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Gerry Gutierrez' Update
"The Stranger"
From the
beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger
was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I
never questioned his place in my family. In my young
mind, he had a special niche. My parents were
complementary instructors:
He would keep
us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. He took my
family to the first football league game. He made me
laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger
never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom
would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen
for peace and quiet. (I wonder now
if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Our long time
visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. He made
cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.
His comments
were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that
my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after
time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked
to leave. He has blended
right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you
could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch
him draw his pictures.
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