Nothing
to Do!
Roberto dully said to himself while driving to a colorful
Mexican restaurant for his hot menudo “Nothing interesting happens in Pacoima” Before
he interred it, he looked indifferently to the pale sky like camera panning.
Then, he looked around grumpily and noticed that people in cars go rapidly to
different places like if they were desperately escaping from themselves too. The
door’s bell did not withdraw his mood. Little attention he put to people, decoration,
and the loud music in it. With his monotonous voice, he made his order to a
mustached man who was too busy preparing food to start a friendly conversation
with him: “A big spicy menudo” Then, he sat at on an elegant table chewing the
Sunday that has nothing to offer too. People
who came to order breakfast appear to be just sounds to him. Some of them ordered
and left as soon they got their tasted burritos with scrambled eggs to go.
Roberto ate the menudo slowly as if he imitated the pace of his thought while he
swallowed the tortilla and meat from his menudo. He ate, but sat on his state of mind, yet he paned
a bull fighting mural on the wall, festive menu signs, and hanging plants, but
the unsettled feeling refused to leave him. “There is nothing to do here? I am
going to drive around” He sourly said that after he left not menudo traces. He
did not pick up the used utensils, and plate. He only took an empty glass bottle
because he strongly felt that since he paid for it, he could take it and made his
recycle pile bigger, so one day, he would make extra greens. His internal dialogue elongated while he
dragged his body to his truck: “It seems that the only economic resource left here
is recycling. It is not a lot, but it helps little to keep our lives moving.
One extra penny or two is better than nothing.
White people really invest in their communities. I think; Latinos should own more business, so
we can invest more in our community, but where are the entrepreneurs willing to
make the changes? If theatres, museums were here…” He arrived to his ugly truck
dreary and started it. Then, he turned left
on Foothill blv. And looked to the
distance, but the dialogue did not mute. “There are business and restaurants, but
where are the places to have fun? I am getting tired of going places and same
stores everyday just because I need to go out” He repeated it until he had to slow
down because a huge accident ahead just happened. The Department of Water was changing the main
pipes on the street and put detour signals for drives to slow down. However, even
with all the orange signals; the accident occurred. Six or seven cars clashed; it seems like a
war zone. A black truck went through a strong metal fence and ended up tangled and
twisted at a fast food restaurant’s wall. “Scrap metal.” –he concluded thinking nobody was hurt. Shocked and surprised people
on the site of the accident contemplate the terrible scene. Some of them stood
close to the totally destroyed truck like if they were helping the police to reconstruct
the accident. It happened with no explanation since the whole block has traffic
signals to slow down and two links merged into one. An accident involving so many cars seems to
be less likely to happen with all the construction signs. The people, police, and
he could not come out from their soap opera face while reconstructing the scene.
The traffic went extremely slow where Roberto is going too, so he has time to put
together the clues; scared drives outside of their cars tried to figure it out
how they got into this mess too. “They are crazy. An accident in the road where
drivers go ten to fifteen miles per hour? Que bueno que no injured people.” He
had time to decide where to go after too.
Therefore, he came out with another idea, go to other restaurant where
he could drink a coffee and read a short story.
He turned left at Vun Nuys blv. Leaving the horrifying incident behind. He
encountered more cars than usual on the street. The only explanation could be
that people go to do their shopping. Just to get four blocks took Robert more
time than usual. When he got to the
parking lot, there was no way to enter because a line of cars tried to get in
too, so he went around, but it was the same thing, cars coming and leaving the
place. After patiently dealing with the traffic, Roberto arrived to the coffee
house which was packed of people having breakfast, but not empty place reading
project. Some families were at the tables and few tables have one or two
individuals. Robert tried to focus on
his objective to read a short story, so it helped him to bare the fact that he
had to wait longer in line for his hot coffee. Even though that in the place
people came and go, and move from the tables, he kept thinking what to do after
he finishes the story. Some thoughts of been in a cultural center in Pacoima landed
in to his mind; a writing circle where he can discuss poetry; or a community
place where he can get together and talk about life and how art transforms
communities. The bells, the express pot
and the soda dispenser noises did not pull him from their thoughts. Only a soft
feminine voice did: “Good morning; how I can help you today?” “I want a small
coffee with three and three. I don’t understand why the lady is making strange
faces as she did not understand me,” “Un café mediano, con azucar y crema.” -
He nodded – Para aqui o llevar? “For here.”
