I Remember

New Year's Shenanigans

The week after Christmas we prepared for the New Year. It was lively especially New Year's Eve day. The smell of food, Ham, Hen, tamales, chicken or pork fried rice, potato salad, "arroz con guandu", the works,
the end of the year music, the long lines of people at the fireworks store, the old year dolls it was the absolute best.
We lived in blocks so every block would make a life size stuffed doll. It was usually based on some political character who had been famous all year long for some wrong thing he or she had done. We would make fun of any and every political person especially the president.
Well we had stuffed dolls competitions, the news folk will come by and judge our dolls, they'll judge on creativity, similarity, size etc. The block would go out of their way to win. Sometimes we would made the whole family, sit them in an old couch or bench, we would even have them laying down on old beds. They'll have wigs, accessories, makeup and so on, even shoes. We would stuffed them with tons and tons of newspapers, cloth and Fireworks, tons of it, they'll end up looking fat. This took place Nation wide.
Around 10pm we would all go inside take baths and dress up in all white clothes and get ready to go from house to house wishing everyone a Happy New year before hitting a dance or the club. Off course as young kids we couldn't go to a club, but grandma would let us hang sometimes on this date only. Mostly because her siblings would come by and bring their families and Leo family from Darien would be there some years so in this occasion we were told to.disappear, it was grown folk time. So we would take off and get lost.
When I became a teenager around 15 years old I began dating Alonso. He was my life-long crush. He was short, white and had a car. He was also 25. Everyone loved him. He was charming and hipped. His parents had a little money so he was always up to date. I was the dark complected sister with the nappy hair so he would always look at my sister first. I think they had a small fling a week or so way before we did. I was so jealous, I was secretly in love with him. He was all I could think of.
One good day he paid me attention. I started hanging more and more around His house and we became a couple. I was the talk of the town. He was 25!!!! But he looked 17. Sometimes he acted that way too, he was spoiled but humble and super nice plus he was funny and super smart. I was happy to be his girlfriend. "Officially". I had a boyfriend before Alonso, his name was Eric VillaVerde. It was puppy love. He was decent and respectful, a gentleman. My aunt Juana found out and they used to hunt me down at his house because he was older than me and I was going to get pregnant. I was a virgin, they didn't trust me or his maturity. He was my best friends Mary and Beby's brother. I hung with them a lot, that's how Eric and I got close. We broke up because of my family that's when Alonso and I got close. I had to stay closer to home, they watched me like a hawk, so I hung with my other friend named Matilde who lived next door to Alonso who lived next door to another set of friends who I hung with also. They lived in blocks to. We stayed diagonally across from each other.
Alonso took me to his parents house, even though I knew them, this was a different introduction.
They were great friends with this man named Lalee.
Lalee was loud, a drinker but a great family man everyone respected him. He liked me, he would speak English to me, he used to tell me I had potential, he talked to me often. Anyways, he softened the introduction, he insisted that I meet Alonso's parents because it didn't looked good to sit in his car in the corner all evening and night, so Alonso invited me to his house. At first I used to sit outside the gate and talk to him or court there, then he got sick with a bad cold and his mom asked me to come in. She is a great cook. His dad was a funny man. They were great people. Lalee told my grandma it was cool to let me date him etc, my grandma was mad she was stuck on the fact that I was hot and was scared I would turn up pregnant and I was supposed to be under her care. It was a big issue but I dated him anyways, for three long years. He was my first love and guy. His mom was like a mother to me. She was and is righteous, she never had a daughter so I was it she cared for me, and taught me many things. I would be over there even when he wasn't there. It was my second home. I ate daily, breakfast, lunch and dinner.She gave me lunch money and would always ask me for my school supply list and buy my books, pay my monthly fee, she would buy the material for my uniforms and my aunt Toña who was a seamstress would sew them for me. I became the daughter she never had. She mothered three boys. We loved one another. My grandmother couldn't believe how much time I spent over there. It was always, "the shame- the shame" She would rant about people talking about her parenting skills and me begging for stuff when I wasn't. She saw the need and gave me stuff, she knew grandma couldn't afford it. Pride is a bad emotion. It blinds you.
I have always lived in my truth. Been ashamed had me starving. God said ask and it shall be given. God sent me many angels, she was one of the few.
Before the club start right at 12 am on the dot, the blocks would burn the stuffed dolls, you could tell what time it was because you could hear the fireworks. It was spectacular, the different colors the smell of burnt bombs, all of the noises and even gun shots were indicative of the New Year's. I used to cry, because it meant one more year was gone and no momma.
After the fireworks display we would go back inside and eat the first New Year's meal with the family, I started to get invited to Alonso's home to eat with them since I was the girlfriend. Sometimes grandma couldn't cook there wasn't enough money for extra stuff so we didn't celebrate many of them years.
Everyone got dolled up and got ready for a long night. You would see people walking from the clubs at 7am with the sunlight. Transportation would shut down early on these days because crime was high these days too.
We  the underage folk had to find some local dance or simply gang at someone's house eat and sneak a drink until day light just to say we were out.
I couldn't hang with Alonso to the club, I wasn't old enough, the whole block and every 18 plus person would be clubbing, he would hug and kiss me and go too. That sucked. He will make it up to me on New year's day though, we would spend all day together. We would ride everywhere and visited his family, because that's what you do on New Year's day. My grandmother would be furious, rant and rave but at this point, I didn't care. They soon accepted us dating and got over it. Grandma hated to see me leave with him in his car but I was living my LIFE. He was my first, grandma knew it, every one knew it, I didn't care. My family were a bunch of haters and they were jealous of my happy. Whether I was sexual or not, I decided it wasn't their business. We went everywhere together I was his girlfriend.
He would pick me up from school and take me on rainy days. I had to walk about three miles from the bus stop to the school entrance. I hated it. I was in middle school. "Elena Chavez de Pinate" was my middle school's name. I made many good friends there. Alonso and I were inseparable. I spend 3 New Year's days with him and his family.