![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
¨She left you her fridge,¨ she gently told me in the middle of purchasing eggs. ¨You were like a son to her and that is special because that woman does not take to people that well. She keeps insisting that I give it to you so I have to follow through with my promise that I would.¨
I never would have thought that a 92 year old lady could have been one of my best friends. Short, hard at hearing, and a shrill voice, Doña Elida was like the icing on any cake or the life of a party; anything but dull.
We met by convenience after she moved into the vacant house across the street from mine. After the moment that I helped her get a small mouse out of a trapped pillow case we were an instant match.
How can I explain to you my relationship with this wacky and unique woman. In many respects she is the grandmother that I never had. I never tired of the same two stories that she would tell me and they always managed to be funny. The most famous one has to be about the month that she lived in Miami (I swear to you that Miami is THE Nicaraguan Mecca and for most Nicas Miami IS the United States or seems to be the only place that exists in the USA) but had to leave because it was TOO COLD. Yes, you heard me, TOO COLD IN MIAMI. ¨Solamente andaba en sueter (I was only wearing sweaters),¨ she used to screech away. ¨¡MUY HELADO!¨ Even how she flew there all by herself.
The second one details a list of all the foods that she used to be able to cook in her younger days including chancho frito, nacatamales, sopa de mondongo, chicharon......¡DE TODO! A sad face would follow her reveries of better times when her body permitted her to do those things.
Most of the time I would just sit on her porch with her and sit, chat, listen to her preach away, watch the news together, and enjoy the company. She would even sing to me some Bible songs. Civila gave her daily visits to eat her spare scraps and lay on the cool white and blue ceramic tiles in her house.
Most of our conversations consisted of me screaming because of her hard hearing and Civila must have nearly 100 different names as a result. ¨Wewela, Chepilla, Cepilla........and many more.¨ She never could get it, but it none the less did not put a damper on their relationship. She even let Civila into her house to sleep one stormy night that I was in Managua despite the protest of her cook at the time, according to the story.
My favorite memories have to be of the moments of us dancing together from afar. I always sweep my house with the front door open and the radio on. Sometimes I´ll dance a little while sweeping and from Doña Elida´s porch she has the perfect vantage point to peek inside. I stretched my hands up into the air waving hi and she started to dance along while sitting down in her rocker.....smiling away. Those moments were few in frequency but plentiful in the happy endorphins that flowed through my brain creating memories.
A week ago she was obliged to go to Managua to live with a daughter of hers there because the daughter who was watching over her on the island went to Miami to work....UNHEARD OF!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Either way I was a bit misty eyed saying good bye to her and she just stood there in her usual night gown smiling away at me telling me how much Civila loves her.
This past weekend my PC friend Lori came to spend a few days on the island and she laughed as I walked through the front door holding the small rusty fridge that Doña Elida´s granddaughter made sure I received. We sang ¨Movin On Up To The East Side¨ as I plugged in the fridge that was left for me to watch over. I inaugurated its use by putting in some organic chocolate bars (V-Day gift from the family) to keep cold.
I imagine her sitting on the porch as I leave for work now, and miss her seeing me off every morning giving me her advice of the day. ¨¡Si estan de necio...... que les pegue!¨ (!If they (the students) are being brats........HIT EM!
Seeing off a dear friend
I never would have thought that a 92 year old lady could have been one of my best friends. Short, hard at hearing, and a shrill voice, Doña Elida was like the icing on any cake or the life of a party; anything but dull.
We met by convenience after she moved into the vacant house across the street from mine. After the moment that I helped her get a small mouse out of a trapped pillow case we were an instant match.
How can I explain to you my relationship with this wacky and unique woman. In many respects she is the grandmother that I never had. I never tired of the same two stories that she would tell me and they always managed to be funny. The most famous one has to be about the month that she lived in Miami (I swear to you that Miami is THE Nicaraguan Mecca and for most Nicas Miami IS the United States or seems to be the only place that exists in the USA) but had to leave because it was TOO COLD. Yes, you heard me, TOO COLD IN MIAMI. ¨Solamente andaba en sueter (I was only wearing sweaters),¨ she used to screech away. ¨¡MUY HELADO!¨ Even how she flew there all by herself.
The second one details a list of all the foods that she used to be able to cook in her younger days including chancho frito, nacatamales, sopa de mondongo, chicharon......¡DE TODO! A sad face would follow her reveries of better times when her body permitted her to do those things.
Most of the time I would just sit on her porch with her and sit, chat, listen to her preach away, watch the news together, and enjoy the company. She would even sing to me some Bible songs. Civila gave her daily visits to eat her spare scraps and lay on the cool white and blue ceramic tiles in her house.
Most of our conversations consisted of me screaming because of her hard hearing and Civila must have nearly 100 different names as a result. ¨Wewela, Chepilla, Cepilla........and many more.¨ She never could get it, but it none the less did not put a damper on their relationship. She even let Civila into her house to sleep one stormy night that I was in Managua despite the protest of her cook at the time, according to the story.
My favorite memories have to be of the moments of us dancing together from afar. I always sweep my house with the front door open and the radio on. Sometimes I´ll dance a little while sweeping and from Doña Elida´s porch she has the perfect vantage point to peek inside. I stretched my hands up into the air waving hi and she started to dance along while sitting down in her rocker.....smiling away. Those moments were few in frequency but plentiful in the happy endorphins that flowed through my brain creating memories.
A week ago she was obliged to go to Managua to live with a daughter of hers there because the daughter who was watching over her on the island went to Miami to work....UNHEARD OF!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Either way I was a bit misty eyed saying good bye to her and she just stood there in her usual night gown smiling away at me telling me how much Civila loves her.
This past weekend my PC friend Lori came to spend a few days on the island and she laughed as I walked through the front door holding the small rusty fridge that Doña Elida´s granddaughter made sure I received. We sang ¨Movin On Up To The East Side¨ as I plugged in the fridge that was left for me to watch over. I inaugurated its use by putting in some organic chocolate bars (V-Day gift from the family) to keep cold.
I imagine her sitting on the porch as I leave for work now, and miss her seeing me off every morning giving me her advice of the day. ¨¡Si estan de necio...... que les pegue!¨ (!If they (the students) are being brats........HIT EM!
Seeing off a dear friend
You guys have all of the fun!
Arnie Lewis
www.spiritofsaintlewis.blogspot.com
I miss her too!