Whenever we go up to visit my inlaws, i wake up @ 530am to go drink coffee with my father in law and his group of old buddies. Actually they have inspired me to do a documentary on them. You see my Wife and her sister would classify them as rednecks. And to tell you the truth some of them would called themselves that also. i would call them good ol' boys, most of them are gun carrying, God fearing, glad to be American, set in their ways. In reality they are old: farmers, contractors, salesmen, city workers, plumbers, entrepreneurs, husbands-fathers-grandfathers, and most have a college education.
My documentary would start out by showing different groups of old men having coffee, you see these men are in every city, town, hood, and barrio. Enjoying cups of coffee in dinners, cafes, doughnut shops, and even in cattle stockyards. As they grow older their conversations grow from talking of yesterdays conquests, glory days of their sport careers, fast cars, and whooping asses and not taking names to present day talks of swapping cooking recipes, tending to their gardens, pets which include dogs,fish,cats,goats,cattle, and turtles, and of course the best way to fold towels. Do not miss understand these men in their older age are still manly men, and if it came down to it would still whoop some ass, they just may use the butt of a shotgun or a axe handle to do so. ( such things are called equalizers )
On our last visit up there, i did what i normally do, get up at God early throw on my shorts,sweatshirt, and sandals (temp is usaully in the high 30's to low 40's) and head to coffee with my father in law. He says that his buddies all like me even though i am a Mexican. And i believe that, they really treat me like one of the guys, like a good ol' boy. The interesting thing and what i really like about this group is i feel like i get to not only observe another culture but i get to be a part of it. i feel like an exchange student in a foreign country able to speak and understand the their language, and not only learn from them but also i get the chance to educate them in our exchanges. Anywho we arrive at the drinking hole and go inside. We walk up to a round empty table that has about 6 different coffee cups on it. Each one belongs to a guy in the group, one cup has a train on it, another an English crest, another a tractor. My father in law takes his place at the table, there is assigned seating. I take the seat to the right of him, and he laughs at my choice of seat that i steal from the group. The waitress brings me a cup and first pours my father in law his coffee, then mine. About 5 minutes later the next addition to the group arrives the SAILOR, whose chair i have decided to sit in. As he walks up to the table he sees me and smiles and says "good to see you. You know you are in my spot don't ya?" i reply "sure do"
SAILOR "just checking, i don't mind, but you are going to throw off the whole order of things. You can't just show up here and sit just anywhere, again I don't mind, but the other guys they all are creatures of habit, and well they might just get all up and up over this, it might turn into a battle. You remember the Alamo don't ya?"
Me "I remember the Alamo, but bad example you guys lost that one."
SAILOR "We lost that battle, but we sure won the war."
Me "That's true. But we are winning the invasion or should i say reoccupation!"
Sincerely
EL
