Date With An Angel

August 9, 1999... Cameron Xavier Gallardo is born to my brother, Moe, and sister in law, Colette. Fast forward 11 years later to Cameron's 11th birthday. I hand him an orange envelope on his birthday, he opens it to find a ticket to the Rush concert at the Woodlands Pavillion on September 25th. He's ecstatic. Score! Coolest Tia Points go to...... Meeee!!! (for this year).

So, we get to the day of the concert. He's called me about three times, throughout the day to ask, "What time are we going???". I asked if he's excited and of course he says, "Yes", in that calm, deep tone he uses for any and every occasion. Cameron is a very monotone person. Getting any emotion out of him is like watching a glacier melt... you'll be there waiting and waiting and nothing. So, we're on our way. Moe is in a hurry to dump us off cause he's still got to go to my sister's house and drop off mom and baby and pick up my nephew, Seb, to take him and Caleb to the movies. He and Colette have a full day ahead of them.

We're at the Pavillion and as soon as we get off of the car, Cameron grabs my hand. We had to make a restroom stop before going on to the hill. So, Cameron goes and comes back to where I'm waiting. I ask him, "Should I go now or wait?" and he replies, "It WOULD be a good idea so we don't have to come back." So, I tell him to wait by the door and I go in. When I come out of the stall, he's standing INSIDE of the ladies' room. He said he wanted to wait inside for me. Haha. I think he was scared to wait outside by himself. We make our way up the hill to the top of the lawn. It's already dark and the show's already started. We make our way towards the front but there's literally no pocket anywhere in sight. The crowd is shoulder to shoulder. So, it's back up to the top for us. Everywhere we walk, Cameron always reaches for my hand. All of the awesome songs like, Freewill and Subdivisions are being played. I'm singing like a crazy woman and all he can do is stare at the stage and say, "Wow! This is way better than the Eagles" which I had taken him to for his birthday, 2 years prior. Cameron nudges me and says, "Look at the moon." and he points. "Doesn't that look awesome? Why does it look like there's a face staring at us? Look at how orange it is!". It did look pretty magical.

Right after Cammy turns to me and whispers, "I've never been in the middle of so many white people before", a young, guy next to my little Boo looks down at him and taps him on the shoulder and says, "Here you go, guy! Take a look through these!" and hands him a pair of binoculars. I thanked him and told him this was his first Rush concert. He looks over at his buddy and says, "This is his first Rush show." and his buddy says, "That's wussup!". So, now the wind starts to blow and he looks up at me and says, "Awesome! That breeze came just in time!". I asked if he was thirsty and he said he wouldn't mind a water. So, we're standing in line at the concession stand and a random drunk guy wobbles by us and puts his hand on Cameron's shoulder and yells, "You're totally at a Rush concert!" and keeps walking. Everyone around us looks right at Cammy and yells, "YEAAAAAAHHHH!!!". I don't know what all the attention he was getting was all about but he seemed to be enjoying it. So, the concession stand didn't take credit cards so, the vendor points me in the direction of the stand that DOES take cards. We go get in line and then notice, they only sell beer. So, as we go back to our spot, we hear the beginning of Tom Sawyer. "YEAAAAHHH!" and his hands up in the air is what comes out of Cameron. His eyes were huge as he stared at the stage and sang every word. That was the beginning of the entire "Moving Pictures" album. Later Cameron says, "Can we move? I keep smelling cigar smoke and it's starting to make me sick.". Little did he know that everywhere we were going to move to, that evening, there was going to be "cigar" smoke.

While they start playing their new stuff, I asked Cameron if he needed to go to the restroom or get a drink of water because he was already starting to look tired. He said yes so, we walk to the plaza behind the lawn area. I wait while he comes out of the restroom and we hear the beginning of the drum solo. I yell, "The drum solo! Your dad will kill us if he knows you missed it!". So, he runs and I tell him I'll catch up. When I get there, he's looking around for me. He's amazed at Neil Peart's rotating drum sets. He grabs my hand and looks up at me and smiles. I tell him, "You know you're witnessing one of the greatest drum solos by the best drummer EVER, right?" and he nods. When it's done, he claps. Again, he takes my hand and looks up and me and smiles but, this time he says, "I feel sorry for the Eagles. This is the greatest show ever". I feel a lump in my throat the size of an apple. Right before the show is about to end with "Working Man", Cameron looks up and says, "Look at that!" and I see a V of birds flying across the moon's light. He says, "I bet they're jamming, huh".

I don't know how many times throughout the night, my eyes welled up with tears and I felt my heart skip a beat. I don't know how many times it was, but I know that it was every single time he took my hand, looked up at me and smiled. People must have thought I was high because I know my eyes were red, all night. I've been to four Rush concerts in my life. I've been to several concerts at the Woodlands. I've been to concerts without drinking. I've taken Cameron to other concerts before. I don't know what it was about this evening. There was something almost magical about it. We didn't take one single picture due to my phone's camera freezing up but I didn't care. This is a night that I'll never forget. Somehow, I don't think Cameron will be forgetting it, either. I'm just thankful to God for this amazing night with my Angelface. If I was to die tomorrow, I'd have no regrets about my life and I would die with a smile on my face, knowing I lived to experience the greatest night of my 34 years.

