March 21 2010

I was scheduled to leave before my father’s birthday on March 23, 2010, so my mom decided to hold the De La Cruz bowling tournament – a tournament played five times a year for every De La Cruz patriarch – on the Sunday before my Monday departure. My dad, above, has won the tournament a few times. He’s turning 65 and still going strong.

My first memory in life involves my father. I remember holding a bottle; the only light in our Brand Blvd home came from the television. My dad was wearing his brown De La Cruz pest control uniform and the smell of coffee was heavy on his breath. He looks a bit younger in my memory, but if I really close my eyes, the only difference from then and now are the gray streaks in his hair. I don’t remember anything but climbing onto his lap and him setting me down on his knee, taking the bottle and replacing it with a plastic cup with a prickly rim. That’s where the memory ends. I must have slept instantly.

The family arrived promptly at 9am, ready to compete. People came to shout, smack-talk and fall all over the place. The ol’ timers weren’t displaying their best, so my Tio Cesar came away as the champ. He’s won the tournament more than anyone. With a chuckle, my Dad told my Tio Pancho, the 70-year-old uncle, “I don’t know how much longer I can bowl. Maybe until I’m 70? Wait…you’re 70!” I slapped my Dad on the shoulder and told him we’d definitely be doing this when he turned 70. This was my first time bowling in over a year and I’m really glad I got to see everyone have a good time.

As for my pops, I hope we do this for another 65 years.