Mother Dear I Love You So Part 3

One summer in 1970 we ventured across the border to Tijuana, Mexico. That was an experience. My parents were so uneasy about that whole experience. The trip down on the freeways was better than any extreme roller coaster ride of the time. Your heart would be racing and you knew at any moment you might end up on the side of the freeway in one of those tangled crashes. From choosing the right exits, watching out for semi trucks, mom holding on to the front dash in her usual death grip, "watch out Bill and wrong way Bill", nerves on fire, it was one of those Type E attractions at Disneyland that everyone was so willing to get on but so anxious to get off.

We made it across the border and Tijuana was sketchy at that time. Mostly poverty from all angles with tin shacks and cardboard dwellings. The touristy section that we were aiming for was crowded with people and we proceeded to find a place to park the car. There was nothing for free so my parents chose a parking lot and we left the car to purchase a few souvenirs. My little brother and I each purchased a puppet and then we headed back to the car for safety and a beeline back to the States.

The car wouldn't start and they had to pay some money for repairs to get it going. It was not a pleasant experience and it left a sour memory in their minds of Mexico. Needless to say my parents never had a desire to return to the Baja.

Each day my mom would pick me up from school after some of the seventh grade girls kicked me off the bus in an attempt to be cool. I was wimpy and my mom rescued me from further harrassment by always givng me a ride home from that day on. One day she wasn't in the car. My brother was there instead. I knew something was up. He informed me that...