Colorful People

Occasionally you meet people that make an impression on you from the moment they walk in the door. It’s a very difficult skill to master, I’m sure. However some people know exactly what it takes.

Recently I met a number of my husband’s friends and their parents. One group of parents walked in and was so lively that I couldn’t help but notice. The wife, who was tall and thin, was wearing almost all black and a pair of big sunglasses indoors. She quickly lifted the lenses from her face and greeted everyone without completely knowing who everyone was. The husband, also thin and tall, wore a bright yellow shirt, was bald and had a fantastic Einstein moustache. As the father walked in he exclaimed loudly “WOW! What a ridiculous bunch of unfortunate people!” Normally this entrance would have turned me off. However the energy that he had in greeting everyone was so contagious and genuine that I couldn’t help but see that these offhanded comments were just his little ‘thing’.

As the event moved on I talked to the husband for a bit who was just as enthusiastic as when he walked in. He told me how he knew my husband (from years of his son running with my husband and from riding bikes together on the weekends) and what a ridiculous unfortunate fat head he had become. Later on his wife talked to me a little bit and said she couldn’t believe how %(&^#$%# fat my husband had become. I told her that he no longer runs like he used to. But she did tell me that she thought he was the most *%#&#%# wonderful kid she had ever met. She also told me how she had family in Brooklyn and was hoping to get to New York soon to visit them.

The next day my husband informed me that this couple had invited us to dinner with them the next night. I was looking forward to seeing if these people were the same in their home as they were in public.

My husband rang the doorbell to which the husband replied, yelling from the window, ‘who is there?’

My husband yelled his reply and the man said “WOW!” or some other interjection that I can’t remember now. He raced down and opened the door. He gave me an enormous hug thanking me for coming to his house to which I replied “Thank you for inviting us to your house.”

The minute we walked it I was greeted by the couple’s youngest daughter and her two children, who were already in their pajamas. I said hello to the couple’s son and his son, Santiago, who was very adorable and edible worthy. Then the lady of the house came out of the kitchen. She gave me an immense hug as well. She said how she was so happy we could come to her house and share dinner with them. Yet again, I thanked her for the invitation. She said that I didn’t have to thank her. Having my husband at their house for dinner was like having their own %*^#%#% son to dinner. He was like family to them.

We talked for a while – about how my husband and I met, about my father, about my family’s traditions, about what makes good wine and art, etc. We then moved to the dinner table where we continued our talks. The woman of the house told us how she moved to Mexico from the Dominican Republic in December 1972 wearing very light clothes and being so cold she nearly wanted to turn around. I told her that I had visited in January and I had thought I was getting away from the New York winter only to be greeted with the no head chill of a Mexico City morning. She laughed at my story and said ‘My husband could have told me to bring a ^(&#%%)&*^ sweater!’

She then talked about the differences in culture between Mexico and the Dominican Republic. She said that she was shocked by how cold the Mexicans were when she arrived. They were ^(&#%# stuck up and unfriendly. She also said how she didn’t understand how they drank their coffee. In the Dominican Republic, she would have a small espresso and would be wide awake for days but in Mexico people would drink Nescafe. Her eyes opened wide and she exclaimed “What the ^&(#^&(# *%*% was this Nescafe?” I almost cried because I had the same feeling when I first saw everyone drinking Nescafe. I told her how I thought it was the most insane thing to see people sipping coffee sprinkled water. The first time I came to Mexico, I fell in love with the lusciously smooth and flavorful light brewed coffee. She and I laughed and I could tell we bonded.

As the night came to a close it was time to say good bye and good night to the little ones who were running around upstairs. They came down into the kitchen with their footsy pajamas and gave us hugs and kisses goodnight. One of the children, the only girl, was lifted into her grandfather’s arms where she kept petting his moustache in awe. She finally gave him a big kiss and was off to bedtime in her own house. It was time for Santiago to leave as well. He was very energetic and was talking about his toy while his father zipped up his sweater. His grandfather asked him “Santiago, why are you so ridiculous?” to which Santiago gave a big smile. He then was lifted up and shaken in his grandfather’s arms for a big goodnight kiss.

After the grandchildren and their children left, we were left alone with the couple. While the lady of the house cleaned up, the husband gave us a tour of their house. He really enjoyed doing handiwork and showed us how he made their dining room table. He talked about some of their paintings, which were all from the Dominican Republic and were very bright and colorful. Then he and my husband talked about their bike rides together.
Sadly it was time to leave. They walked us to our car. They told us that they were planning to come to New York and that they would love to see us. We told them that they should definitely let us know when they would be in town so we could get together.

It’s nice to be around people who are exactly who they are. It makes you feel like you can be yourself. I appreciated that about this couple and their family. It’s refreshing to meet people who are straight with you and don’t have any hidden agendas. What’s most fantastic about it is the sense of warmth and friendship you can feel so quickly for people who just don’t care what the rest of the world thinks of them.