DEGREES OF SEPARATION

IF I CLOSE MY EYES AND THINK ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD, I AM OFTEN TAKEN TO MY PARENT’S BEDROOM. I USED TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THERE. THEY HAD A TALL, COZY, CUSHIONY BED WITH A BEAUTIFULLY CARVED WOODEN HEADBOARD.  THE BEDDING WAS CLEAN AND CRISP, THE WAY ONLY MEXICAN LAUNDRY DETERGENT CAN DO. THE BEDROOM WAS WELL LIT BY A WINDOW WHERE THE SUNSHINE POURED IN. WHEN I WAS AROUND 12 I REMEMBER HANGING OUT IN THERE A LOT.  ON MY FATHER’S NIGHTSTAND WAS HIS BIBLE AND TIME MAGAZINE ALONG WITH ANOTHER BOOK THAT HAD A NAME THAT I CAN’T REMEMBER FOR THE LIFE OF ME.  SOMETIMES I WAS SO BORED THAT I WOULD READ VERSES FROM THE BIBLE, BUT I WOULD READ IT LIKE STORIES. IS THAT BAD? I DON’T THINK YOU ARE SUPPOSED READ THE BIBLE IN THAT WAY. I WOULD ALSO BROWSE THROUGH ALL THE PICTURES IN TIME MAGAZINE – THERE WERE ALWAYS PICTURES OF THE KENNEDYS, THE BEATLES AND OTHER PICTURES OF HIPPIES. I THINK THAT’S WHEN I BEGAN TO HAVE CRUSHES ON MEN WITH BLUE EYES AND BEARDS! I ALSO HAD ALSO STARTED READING THIS MYSTERIOUS BOOK. NEEDLESS TO SAY, AT THAT AGE, NEITHER THE BIBLE NOR THIS OTHER BOOK MADE ANY SENSE TO ME.  ALL THAT I REMEMBER IS THAT I WAS SO BORED THAT ANY READING MATERIAL WOULD AMUSE ME – EVEN IF I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE HECK I WAS READING!

ONE DAY MY FATHER SAW ME READING THIS UNNAMABLE BOOK AND HE FLIPPED OUT ON ME!  IF YOU HAD EVER MET MY FATHER, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT HE WAS A TALL AND WELL-BUILT MAN, HE COULD BE VERY INTIMIDATING. YET HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST GENTLE OF MEN YOU COULD EVER MEET… EXCEPT WHEN HE GOT MAD!  THEN, IT WAS VERY SCARY!  WHEN HE FOUND ME READING HIS UNNAMABLE BOOK, HE BECAME EXTREMELY ANGRY!  I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE WAS SO UPSET!  AFTER ALL, I TRULY HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WAS READING. YES THE BOOK WAS IN MY LANGUAGE, BUT I DIDN’T GET ANY OF IT. THROUGH THE YEARS I FOUND OUT AFTER TALKING TO MY SISTERS THAT THIS BOOK (WE STILL CAN’T REMEMBER THE TITLE!) WAS SOME AMERICAN BOOK THAT DESCRIBES A TOWN THAT WAS VERY PROMISCUOUS. ALL THE CHARACTERS SEEMED TO GET INVOLVED WITH ONE ANOTHER. BUT AT MY AGE, I HAD NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO ANY OF THAT- I DIDN’T GET ANY OF IT.  STILL, THAT DAY STAYED IN MY MEMORY NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT I READ BUT BECAUSE OF MY FATHER’S REACTION. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, HE REMOVED THE BOOK FROM HIS NIGHTSTAND AND I NEVER SAW IT AGAIN.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, SANTA FE REMINDS ME OF THIS BOOK.  WE LIVE IN A TOWN WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYONE. IT’S SO SMALL HERE THAT YOU FIND OUT THAT PEOPLE YOU KNOW HAVE DATED, MARRIED OR SLEPT WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW!  MAYBE YOU DATED SOMEONE BACK IN THE 90’S AND NOW THAT PERSON YOU DATED IS NOW MARRIED TO YOUR EX BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND!  OR YOU ARE NOW DATING YOUR KID’S TEACHER’S EX HUSBAND! I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT IT’S A PART OF OUR NORMAL LIFE HERE IN SANTA FE!  IT’S MORE INTENSE THAT 6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION. IN SANTA FE IT’S 2 DEGREES OF SEPARATION-  IT FEELS TO ME THAT THE WORLD IS SIMPLY GETTING SMALLER. THE PLANET HAS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AND FOR SOME REASON WE KEEP RUNNING INTO THE SAME PEOPLE.

I AM GLAD THAT SCIENTISTS ARE LOOKING TO RELOCATE PART OF THE WORLD TO OTHER PLANETS.  MY LAST HOPE IS TO NOT DATE YOUR LAST BOYFRIEND!

PLEASE SEND ME YOUR COMMENTS TO MY PERSONAL EMAIL,  GUADA755@OUTLOOK.COM.
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN, SHORTLY, I WILL BE LAUNCHING OUR NEW EXCITING BLOG.

GUADALUPE