As Promised: An Adam Story

Again, some background info: Mary and Ellis Martinez were probably our dearest friends in Port Arthur. Mary and I met at a La Leche League meeting, Adam was just months old, as was her Christina. Their birthdays are only 4 days apart. It was an instant bonding. We truly were inseparable after that – everyone knew that if you couldn’t find Mary at home, call Kathleen, and vice-versa. Our Andrew was born in Feb of ‘82, their Erik in Nov of the same year. More bonding… Not only did we have our kids in common, we both loved kids period, plus, we both loved to sew and craft, loved to cook, loved our families, and were “stay-at-home mothers”. (that moniker is a joke, because Mary and I were so busy with our kids and families we were never home – hahaha!) And – hey, Mary – we Newtons all remember that huge Lincoln you use to drive all over town. And then the potty in the van. Carne guisado at “Grandma Liscano’s. Dickens. Renaissance Festival. What memories… Oh well, back to the story…

I really am not sure what year it was, but it was September. Time for the Mexican Heritage Fiesta in Port Arthur. Mary’s children had always danced in the fiesta as soon as they were old enough. She and I have made many a gorgeous costumes for the occasions. Christina’s “ribbon dress” was my all time favorite – the hardest, yet the prettiest! Mary and I would spend time together sewing and making while the kids played. Adam and Christina were quite alike in their ways, as were Andrew and Erik. Made for two “two-somes” of friends. We were all entertained. Even when the Newtons added extras, they all seemed to fit right in together.

The festival was held each year at the Port Arthur Civic Center. We would go for practices and for fittings, and then, of course, for the fun. This story centers on one HECTIC day. Everything was going way too fast, there were many things left to still do, and precious little time to get it all done. Mary and I and the kids were at the Civic Center, and so were lots of our friends working and trying to get everything readied for the activities. We had worked quite a bit, we were all tired, but with much to do later. It was time to go. Time to round up the kids – the easy part, and get all of our stuff together to go home – the hard part.

We were trying to get everything together in one place – the lobby. We got the 4 older kids and asked them to stand together, outside, right outside the lobby doors while we grouped more stuff together and carried it to our cars. Suddenly it began to POUR!!! I mean really coming down. “Pitchforks and shovels” or “cats and dogs” whichever best describes the downpour. Mary and I rushed to get to the cars, and rushed back to the kids.

Now guess what we found?!? Out in the middle of the rain stood Adam and Christina. Andrew and Erik were nowhere to be seen. We grabbed the very WET kiddoes, and went inside to see 2 DRY little boys standing right by the door, waiting for us.

.
Why were Adam and Christina standing in the pouring down rain one asks?!? Well, that is where they were told to stand. They were doing what they had been told to do. Compliant, sweet, mindful children. The 2 dry kids – well, one could easily say they had the “common sense to come in out of the rain”, which they did. They also knew well enough to not go “off” somewhere in the Civic Center. While neither Adam nor Christina had a self-righteous bone in their bodies, they knew that those two little boys should get in trouble for not minding. It was worth getting wet if it meant doing what you were told. In fact, they told Andrew and Erik to do what “mama said”, but they wouldn’t listen. Of course, that wasn’t a news flash, either.

What’s a mother to do! This was not a win-win or lose-lose situation. AND, these situations and the appropriate responses are not ever described in “The Big Book of Mothering”. Don’t have a copy? Oh well. We did the only thing we knew to do, what we hopefully did the best: Just mothered them. We dried the wet ones off, got clean clothes for everyone, gave everyone a good snack to “hold ‘em” until dinner, told everyone we were proud of them – and then we loved them all – just the way they were, and ARE!!!