Chapter 2

By the time Babette started kindergarten, her mother Rosa’s English was nearly fluent and she passed her high school equivalency test. Rosa got our house sparkling clean, planted flowers in the yard, replaced all the curtains, repainted a few rooms, and did several other projects to improve our home.

One night when Babette was in third grade, Rosa told me she ran out of ideas for home projects, and was getting very bored. Cooking meals and keeping up with the housework was only taking her two hours a day, and Rosa was never one to sit and watch tv or movies for long.

I suggested that she could join a club, or maybe take a few college courses. Rosa decided she wanted to become a nurse. “You rescue me, and help me so much. I want help people too.” She started a “busy people” nursing program, two days a week. It would take six years part-time, but she would become a Registered Nurse.

A few years later, I got a call while I was at work. It was the school. Babette was involved in a fight. Could I come pick her up?

I drove to the school and had a talk with the vice-principal. Some of the girls had been yelling at each other. Babette had torn a girl’s shirt, and hit another one giving her a black eye. By the time a teacher stopped them, she was holding the other two girls by the ears, yelling at them in Spanish.

I asked Babette if it was true. She swallowed nervously and nodded.

“Why did you hit the girl?”

“She said I should go back to Mexico and pick bananas with the rest of them. The other girl said no, I should stay and do what the Mexican girls here do, suck bananas for money!”

I explained, “What they said was bad, but that’s no reason to hit them!” I had heard the vice principal only knew a few words of Spanish.

I continued, “You were very bad, Babette!” I raised my hand up, like I wanted to slap her. I waved it back and forth a little, as I pretended to be angry. I got louder and louder as I went on. “Fingir que estas realmente asustado! Trabajo! Iremos a casa a tomar helado en el camino! Realmente no conoce a ningun Espanol?”

- Act like you are very scared! Troublemaker! We’ll get ice cream on the way home! Does this fool really not know any Spanish?

“Now mister Gomez, there’s no reason to get overly upset about the situation. She’s only suspended from school for two days. She can come back Monday.”

I replied, “Thanks. I’m actually Jack Lane. Babette’s mother, Rosa Gomez, works for me.”

I held her hand as we left, and Babs and I tried hard not to laugh ‘til we got in my truck. After a long laugh session and ice cream, I explained that bad words should never make you act out of anger, and you should never hurt somebody physically because they said something stupid. Would she be right to hit me, just because I was yelling at her? I think she understood.

“Uncle Jack, part of what that girl said didn’t make any sense. Why would somebody get paid to suck on a banana?”

I choked and cleared my throat. “Uh ... I think that’s something you should ask your mother.”

That night, Rosa asked me if I could help with something. I went into the living room and sat across from her and Babs, who were on the couch.

Rosa started, “When girls and boys get to a certain age, their bodies start to change.”

“Uh, Rosa, are you sure you want me to be part of this talk?”

“You’re a man, and you know about boys and men. Please? My papa used to say ‘Feliz cinco anos?’ It means ‘Happy in five years?’ Before you make a big choice, think ‘Will I be happy in five years?’

“You might have strong feelings for somebody and want to do certain things, but think before you do. Maybe a boy is handsome and sexy. But if he puts a baby in you and leaves, what will you do?”

I added, “A lot of adult decisions are like that, especially about sex. You need to think ahead.”

Rosa said, “When you like a boy and decide you want to get close to him, let me know! I will get you on birth control pills, and buy some condoms. I don’t want you having sex anywhere close to your age, but when you do, I want you to be safe.”

Rosa continued with the usual “sex talk” parents give kids. I thought fourteen was too early, but Rosa was her mom. We answered Babs’ questions as well as we could.

I heard some interesting information, and some sad things I didn’t want to know. Rosa was raped by a neighbor at only age fourteen! Over the next month, he had sex with her about ten more times. After the first time she kind of liked it, but it was still very wrong. He was thirty, and she was much too young. He was practically a baby rapist!

The next year, Rosa’s parents were killed by a gang. They kidnapped her and sold her to a brothel at only age fifteen! Mostly they made her do vaginal and anal sex for money. They had her do blowjobs a few times, but she wasn’t any good at it, so they only made her do it the first week.

She heard women liked cunnilingus, but nobody had ever performed oral on her. Never. I was only the second guy to make her come with my fingers.

Babs asked, “So you two have sex? Are you in love? Will you get married?”

Rosa and I looked at each other.

I did my best, but gave a very rambling answer, “Your mom works for me, and we’re friends. Sometimes adult friends do things to make each other feel good. It doesn’t have to be more than that. Sex is better when you’re in love, and you should only have sex with people you trust, but you don’t have to marry everybody you have sex with.