Pasadena Cross Burning

Ok, so, I started my night off by going to a friend's house and having a beer or two. Decided to go karaoke with my cousins since they knew a spot close to home. They said they were going to Sam's Place on Spencer Hwy @ BW8. So, I tagged along since they always talk about this place. I have to admit, when I walked in, I felt a little sketchy and out of place being 1 out of 3 of the only Hispanic people in the place but I didn't want to feel like an asshole, later when they all ended up being nice and inviting me back, which is exactly what happened. Afterward, Joel and Monica decided they wanted to go eat at an all you can eat country breakfast place called "Skillet" at 6926 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505. I, of course, was down, no questions asked. We walked in and the place reminded me of a Denny's. Good food, packed, coffee scent in the air. So, once we walked in, we stood around for a few minutes... I looked around and noticed everyone was staring but I just figured it was my pink hair so, I didn't give it another thought. The waitresses didn't seem busy but still, none of them made an effort to see if we needed a chair, table or a job. Finally, a Mexican lady comes out of the back and asks us if we need to be seated and takes our drink order. She wasnt wearing a waitress uniform and had a wet apron and a hair net on so I know she wasn't a waitress but she was more than happy to help us so, I didn't see the difference. We get our food and as we eat, I notice another Hispanic woman walking toward the buffet and as she walks past our table she says, "Puro pinche guero aqui." So, of course, I say, "Haaaa!" and when she hears me, she comes back because she knows I understood her. So she tells us, in Spanish, she's there with friends and tells us how she only knows about menudo and pozole and how she grew up in Magnolia, too. So, after a few minutes, a "gringa" walks up, gives me the stink face and grabs her Mexican pet by the arm and walks out the door. I guess she felt threatened that we were gonna try to talk her friend into being free. After that, I hear the manager ask one of the snotty bitch waitresses if she had our check and she looks over to our table and makes a face and says, "I didn't seat them." So he walks over to us, smiles and says, "I'm sorry, your waitress didn't give me your ticket." and I reply, "Oh, well none of your waitresses cared to seat us so the Señora, in the back, seated us." So he apologized and gave us the tab and THEN I hear one of the females from the table next to us say, "Come on, tortilla, let's go. Do you like tortillas or what? Why do you keep looking?" I looked up and saw Joel's face turn Devil red. He started talking loud and saying, "What are you looking at, Hee Haw?" But when I looked over, there were about 30 overall wearing, pitch fork holding, cornbread eatin' Bubbas waiting to nail us to a stick and hang us in their corn field. So, I told Joel, "Just pay the check and let's go cause with our luck, they're Boss Hog's next door neighbors and we'll be in jail without a phone call, forever. So, Joel paid the check and I found the Señora and handed her the tip. I couldn't even see straight from how angry I was. All of this talk about equality and everyone living in harmony is bullshit. I think I'm happy on my side of the street and they can keep their white hooded, cross burning, Hee Haw side of the street to themselves. Why they don't go back to Europe is beyond me.... fucking foreigners!!!

Droopy Draws

It's day 3 of no beer for me and Yvette. I don't know if it's in my head but I was already beginning to feel the "withdrawals", if you will. Since Yvette's honey is working out of town, tonight, Yvette and I were just going to lay low at the house and try something we've never tried.... wine! It's 7 o'clock and I'm getting off of work. 7:05 I'm talking to Yvette on the phone deciding whether to go to Specs or just a random store to browse wines. 7:06 I hang up and walk out of the building. Holy Jesus!!! 2 seconds after I walk out, I feel the super cold air hit my face and it stings, bad! Is it because I'm fat or just a bad shopper but, my undies are starting to roll down! Well, I don't have time for that now. My hands are too cold. I get to the bus stop..... I wait..... 7:15 right on time.... a bus is coming and I am too excited. Here it comes! Noooooo!!!!!! It was the 6 Jensen. The wind is literally slapping the snot out of me and I'm not even moving but somehow my undies keep rolling like they're butter on a hot stove! 7:25 another bus is coming but first a yellow cab stops and the driver asks, "Did you need me?". I was like, "Excuse me?". He says, "Where are you going?". So, I reply, not trying to be rude, "Pasadena area.". He looks at me like that's far and says, "I suuuuure would like to take you." so, I just said, "My bus is behind you". Weirdo!!!! Why Lord? Why must I be cursed with this smokin' body that attracts all the crazies? I must have been imagining things cause there is no bus in site. 7:30 I cant feel my face anymore and my fingers feel like they're on fire. I'm damning everyone I see driving by in their cars and wishing that the stupid bus that probably zoomed by early and left me has a lunatic on it that will inevitably attack the bus driver with a jagged piece of glass and tear his face off just so it can feel exactly the way mine feels right now. This is ridiculous! I know I'm big but no underwear ever in the history of underwear has ever had enough material to creep down the side of your leg far enough to where your knees are yelling "get off!" all the while still held up in the middle by the pants! 7:41....... FINALLY!!!!! I get on the bus, my hands are red and I don't even feel my arms or face. 8:08 I get to Gulfgate to meet Yvette but she isn't there yet so I have to make the long walk through the store parking lot to the front door. Undies still on a mission to trip me once they get to my ankles! So, we pick 2 wines, get in the car and go and finally get to Yvette's. 9:45 wine is chilling in the fridge, I'm typing with Yvette and Ben over my shoulder.......... panties are still down! The end