Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato3:49 p.m. 2002-04-17 Sweet Potato
(Names have been changed to protect the "innocent").

This entry was written years ago in a previous journal I keep at Diaryland.

Tia Emma thought she had found the perfect man for my mother. Not only did he come from a very respectable family, his father owned a lot of land, he had gone to school, and he was of the perfect age for her niece. My mother thought differently.

According to my mother, Pedro looked like a sweet potato--(batata doce). He was short, plump, and very pale. Because of his light complexion, he was prone to sun burn making him look even more like a big sweet potato, riding his motorcycle up and down my mother's street to impress her. My mother was not impressed by him, his money, or motorcycle. But, Aunt Emma thought that her niece should be married by age 18, and was very disappointed that she didn't feel the same. One day, my mother flagged down Pedro, and informed him that she was not interested in him and stop riding his motorcycle up and down her street. Not only was she not interested in him, she went on to tell him that he looked like a sweet potato. Pedro was naturally upset and told his mom. His mom was not amused. One day after church services, Pedro's mother walked up to Tia Emma very upset, and informed her what had gone down the day previous. How dare her niece call her precious son a sweet potato! Apparently, Pedro's mother, and Tia Emma had a whole plan of getting the two together. Mission failed. Tia Emma marched over to my grandmother's home along Sweet Potato Mama and informed her that she was told that her daughter had called her son a sweet potato. My grandmother laughed, and said she was sorry, but she had to admit that Pedro did look like a sweet potato. Tia Emma was mortified, but apparently, my grandmother was thrilled that there would finally be an end to the constant motorcycle going up and down the street carrying Sweet Potato, aka; Pedro.

I hate to wonder what would have happened if my mother took her aunt's advice and marry the Sweet Potato Pedro. My life would have been very different. I would have probably been born and raised on a little island, and have a bunch of little sweet potato looking children. Fate is strange. If my father wasn't enlisted in the U.S. Army, and not stationed on the island, he and my mother would have probably never met. If he didn't have to pull out his tonsils during his time in the service, and if he was made to go to Korea, and not get stationed on the island, who knows whether or not he would have returned to California. My father unfortunately lost many of his army buddies in the war.

If my grandmother had never remarried after my grandfather's death, then, the likelihood of my mother meeting my father would have been very slim. (My step grandfather and paternal grandmother are cousins). All things happen for reasons.. Ironically, my father's parents owned a sweet potato ranch in California.. Now ain't that ironic. If my paternal grandparents decided not to sell the ranch, and move to the coast, I may have been raised on a sweet potato ranch! They may have been no escape from the sweet potato! My mother would have been constantly reminded of the sweet potato guy..

Okay..this could go on and on at this point. Bottom line though, I'm glad my mother didn't marry the sweet potato guy. He still lives on the island, and when ever he sees my mom, he still tips his hat. I've seen him, and yes, he still looks like a sweet potato!