Puerto Rico - Day 9

Ok here it goes…last night I slept over my aunt’s house so that I could get up early this morning and hopefully accomplish some car shopping as well as perhaps some Christmas shopping.  The car shopping was a bust because we didn’t hear back from anyone that we had reached out to.  The Christmas shopping, on the other hand, was handled in an expeditious manner.  I knew just what I was looking for…a TV stand for my Mama.  She found what she wanted the day before and (she thought) we were going to head back to Kmart today and purchase it.  We decided to wait because we heard through the Puerto Rican Shopaholic Grapevine that it would probably be on sale today.  So, it was a tough task, but I avoided calling her until well into the afternoon today and totally avoided bringing it up.  To top it all off, I didn’t head to her house until 7pm so that she wouldn’t ask to go to Kmart.  7pm is magical because it’s our designated “Aurora” time.  

Lorenzo (the father), Martin (the son), Aurora (their obsession)

“Aurora” is the name of a telenovela that Mama’s into and has now gotten me hooked on.  So, every day, no matter where I am, I try to be tuned into this novela.  Most times I try to be with her so that when crazy things happen like the two men who are fighting for Aurora’s love (which happen to be father and son) become closer and closer to finding out the truth, we can look at each other and squeal in anticipation together!  Oh, you ask what is this ‘truth’ I’m referring to?  Well, check this out…Aurora died twenty years ago.  Her father is a scientist and froze her body.  20 years later he brought her back to life.  Of course, she’s gorgeous and looks like she’s in her 20’s so her former lover’s son has fallen for her.  It gets deeper than that but I’ll stop there.

So anywhoo, I felt really bad avoiding Mama, but it’s a necessary evil.  I just have to be illusive for like one more day and then all will be revealed!  Of course though, that did NOT stop her from bringing up Kmart.  She mentioned she was thinking of asking her neighbor to take her (which I’m really hoping she doesn’t end up doing tomorrow) in which I promptly apologized and said “Let’s try to do it between tomorrow and Friday…” knowing I have no intention of making that happen.

Now that my aunt has returned I feel a bit like a kid dealing with divorced parents!  I was with Mama until about nine o’clock last night (that’s around the time she hits the bed) and then headed to Titi’s house to sleep over.  I spent today with Titi but made a point to return to Mama this evening to watch our shows together and get some more clothes.  Well, let me tell you…she told me Max was looking for me all day, then she mentions Kmart, then I discover that she did my laundry, she replaced light bulbs on her ceiling fan (because I was looking for light the other night to do my nails…I told her I didn’t need the ceiling fan light but nooooo she waits till I leave to do that craziness…need I remind you she’s 86?!), and got a turkey so that she can prepare it tomorrow so that we can bring it to her neighbor’s Christmas Eve party (because I don’t eat pork or beef).  Uh, can we say guilt trip?!  I know this all comes from a place of love, but damn it, it also screams to me that she missed me today while I was running around with my aunt!

Now, tomorrow is my Titi Annie’s birthday.  So, I invited Mama to join us for dinner tomorrow night but of course, she declined.  Let’s make it crystal clear as to why I feel like a child in the middle of two divorced parents…Titi Annie is my mother’s sister.  Mama is my father’s mother.  Everytime I come home saying how delicious something my aunt made was, Mama either tells me she can make it too or she actually makes it for me the next time I’m there.  Also, I know she doesn’t want to go to my aunt’s house for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) so I gave her an easy out.  I told her that I know she really doesn’t want to go so I’ll be with her all day and into the early evening celebrating in her neighborhood and then head over to my aunt’s later.  She agreed faster than I could say “ok?’.  So I’m even splitting holdays now!  The crazy thing is they don’t argue and they get along perfectly fine…it just seems Mama wants to do things with me and me only…seems she’s not much of a group person at all.  Three seems to be a crowd for her.

I guess it’s a good problem to have, but I must admit I can see that sooner rather than later I will begin to feel torn.  I can’t ignore my Titi for the sake of my Mama but I also can’t be with Titi so much that Mama feels ignored.  I feel like “Aurora”, a woman caught between two people who deeply love her…but like you know in a family platonic not weird soap opera love kinda way.  We shall see how this whole novela mia (soap opera of mine) plays out.

I also got a little anxious today on the money front as I realized I waited a little too long to transfer money from my savings account to my checking account.  Now, this is one of those online account deals and I’m transferring between two different banks so now my money won’t clear until 12/27!  I know things will be fine as I am not totally broke yet but its still not a position I enjoy being in.  I’m trying to avoid putting anything on my credit card while I’m out here, but that doesn’t look like it’s happening…at least not until I get some income coming in.  I think its pretty obvious what my new focus will be once I return in January (after I finally secure a car of course).  What I don’t want to do though is become a 9 to 5er out here…at least not yet.  The time I’m spending with these folks is invaluable and to trade that in so I can sit at a desk for a check, then come home and eat dinner alone (remember Mama eats at like 4) only to wake up and do it all over the next day…well, it just doesn’t seem to fit yet.  But, I know all will play out as it’s supposed to.  I just need to deal with one thing at a time and move wisely.

Good night good peoples…