My eyes opened as a stream of sunlight peaked through the shade, I slowly stretch, got up made a cup of coffee then quietly sat down at my computer checking email. We are in New Jersey visiting my wife’s mother, Maria. My wife, her brother, and sister would call her Mommie, I affectionately call her this as well. After getting up early, I usually check messages and write while waiting for everyone to wake up. One of my favorite things to do is step outside the sliding glass doors to the balcony.
I enjoy watching the hustle and bustle of the city coming to life. Moms apartment is on the 27th floor facing west giving a great view of North Bergen. It is modest with a small kitchen just as you enter the apartment on the right. Walking in further you enter a family/dining room. Down a long narrow hallway, there are two bedrooms on the left and a small bathroom on the right. The balcony is just off the family room through a sliding glass door. On the east side of the building, you have a great view of Manhattan New York as the building, is situated just across the street by the Hudson River. It was a crisp morning in late November as I take in the view while drinking my coffee. Not long after I hear Mom stirring around. She always sleeps on the couch in the family room when we visit. There is no sense in arguing over this as in the end, she gets her way.
I turned and say, “Good morning.”
She looks at me, “Good morning JB.”
I step back into the apartment for a second cup of coffee while she was preparing her café de leche and fresh bread from a local bakery. While watching her make breakfast, I think how she has always been a very energetic person still on the go. Mom is short maybe four-foot eleven…maybe. These days she seems less interested in doing too much. Of course, I understand as she is 87 years old. So, she deserves to slow down a bit.
I asked, “How are you feeling this morning mom?”
She replies, “Okay.”
Mom has recently gone through a bout with breast cancer. The last few years have been difficult. The doctor says she is clear, which is excellent news. However, she still has other health conditions which continue to need attention. Before becoming ill with cancer, mom was very healthy, energetic, and always posh as her nails would be manicured. Her light brown hair was always impeccably styled in a bouffant type dew. Working in the fashion industry as well as her upbringing ensured she was respectful in appearance. After treatments, she lost her hair. It has slowly filled in as it is light gray, but not fully. She does not like wigs and refuses to wear one. I have always admired her for how upbeat and positive she has been through this whole process. I dare say I would not be so cheerful. Mom explained once how fortunate she is to have lived and recovered from such a medical condition…its a blessing she cherishes. Her outlook is always so positive and reassuring for us all. She is a patriarch for the family as you will learn through her
As she eats, I ask if she feels up to talking with me today. She nods, “Okay.” I give a slight smile as there are times she does not feel well and will say…no. When yes is the answer, I make sure to be prepared with my notebook in hand so I can jot down notes as we chat. She has so many fascinating life experiences. I hope to capture as many as I can.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her watching me knowing she is still be debating on whether she wants to have a discussion or not, then asks, “What did you want to know?” I start by asking her to describe where she was born and what she could tell me about her family.
After taking another sip of coffee, she began telling her story…
Maria was born in 1931 in a small village about 17 kilometers north of Ourense in a village called Pitón. Her family has lived in Galicia the northwestern province of Spain for centuries. The family’s farm is located in Pitón. Looking back, she reminisces about how much things have changed since the time she lived in the Ourense region. Today fewer people still live in the village where Maria was born as the allure of city life has made the villages all but obsolete. Today the farm remains, but it is not a working farm, not like it was back when Maria lived there. The village life is merely gone away as large cities have become the focal point for the region’s communities.
Maria’s father Cesar, and mother Dorotea were both tailors. Maria is the oldest of four children with two brothers and one sister. Not long after her birth, the family moved to a flat in Ourense. A quaint city back in the ‘30s, nestled between the mountains and pine thickets of northeastern Spain. Historically known for being on the Portuguese Way path of the Road of St James. This area has a rich history and whimsical beauty of times past, known for the four rivers flowing through it. Great battles were fought over this region by the Romans, Moors, Norse, and even an Arab Warlord enhancing the romantic richness of this Spanish region. A little-known secret about Ourense is that it’s an oasis for geothermal water. The unspoken hot springs secret of Europe. The springs are free to use by everyone. The locals call these watering holes,
Maria’s father and mother set up a small tailor shop in the city. Maria spoke of this time as simple, but life was very harsh for the Ourense area, and work became scarce as economic conditions worsen worldwide. The U.S. was going through the great depression, and political unrest continued to escalate in Spain. More and more people came to the cities seeking employment. Living a hard life became commonplace in the region. During the ’30s and ’40s, most families struggled to survive as constant political and economic changes caused uncertainty for the area. Discontentment became contagious as conditions remained burdensome.
For many generations, Maria’s family were able to weather the challenges with their reputation as skilled and high-quality tailors in the region. Maria’s parents would, from time to time take interns to teach their craft to new generations of tailors. Desperate, parents would plead with Maria’s parents to accept their children as apprentices teaching them the skills to become tailors. Maria knew the other apprentices as they all attend school together. Ourense was a tight-knit community at the time, so needless to say everyone knew each other.
Maria went to school until age 14. After school, she would work with her mother as a seamstress. Soon, though she had to leave school to help her mother full-time taking care of her brothers and sister while still continuing her work as a seamstress. Maria was very talented for her age. Her skills as a seamstress were soon discovered in a most unorthodox way by a friend of her mothers.
A smile came across her face as she tells me the story, “My mother was approached by her friend, a wealthy dress store owner who wanted to hire me to work in her store. My mom asked why she was interested in me working for her? Her friend smiled, then said, ‘I have noticed Maria peering into the front windows of my store carefully observing the dresses on display. Soon I learned that Maria was making copies of the dresses she saw in the windows. So, I looked into it and have found Maria’s work is as good as what I have in my store. I decided to speak with you Dorotea to see if you would consider my offer to have Maria work in my store.’ She looked at Dorotea, chuckling, ‘I realized Maria is a gifted seamstress. I wished to hire her instead of having to compete with her.’ Maria’s mom smiled then agreed.” Mom smirked, “The store owner found out I was making copies of the dresses wearing them in town and school. I would also make them for my friends. So, mom agreed for me to work at her friend’s dress store.” This began quite a promising opportunity for Maria as she continued learning her craft and more importantly earn money for her family. This starts a collection of short stories about the life of a courageous young Galician women Maria in A Spanish Life.
(Expect excerpts every two weeks.)
Maria would soon see her family through some tough times as political instability in Spain was brewing as the sounds of civil war reverberated throughout the entire country as fascism was spreading through Europe…this is another story.
Source: Maria’s words on actual life events/interview (The stories are true; some names may have been changed for privacy)