only niece. As we kicked the ball back and forth, it crossed my mind that at her current age (eight years old), Tita is just ripe to start developing a love for sports. Because of the genuine interest I perceived on her part, I almost felt like making plans to pick her up the next day and take her to the park to give her the first lesson that will eventually lead her to soccer stardom. I swear… as she kicked the ball back to me, I actually traveled ahead in time and pictured her wearing the soccer jersey of the Women’s National Team. Representing Mexico, of course. 🙂

My brother Denel (age 6) also joined Tita and me as we played ball. What other game are three people to play, if not “monkey in the middle”? Denel would stand between us with his legs spread apart, well aware that I would attempt to drive the ball through his legs in order to have it reach Tita. As soon as he would see my foot preparing to kick the ball, he would close his legs and burst in laughter thinking that he had outsmarted me. This scene repeated itself several times. In fact, I don’t think I ever heard him laughing so much.

The night was falling and almost everyone had gone inside the house. Minutes earlier my mother had asked what time it was, and when she was told it was already past 7 o’clock, she made a face of concern as she said, “Oh lord, my novela is on!” Nonetheless, something kept her outside. Even more strange, my father remained with us — normally he goes to his room as soon as he’s done eating. It’s like the whole family had agreed beforehand that my parents and I were to be left alone to discuss some important matter. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not always my parents’ sedentary lifestyle (in the evenings) that can explain why we rarely spend time outside as a family. You see, normally I’m in class, in my room, or at the park playing soccer. I commented to them that this particular evening reminded me a lot about the evenings spent in my recent trips to Mexico. The backyard was scarcely-lit, and the little breeze set a special mood.

From there, somehow we jumped to the issue of my career. I usually try to avoid this subject because I don’t sense any interest from them. Up until recently, whenever my education would be brought up, I would say to my father in my most optimistic voice, “Just give me five more years!” That line would usually do the trick. My father would laugh out loud and exclaim, “Damn!” but he would leave it at that; he wouldn’t ask for a more elaborate response. However, tonight I felt the urge to set them straight.

As I explained to my father that (barring misfortune) I would be a college graduate by December of next year, he smiled in relief and said, “Does that mean I’ll actually live to see it?” Being the silly guy that I am, I normally would have responded, “Well, yeah, if you’re feeling all optimistic about your health!” But I just smiled back. They told me they were happy for me… for the way I’ve led my life. We remained outside for a few more minutes, but sensing that they would rather return to their regularly scheduled programming, I suggested it was time to call it a day. I thanked my mother for the meal and headed home… where I’ve spent the last hour or so sharing my day with you. 🙂

So, unless I die in my sleep, I shall wake up to see a new day tomorrow. But if I don’t, as I alluded to in the first paragraph, no one can say that death caught me by surprise. Me estás oyendo, inútil?! 😉

Let me get all cultural with you. The phrase above was made famous by an artist named Paquita La del Barrio. Paquita sings about the treachery she has lived at the hands of men, and somehow she plugs that phrase into many of her songs so as to ask, “Are you hearing this, punk?!” I, of course, used it to make fun of death. I’m Mexican… I have a God-given right to poke fun at la güera, calaca, y fea! 🙂

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