SPANISH SHPANISH

Blog number 106                                               July 27, 2007

I was always fascinated by the Spanish language, so when I heard a Mexican I worked with use what I thought was the word, "spera," I asked him, in Spanish, "Que es spera?"  (What is "spera"?)  He pointed to a fellow worker. 

So I asked again, "Que es spera?"  He thumbed toward the fellow worker and said, "Him."  I didn't understand at all, so I asked the Mexican, "What did I say?"  He said, "You asked me what I was waiting for."

I told this to my lovely wife of a little under three years of marriage, and I didn't get any response.  She didn't think it funny, I thought, because she didn't understand Spanish and I tried to explain it to her but got nowhere, so I just forget about it.

Later that year her sister came to visit and lo and behold, they batted away in Spanish constantly. I confronted her with why I was so ignorant of her knowledge of the Spanish language and she told me she didn't want me to know she spoke Spanish, since she went through a lot of discrimination while living in Texas and Denver because of it and she thought I would react the same way.

I asked her why she didn't laugh at the Spanish story I told her and she said she had laughed inside.

Once several years later I commented upon her Mexican heritage and she blew her stack.  We had a big fight.  She declares she is Tewa Indian and Spanish (from Spain} although sometimes she is Tewa Indian and Jewish, so I really don't know.

Not much later we ate in a Mexican restaurant that played marachi music and I commented that I didn't like Mexican music and once again, stack blowing and big fighting.

So.  She gets angry if I suggest she is associated with anything Mexican.  She also gets angry if I suggest there is something wrong with anything Mexican.  Mixed message?  I think so.

I guess those early bad times stick with one forever.  I was just making comments concerning something else both times, we were both in good moods before these incidents.  Strange, huh?

If she reads this, I might be in trouble again, but trouble is my middle name anyhow.  Donald Trouble Reynolds.

I just sent this to Teresa to see if she minded it going on my blog.  The only objection she had - and it was a strong one, was that I had to say we had been married only one year, not three years.

Funny lady.