Spanish has always fascinated me, even well before my first formal class in junior high. We watched the movie La Bamba every Friday and when there was a substitute. This wasn’t exactly useful for learning the conjugation of verbs, but to this day I can sing nearly every lyric to the song and basically know what they mean. (He’s not a sailor, he’s a captain and he wants to dance).
In high school I took 3 years of the language and was a member of the Spanish club. The highlight of being part of that group was enjoying a free meal at a Mexican restaurant where no English could be spoken. (Our teacher repeated our orders correctly after we mangled them, so it wasn’t a complete disaster). I tested into 2nd year Spanish at my university. On day 1 of the class, I understood exactly zero words that soared out of my professor’s mouth. This motivated me to discover that I only needed one year of Spanish credit for my major. That fact motivated me to withdraw from the class and close the book on the subject for years.
In my 30s I traveled to Puerto Vallarta. I enjoyed every conversation and every single morsel that I shoved in my face. Now I’m in my 40s with a TacOcaT dream, hoping to live in constant warm weather, surrounded by a language that piques my interest. In the meantime, anyone that speaks Spanish and is patient enough to let me try, gets my undivided attention.
This is precisely how I came to learn the story of Guadalupe and Jaime. I started working with this adorable couple last August. They are a husband and wife combo that work the first shift together. Both were born in Mexico City and raised in Puebla. However, it took their families moving to New York for them to finally meet.
Jaime and Guadalupe were neighbors. They were attending junior high the first time he asked her out. Nothing came of the offering, but, like my uncle, Jaime knew the power of persistence. 3 years later, Jaime asked again, and the rest, as they say, is history. The couple moved to Indiana with their 3 daughters & 1 son after the events of 9/11 in 2001. Witnessing their interactions reminds me that chivalry still exists. When our employer provides a meal, Jaime delivers his bride a plate of food, or a ‘plato de comida.’ When Indiana experiences its ever-so-common inclement weather, he pulls up to the door to keep her as comfortable as possible. During COVID-19’s social distancing mandates, this couple was still able to enjoy their lunch together at the same table. I asked Guadalupe if working in tandem with her hubby ever causes frustrations. In other words, do they ever get tired of being around each other. The answer was no.
On June 6th, the couple celebrated 33 years of marriage. They exude a kind, positive vibe that I enjoy being around, and they help me practice Español! I am forever grateful to Jaime & Guadalupe for perfecting my favorite Friday salutation, “Disfruta tu fin de semana.” I am certain this union will enjoy many more weekends, and años, because of their connection in love.
Beautiful Story!!
Thanks for stopping in to read! Or, rather, gracias! 🙂