Today:

Me: “Good night, Crit., BettyLaiken, Muneca,…Happy Hour” (all the names she has been going by lately)…

Betty: “No, I’m not Happy Hour today. Just BettyLaiken. You are Stromboli.”

Me:” Actually, I’m not, and i wanted to talk to you about that. La Madre isn’t going to be around much for a while. Hardscrabble is stepping up. You can just call me that for now.”

Betty: “You Stromboli, well you are going to grow into that. You are not Hardscrabble. You are too old, you are too old for Hardscrabble, Mom-o. You’re Stromboli”‘

Me: “I guess we’ll have to get reacquainted then,  you as BettyLaiken and me as Hardscrabble. We’ll get there – no  hurry. See you at Happy Hour.” I walk away into the kitchen…

Betty: “Stromboli! Stromboli! I’m hungry!”

Me: Opening door with a banana. “Here’s a banana, muneca. But, dude, i told you I’m going by Harscrabble now.”

Betty: “Okay Hardware Store, but I’ll call you Stromboli. See you at Happy Hour…Call Shank!”

That’s my real life. She keeps me as real as my siblings do. As my closest friends do. 

She affirms me daily that she’ll meet me in Mexico. i think she just might. she’ll probably write a book about it. her real self trumps all my super-hero alter egos. 

 

I have come to a realization. LaMadre has run her course for now. She is truly badass and i’m incredibly fortunate to have had her for the past few years. She introduced me to this lifestyle. Sher’s the one to get me to, and let me enjoy my status quo.

Hardscrabble is ready to journey out to the frontier.