The Little Things
While I was on a self-proclaimed “leave of absence” from all things writing, Titi decided to just send me over some ‘feel good’ stories that came to her from over the years. Quite often when we think of telling our own stories, big important milestones, dates and life changing events usually pop into our heads first. Perhaps we even think we don’t have much to share if there aren’t enough of these “pivotal defining moments”. But in truth life itself is mostly made up of little moments… funny anecdotes, inside jokes, and daily routines that we try to pull some magic from.
There is no one better at truly living in these “little” moments and turning them into some of the most important ones, than my Titi. She has a million of these everyday stories that by themselves could create quite the mosaic of who she is and how she has lived. In a time in the world where everything feels BIG and every story reads like a headline… Let us have a little more of the magical mundane and let us live there for as long as we can.
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Teresa Learns to Drive
I didn’t learn how to drive until after Carmen was born and she was in first or second grade. It became so hard for me because the kids had more activities to go to and we had more things to do, so I really needed to know how to drive. I asked Henry to teach me. My very gentle, soft spoken, and patient husband was going to be my teacher… Never have your husband teach you how to drive.
Flash forward to me in the driver's seat and yelling and shouting and being in a pure panic. Finally one day I had it and slammed on the breaks and said “That’s it! You shout at me one more time and I am never going to learn how to drive!” He looked at me and I said “Let’s make a deal, TALK to me and I will follow all of your instructions to a T, I promise you I will follow them, so don’t shout at me.” He agreed and we continued and I must say he lived up to his side of the deal. One time we were driving in the country and very softly and patiently he kept saying “there is a ditch over there, excuse me.. There is a ditch over there.. Did you happen to see that ditch… just over there.” And I said “oh yes yes, Henry I see it!”, but somehow, we ended up in the ditch.
Eventually I learned and he continued to be very patient with me. Henry always used to take the bus to work so we had a car that wasn’t being used just sitting in our driveway. I called my neighbor Norma across the street one day and said “Norma, would you take me to get my license?” She said ‘sure I would be happy to’. “Great!” I said, “We can use our car but could you come over and back it up for me?” Confused, she said “You don’t know how to do that?” and I responded “Not yet, I can only go forward”. After double checking I was ready to get my license, she reluctantly went with me to the DMV. My instructor was this grumpy man and he got in the car and we started driving forward, no problem. He told me to stop, I stopped. Then he asked “what would you do if you had to stop uphill?”
I looked at him confused and inquired “Up a hill? In Champaign Urbana? But, there are no hills in Champaign Urbana...” He looked at me like I was crazy. I finally said “you move this thing this way”.
“This thing?!” He asked, “What is this thing called?”
“Oh I think a steering wheel” I said, I flunked.
But anyways, a few weeks later I went back and I passed my test. And guess what!? I am 90 years old and I just passed my test again.
Teresa the Accidental Groupie
This was probably the early 70s, 1973 or 74. I was president of the PTA at my kids' school. At one time all of the people who were involved with the PTA went to a convention in Chicago. There were about 4 of us from our particular school. They put us up in the Hilton Hotel which was especially grand and famous at that time. The conference we were to attend was there as well, but the thing was there was also a musicians convention in Chicago and a lot of the young musicians were also staying there at the Conrad Hilton. Which was kind of crazy because every time we went up or down in the elevator we were greeted by young screaming fans who were waiting to catch a glimpse of these musicians staying there.
I didn’t really know any of the groups or musicians at that time. But then one time we went down in the elevator with this group who had long hair and were wearing old fashion outfits and boots. They were very very polite young men. We learned that we had rode down with Paul Revere and the Raiders who were very famous at that time, although I didn’t recognize them.
On the same floor we were staying on there was a young guy talking to some people and we had to say “excuse me” and move him out of the way so we could get to our room. I was sharing a room with another PTA mom who I quite liked. We turned on the television and she said “look, that's the guy we just saw!” It happened to be Herb Alpert of the Tijuana Brass, which at that point he was just beginning. Later we were able to peek in the room he was staying in because he had left and it was a huge suite with a couple of pianos and just interesting to see.
I did enjoy the trip with the other parents, we went out to eat and explore chicago and also had a lot of meetings. One night at 3am my phone rang in the hotel and the woman on the other side asked “ Excuse me, is Mr. Mendes there?”
“I am sorry no” I replied, “but this is Mrs. Mendez” and she immediately hung up. I thought okay… there must be another Mendez there. So in the morning I asked the front desk if there was another Mendez staying there and she said “oh yes Sergio Mendes”. He was a very famous Brazilian musician at the time who invented the Bossa Nova. ‘Uh-oh’ I thought. I potentially got Mr. Mendes into a lot of trouble depending on who was calling him and got me instead. It was just kind of funny… but anyway.
