Era el primer día de la escuela and Canutito was todo triste. For the first time since attending la escuela en Arroyo Seco all of these years, ahora he had to go en el bós pa'l Taos Junior High. He sat todo desconsolão in the kitchen watching Grama Cuca who was busy packing him un lonchecito de frijoles mixed con sandwich spread in a little glass jar y también una tortilla con mantequilla y jelly de capulín. She was almost all finished cuando Grampo Caralampio walked into la cocina. He watched her a few seconds y luego le preguntó:

"¿Qué estás haciendo, Cuca?"

"I am preparando un lonchecito for m'hijito over here. Hoy he starts going pa'l Taos Junior High and he has to ir en el bós."

"Pero Cuca," Grampo Caralampio said, "allá en el Junior High tienen un lunchroom donde les dan de comer to all the students. Nomás tengo que give him un peso and he can go pa'l library and get un tíquite de la secretaria del principal. Y luego he can just take his ticket y la Mrs. Romero se lo ponchea en el lunchroom. You remember her, ¿qué no, Cuca? She is aquella mujer who always se pedía servir el jello con bananas usando un ice cream scoop."

"Sí, I remember her muy bien," Grama Cuca replied. "¡Qué en paz descanse! Las cooks del lunchroom preparaban los trays en un assembly line. La primera les servía los frijoles, la segunda would ladle in the chile, la third one would ponerles los quelites y la fourth one would place una sopaipilla on top of them all. Finally la Mrs. Romero would ponerles jello o el fruit cocktail si no había jello."

She stopped packing el lonchecito and just reminisced quietly allí en la mesa as she drank her cafecito. Canutito just stared at his grampo and his grama who had forgotten all about his own misería.

"Te acuerdas, Cuca," Grampo Caralampio said, sitting down to eat his otemíl, que en los Fridays, servían fish sticks? A mí nunca me gustaban very much.

"Sí," Grama Cuca concurred. "Era porque in those days, todos los escueleros were católicos y nadien comía carne on Fridays. En esos días the students hasta podían say a little prayer before taking a test."

"What I remember the most, Cuca," Grampo Caralampio said, aplanándole más azúcar al oatmeal, era que whenever the teachers came in to eat, they would go to the head of the line y las cooks would ponerles más comida on the tray y se gritaban unas a las otras 'teasher, this one is for the teasher', passing it along hasta que la Mrs. Romero would put dos scoops de jello on it and give it to them. Y do you remember también cómo everybody would eat en el lunchroom pa' Thanksgiving?"

"Sí," said Grama Cuca, meneando her coffee around in the copa. "Entonces no one would skip out to go pa'l Little Store. Todos would stand en el linea on the sidewalk esperando for the trays to get filled. Primero venían las mashed potatoes y luego les ponían greve and stuffing. La tercera cocinera would add el salad con Frensh dressing y la fourth would ponerle un bísquete bien calentito and real butter de esa del gobierno.

Alfin they would give the tray a la Mrs. Romero y ella would add un pedazo de homemade pumpkin pie con whipped cream arriba. Y si estaba muy crowded, the kids would sneak away y comer en el lunchroom de la escuela de la hermanas."

Grampo Caralampio paused to look at Canutito. "Bueno," he said. "Allí 'state porque I have to drive you hasta la Y a pescar el bós."

Canutito got his notebook and brushed away a little lágrima from the corner his eye. Grama Cuca traced a little cruz on his forehead and kissed his cheek diciendo: "Bueno, pórtate bien and may God y María Santísima help you to learn muncho, muncho so that you can become un gran hombre," she said as she blessed him.

Grampo Caralampio and Canutito jumped en el pick-up truck and waved goodbye. En la cocina Grama Cuca burst into tears when she was alone porque Canutito would he growing up faster than she wanted him to ...

¿Le gustaría compartir sus propias anécdotas o comentar con Torres sobre esta columna? Envíele un correo electrónico a lartor@unm.edu