May 6
"Does this fool, not realize that this is how people get shot?" I asked Mel.
The 'Fool" now ran around to the driver's window and started banging on the glass making faces at my husband.
I kept staring at him as I slowly reached down to my side where I was carrying my off-duty weapon, to make sure it was accessible if I needed it.
As I turned around some crazy old lady started banging on my window, totally scaring the bejeeves out of me!
"What the heck is going on here and who the heck is this crazy old lady?"
I got even more nervous when the group came over and surrounded the van. Oh, great we were going to be killed by an angry mob of villagers, before I even got a chance to start my new life! Go figure!
I looked back and saw the nervousness on my boys faces, but then I looked at Mel's kids and saw them laughing. Okay so this is normal around here?
"Look," Little Jose said, "its Tio and Titi, what are they doing here, are we going camping with them, too?
"You know these crazy people?" I asked Mel.
"Unfortunately, yes, it's my brother and sister with the rest of my family," Mel said to me totally uncomfortable with the situation.
"I meant that part about crazy, in the nicest way!" I said as my face turned beet red.
Great, so much for easy!
Long story short, I got a reader's digest condensed introduction to ALL of Mel's family members at once!
Out of the crowd came this sweet older lady who came over and gave me the once over. My stomach dropped, I just knew that it was Mel's mom! She smiled, patted my hand and walked off without a word.
Mel's brother, Jose Angel, insisted that we camp with them. Mel refused and after an hour of trying to leave we were finally on our way.
"They are funny!" Alex said.
"Yeah, a regular chuckle feast, those guys are", Mel answered, clearly upset.
He wasn't the only one. I felt totally ambushed! I was actually thinking that he had set me up by having his family in the parking lot on purpose. Not cool!!
Well, back to the reservations. After two hours of driving to the mountains and six hours of trying to find an open camp site we were at our wits end. The kids were tired and hungry, I was totally upset and Mel was just plain angry!
"Honey, I think we need to just take your family up on their invitation and stay with them tonight. Maybe we'll find something open tomorrow." Mel's jaw line tightened as well as his grip on the steering wheel. I thought he was going to break it in two!
"I guess we have no choice!" He finally said.
We drove to the site and we were immediately surrounded by his family again. His brothers volunteered to put our tent up, but after watching them trying to put all the pieces together to no avail, I had had enough!
I walked to the middle of the chaos and started barking orders.
"Eric, grab that end, Dee hold here, Alex pick this side up, I got this end, Chris, grab the line!" Within fifteen minutes we had the tent up, lovingly called the wooly mammoth because it was huge, and all our gear set up inside.
"Hey, Jun, (Mel's nickname from his family, short for junior,) Pushy broad, I like her!" I gave him a drop dead look, but he couldn't see it because it was pitch black by now.
I got the kids feed and to bed. As I lay in my sleeping bag trying to sleep, I kept thinking to myself, what am I getting myself into??
The next morning I was cooking breakfast, when again Jose Angel, spewed another nugget of wisdom.
"You cook?" He asks me.
"Of course I can cook!" I really wanted to drop kick, midget man and bury his body deep in the woods!
"Hey, Jun, she can cook, you need to keep this one!" My poor Mel turned three shades of red!
I guess being smooth wasn't one of his brother's better qualities.
That was the beginning of my week with Mel's family.
In that week we got word that my brother-in-law Wayne, who had been more like a father to me passed away. Chris fell off a rock and poked his eye requiring a trip to the emergency room 45 minutes away. We got chased by a bear twice and had to deal with poor Alexi having tummy cramps and blisters on his feet. At the same time we decided to stay, because my brother-in-law Wayne would have been mad as all get go, if we had left because of him. We wound up having a good time. The kids bonded. Mel got to hang out with his family and I somehow survived without drop kicking his brother into the next state!
Unbeknownst to me I was under the watchful eye of Mel's mom the whole time. On the last day of our vacation we stopped at Burger King on the way home with the whole crew.
While there, I was feeding the baby when Mel's mom came over and sat next to me. I really liked this lady, she was just so awesome!
For once I really cared if someone liked me or not. She watched me interact with Alexi and saw Alexi reach over and stick a soggy French fry he had been sucking on, into my mouth.
I ate it, laughing and kissed his fingers. He giggled and kissed me on my cheek.
I looked up and realized that she had been staring at me, with tears in her eyes.
She thanked me for the way I was treating her grandchildren. I was totally floored!
I had done nothing differently with Mel's kids, than I would have normally done with my kids, or nieces and nephews.
It wasn't until years later that I understood her comment, because of all the ill will between Mel's family and his ex-wife.
That as they say was the beginning of a beautiful friendship! Mama and I were inseparable. She became to me, the mother I never had.
She loved me, was proud of me and supported me in all my endeavors. We could talk about religion, life, family and they were some of our most meaningful conversations!
It was the first time I really felt loved by a mother figure. I was blessed to have her in my life for six incredible, although too short years, until she passed away of cancer at the age of 73.
At her wake she made us promise to only wear bright colors, and we celebrated her amazing life by showing pictures of all the incredible things she had done in her life.
I was amazed by the number of people at her wake and funeral. It was so overwhelming to see how many lives she had touched!
From the city major, to community leaders, to ex-convicts who she counseled in jail, there were people from all walks of life there.
Years later we still would run into people who would share stories about how she had enriched their lives in a positive way!
Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.
When times are tough I silently talk to her asking for encouragement, as crazy as it might sound I always feel better afterwards.
Every year on her birthday, I take time to remember all the good times. I also want to make sure that her memory never fades away.
Mostly I want to always strive to be as much like her as I can. I just pray that when my life comes to an end that I will leave a big a mark on this world as my dear mama did.
Happy Birthday Mama! I can imagine you helping them run things up there in Heaven!!
