Roxana did it again. I swear, I live for this girl. She
pulled me out of my self pity.
I forgot that I told her earlier in the week that we could
play monopoly together Friday night. She peaks in my room last night,
“monopolio?”
I was translating the coming week’s curricula for the
program. “Of course, of course, but I still have some work to do before we can
play.”
So patient and so sweetly, “I come back in half an hour.”
When she came back I asked if we needed snacks in order to
play monopoly and she grinned. As we walked down to the corner store I asked
her if it was alright if I invited elvis to play with us or if it should just
be us girls.
“do you think he will understand how to play?” I asked
“He can move the pieces but he will lose.” She replied.
I shrugged.
“he can be banker!” she caringly recognizes.
As much as she acts irritated with the kid, she does love
him.
Returning with warmish coca cola in a glass bottle, chocolate, and toilet paper (the drunks
knocked the last roll in the toilet) we passed elvis.
“Where you out looking for your dog?” Roxana interrogates
“no”
“Well, then where have you been?” The concerned older sister
figure questions.
Searching for a response better than wandering around in the
rain he replies, “ah, um, looking for the dog.”
Roxana scoffs and gives me that look you get from members of
your clique when and outsider does something against your group’s manifesto.
“Why don’t you just go make an announcement on the loud speaker to the whole
town?”
Elvis looks at me as if asking permission.
“That’s a good idea, Elvis.” I nod
“Luz, will your go with me?”
Then I look to Roxana for permission.
“ya” I hear her mother’s voice trip through Roxana’s lips as
she takes the goodies and I accompany elvis to the municipality.
The next morning a neighbor brought elvis his lost puppy.
Roxana popped some corn cornels called “cachitas” (a starchy
and less tasty version of popcorn) and I started making macaroni and cheese and
esparagus for dinner and elvis set up the monopoly board. The lack of water
situation left us with three forks leaning over the mac-n-cheese pot together
while the monopoly game continued un-interrupted.
It was enheartening to watch elvis struggle and really try
to do the simple math involved in making change. Even more enheartening was to
watch Roxana watch me teach him and then duplicate it the next time around.
We laughed for hours, none of us wanting to go to bed,
determined to bankrupt the others. It was the most dynamic game of monopoly I can
remember ever playing.
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