Mexican Family

Here´s what it´s like to have Mexican family: After three weeks of earning nothing in our spa because every hotel reservation, home rental and wedding has cancelled for the month of May due to flu hysteria, and thus we have had no clients, I was close to a breakdown. I have children, dogs, cats and horses to feed, and no money was coming in.

I cruised the web for writer jobs, knowing that wouldn´t really help. I needed immediate cash. I needed food in the fridge. Plus, Universidad of Leon was going to kick my husband, Carlos out in his last year if he couldn´t pay May tuition.

As I was figuring our phone service in the business (Jasmine Day Spa) would last through May 16th, but that after that, we could use our cell phones, my mother-in-law called. “Ven. I made albondigas for mis muchachitas.” My mother-in-law´s albondigas, or meatballs, are favorites with our girls. Carlos went over and picked up enough meatballs and rice to feed us for days.

My sister-in-law called next. “I want to buy your Pointer. Want to sell it? I have $10,000 pesos in cash now. I´ll give you the rest later.” Carlos raced over and sold our second car to his sister and came home with a pocketful of bills. His nephew, Cruz, gave him a ride back into town, and handed Carlos a pot of his mother´s rice to take home.

Carlos´ brother, Hector was the next to call. “Use our Land Rover to get to school,” he said. "We never use it during the week." He took Carlos out for a few Victoria beers before he gave him the keys.

My mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Hector all appear in my memoir, Fast Break South. When Carlos and I went out in our first year together, Hector usually came along.
Fast Break South is looking for a home with a literary agency right now. I´ll let you know if it finds one.