Malia Colon
Patricia McDonald
ENC 1101/Narrative Essay
30 June 2009
Mama Lucy
Mama Lucy, my
grandmother, was the greatest woman alive. She could do just about anything.
She was the person that I wanted to be like when I was a little girl. She could
cook, clean, had a big heart, tell funny stories, and was an amazing dancer.
All the ladies in our family including those who were older than her looked up
to her. She was the third youngest child out of twelve children. She had three
children, six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. I am the third
grandchild from her eldest son, but the closest to her because I was partially
raised by her.
Mama Lucy always
had funny stories about when she was a younger, which we all knew was more
exaggerated than what really happened. She always used to brag about how strong
she was by showing everyone her biceps. One story was about how she was a cop
in her early years and how she used to take down the bad guys by herself. As
children, we used to believe all her stories but as we got older, we learned
that she was not a cop at all, but a meter maid in New Jersey. No one had the
heart to tell her we knew so she continued to tell the story over to our
cousins. She always had everyone laughing.
My grandma was
known for her great cooking. She made the best Puerto Rican food anyone has
ever tasted. Her food was always full of flavor, and she always made it quick.
When I used to get out of school, she would make sure she had food ready on the
stove before she went to work. She used to cook a big pot of food everyday
because family members would stop by the house to eat. She never knew who was
coming but she knew that someone would be coming. When she came home late at
night, the food would be gone or almost gone.
My grandma was a
fanatic for a clean house. She hated any kind of mess or dirt in the house. She
used to routinely get up around noon and start cleaning the house about 5 days
a week. No dust could be found anywhere in the house because she was constantly
cleaning everything. If someone was pouring a drink and spilled the tiniest bit
on the counter, she would be there to make sure that they wiped it up right
away. As a child, I hated it but I definitely appreciated it.
Even though Mama
Lucy was not the oldest of her siblings, she took care of each one of them as
if she was. If one of her brothers was sick, she would be right over his house
to make him soup and give him medicine. If anyone in the family needed money,
even if she really didn’t have it, she would find a way to make sure she could
get it. When I was 18 years old, I had sciatica on my right side and was not
able to walk for about a month. She took off work to take me to the doctor
every day, gave me baths, and carried me to the restroom. She was always there
when anyone needed her.
My grandmother was
a hard worker but she played even harder. Every Friday night, she would get off
work around 5pm. She would go to her hairdresser, who was also a family friend,
come home to get dressed up, then go to bingo at 7pm. After bingo, she would go
to the Cuban-American Club where she danced all night until about 2am. She
loved to dance to Spanish music. She was the person who taught me how to dance
merengue, salsa, and bachata. One night at home, I was in my room across the
house and could hear loud reggaeton music coming from her room. I wanted to see
why she was playing that kind of music because she didn’t normally play it.
When I got to her room, she had her back to me and was shaking her behind like
crazy. I kept quiet because I was enjoying watching her. She turned around to
see me standing there watching her and stopped dancing immediately but jumped
because I had frightened her. It was such a funny moment that I still laugh
about it today.
In 2006, Mama Lucy
went for cosmetic surgery on her eyelids, but unfortunately during the
procedure, her heart stopped. She was able to be revived but stayed in a coma
for three months and woke up in a vegetative state. As her family, we had hope
and kept her in that state for about a year. She passed away in September of
2007. It was the hardest thing I ever
had to deal with in my life. Everyone who knew her could tell you what a
blessing it was to have known her. I do not dwell on her death but appreciate
the life that she led. She was such a strong woman and continues to influence
my life every day. I think about her all the time and miss her very much, but
she still manages to put a smile on my face every day.
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