Melinda Palacio
In the midst of a pandemic and fresh lockdowns, I managed to make a new friend. Earlier in the week, I was walking my dog around the block. Sometimes, we take short walks in the morning. It’s Christmas week and I sure wasn’t feeling in the mood for any big celebrations, especially since I cannot be with friends and family. The neighbors at the bottom of the hill were feeling generous and have been leaving a big bucket of tangerines and oranges for people to take. Their inviting sign always prompted me to pocket an orange or two. After tasting how sweet they are, I admit I take the dog for an extra lap just to pocket another tangerine. They either have a lot of fruit or I’m the only one who takes them. While pocketing the sunny beauties, a woman startles me and Pandora, my puppy lunges towards her. I apologize profusely but she is very kind and forgiving and loves dogs. Pandora only wants to say hello. We start talking and we are walking in the same direction. She lives up the hill from me in a tucked away cul de sac. She enjoys birding around the neighborhood and somewhere along our masked conversation, I mention that I play guitar and ukulele. She tells me she has two ukuleles and wants to learn how to play them. I offered to give her lessons. Yesterday, on Christmas Eve, I dropped by to give her some cookies. She brings out her ukuleles to show me and while I’m tuning them, she goes inside and pulls out a soft Martin guitar case and asks if I want the guitar because she wants to get rid unnecessary things. It’s a travel guitar, what’s known as parlor size and called a Little Martin. It’s adorable. I’ve always wanted a small parlor size guitar. I assume she wants to sell it and ask how much she wants for it. She says she just wants to get rid of it. We settle on an exchange for ukulele lessons.
I arrive home and more gifts have arrived by mail, including a beautiful pair of handmade earrings.
It’s Christmas and I have made the tiniest efforts of the season. A small effort we can make is a donation to al otro lado in support of Nancy Sanchez’s participation in a benefit concert, Artists to reunite families. Nancy Sanchez’s latest record, La Gran Civilizacíon recently won Latin Alternative Album of the year. If we are asked to quarantine and isolate from our loved ones in order to stop the spread of corona virus, imagine what a forced separation of children and families at the border must be like. I can only hope that the Christmas star and conjunction of planets this year will also bring the miracle of justice to families who have been separated at the border.
Covid or no covid, it’s December 25, Merry Christmas.
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