We spent a good part of last week in Dallas. Sunday came and it was time to get on the airplane and head home. Dallas is a Windy City and we were caught in a perfect storm of delayed incoming flights, flight personnel timing out, and apparently a quiet maintenance strike. Margie is two and Hank is five – you would not choose to arrive at the airport at 3pm for a 5pm departure and still be there at 10pm, when they finally cancelled the flight after a last minute gate change. Margie fell asleep in my lap at 8 and was still peaceful at 9:30 after a long walk to the new gate. Arriving there every seat was taken and the isles were packed with people sitting on the ground. I stood there for a few seconds when a very nice man stood up and offered me his seat. Sitting next to his wife I made a new friend and soon she had Hank sitting on part of her chair and she was having a nice conversation with him. I learned about her children and grandchildren and her husband. The conversation turned to politics and I bravely asked her how she felt about the border wall and immigration. After a polite smile she said my husband does not like me to talk about politics. With a bit more encouragement she said, “it is an embarrassment when my country separates children and then locks them up like little animals.” The wonderful lady was thoughtful, well educated, and well informed. She thanked me for listening and went one story further, her husband is a retired Aerospace Exec and had done well financially. They bought a new home in an upscale neighborhood and were the only owners from Mexico. One day as she was busily working in what I understood was an immaculate yard – one of the neighbors said hello and asked her “how much she charged to maintain the house and grounds?” “I told her with a smile that I owned the house but I would be glad to introduce her to my cleaning person.” As she told me the events of her encounter I felt sure the twinkle in her eye was part satisfaction and part dismay with the stereotype she knew she and her family still live under. The baby woke up and I got a hug from the kind lady.
As we got word that finally our flight was cancelled, I was standing talking with her husband. We had a lively exchange that included his career, his family and his retirement plans. We talked about politics, his wife’s exceptional cooking skills, his love of tennis and blue ski runs. We were invited to visit them in Taos, New Mexico. He told me about the local effort to allow snow boarders at the local ski resorts. They ordered lots of advertising that was to say “Free Taos”, the vendor delivered on the order with a condescending observation, you misspelled Taco. Undaunted they adopted the phrase and used “free tacos” as the campaign slogan, the voters changed the no boarding rule. Finally, we exchanged sincere feelings that seem too often lost – “it was great to meet you.” You will not be surprised to learn that they called us back and offered us their house for the night. I grew up with a family from Mexico down the street. They were trusted friends of my family and we played with the kids. Thanks to my parents for not burdening my life’s perspectives with prejudices.
I am going to Shakespeare again for this aphorism, “all that glitters is not gold.” The corollary is “all that is gold does not glitter.” Will we realize in time “don’t judge a book by its cover” or will we confirm Shakespeare’s feeling that “hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
Keep the faith, we will figure this out! Enjoy the week end. Mike