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I'm in the Prime of Randomness


Being married to a fellow who loves numbers has modified my perspective on a lot of things.
Example - He loves prime numbers.  They are special to him.  By extension they've developed a special meaning to me.
60 is a fine number = 4X15, 2x30, 20+10x2.  Cool.  But 61, ah, that is fine.
So by extension, as of today, I am fine, too.

My mom's due date was June 14th.  Yes, I was late - by a bit.  Set a pattern; I'm afraid.

My dad was happy that I was born on Father's Day.  It seemed to make sense to him that I was born a day that honored him.  He was the baby in a family of 12. My mom took castor oil the day I was born.  It had been recommended to her by Dr. Mon Q. Kwon.  She was his patient and continued to be his patient until I was in my teens.

She would tell me story of my birth.  Being 1952 there were no birthing rooms, but there was a waiting room where the father-to-be would wait.  Film noir, black and white, cigs lit sort of space.  My mom had not given birth, but knew the scoop since she had been around several women who had babies.

So Nellie went to the hospital and while she was in labor, she heard a woman moaning.  "Johnny, Johnny, JOHNNY, come help me"!  My mom thought the woman yelling was foolish because Johnny had gotten her in that way in the first place and a lot of help he would be.

After a fairly long labor it became clear that I was going to enter the world via a cesarean section operation.  My mom was frightened, but not terrified at the idea of an operation.  So in she went, anesthetic administered, and she lay on the operating table.

She moaned, she groaned, she moaned again.  Dr. Kwon being a caring doctor asked her, "Nell, are you okay?"  "Oh, yes, but I'm supposed to moan".  As she would share this part she would laugh at her innocence and naivete.
I'm sure she was part of a story told around a dinner table or two that night.  I bet they laughed, too.

Thanks Mom and Dad.  Glad you found each other and that you were my parents.

The conchas and quesadillas in the box are from Chapala Bakery #2.  The image is random, too.  It's  the first cake like picture I came across.

Chapala Bakeery #2, 265 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA  91104

Posted by Latino Heritage at 5:58 PM 

Roberta H. Martínez