Translate

LEAVING SOCORRO



ADIOS SOCORRO

          My way of coping was to escape any tense situation.  It was my pattern to turn a deaf ear, and as  much as possible, a blind eye, to anything that would cause me anxiety.  I hid in my youthful naivete, busied with friends and endless activities.  It was a matter of survival!  And so it was, that often I was caught off guard by what I should have been conscious of all along.
          Deryl and Mom were concerned about something.  All discussion was in hushed tones.  The first real “fact” to surface was that Deryl was no longer working for the Bureau of Reclamation.  I found this strange since Mom often commented what a good job it was.  Deryl would be working on a road construction project near Albuquerque.  This knowledge was followed by a bombshell delivered by Mom.
          “Gloria, we’re moving back to Albuquerque.  The house on Childers drive is vacant and the renters have left. The move will put us closer to Deryl’s work.
          I struggled with the choking in my throat.  I wanted desperately to reveal my anger, but frustrated at my inability to communicate, I ran to my room and slammed the door.
          Our roots that were being planted into Socorro were about to be pulled up.  I wondered if we would ever be permanently rooted.

(Jill Hollinger and I remained friends for years. She married Raymond Romero.  Years later, when she was pregnant, she went to the dentist to have her wisdom tooth removed. A blood clot hit her brain. I was sad when I heard she had passed away.  Jill had been a wonderful friend to me.)