He paid and went to a table thinking about the lady and the reasons why
spoke in Spanish to him since he made the order in English. “If I don’t practice my English I will forget
it; she speaks English; she should speak in the languages she is spoken
to. Yes, there are many people who don’t
speak English, so the cashier has to speak in their language; however, I think the
cashier has to comply with the customer choice to speak English or Spanish. It
has nothing to do with cultural clash or preservation of the native language.
Not even being a sell out; I speak Spanish with no problem, but in a business
it should be a customer choice. I am not going to trash my school year learning
the language.” He even remembered some advices: “You future will be better if
you speak English. Be proud who you are and Speak English; just don’t forget
where you come from and your people.” The whole ideas were stirring up in his head
like steering up coffee and see the waves expanding. After a while he saw
himself in Pacoima no finding a recreational place to go. It drilled his mind and
he felt like having a remainder tattoo. Suddenly a scream from a scared child disturbed
the ambient as if somebody were beating another person, as if a child is taken
against his or her will and as somebody trying to escape from death. All activity in the restaurant stopped for a
moment. People turned their heads to the area where the scream came out. Some
people thought that someone was stabbing a person. The good thing is that
nobody was killed or kidnapped. A teenager did a distasteful jock to his friends. He wanted to scare the group of friends but
ended up scaring all. Roberto said:
“Pinche, I almost saw blood.” After people digested the real situation, they
continued what they were doing and the dense ambient left with the minutes.
Robert stopped thinking in barbaric teen and red a whole story. After closing
the last page, he observed the place again. People never stopped coming and
going. “I can win to these noises; I
going out of here. I don’t want the manager to come and kick me out since I
spent a lot time here drinking just one small coffee, but what I going to do?
If were a theatre around here, I would had gone to watch a play. Well, I been seating
down for long time, so I am going to go to Vun Nuys and San Fernando. There, I
will park and take a walk down the street and see what happens. Maybe an idea
to write a story or poem would arrive. I
have almost an empty gas tank; here it goes again more traffic.” When Roberto
got to San Fernando Blv., he noticed the street was closed to traffic, so he
remembered that Ciclavia was scheduled for today. Therefore, he only thought to
drive a little faster, so he can be in the action quickly. When he got on the street, he felt a deferent
energy from what he witnessed before getting here. Families, kids, men, women were happily bicycling
up and down the street. Therefore, he motivated decided to walk for several
blocks to join the fun. He run a cross
with the Monalisa a la Mexicana, well that’s how he calls it, but it is "Pacoima's
Art Revolution" by Levi Ponce; it is a beautiful mural on a building wall
in Pacoima. He could not continue because the mural got all his attention. The
very vivid colors made contrast with the image of the revolutionary Monalisa.
It seems that the women passion and power are nursed by the nature that surrounds
the figure. It was interesting for Roberto to hear all the happy expression
from the cyclists on the street in contrast with the big meditative state
imanating from the mural; jet the well done mural projects women’s power
capable of a revolution. “It is a great experience since when I am
driving I don’t get the same impression that when I see it. It is as if the
figure is talking to me now. It is mine too. It moves me and my imagination. It
is interesting to have a day where the families can have fun on the street.” Breathing
deeply, Robert continues the journey down the street where the sound of drums
invaded his ears. He sped up feeling that he is doing two things at the same
time: exercise and discovering. He did not want to follow the bicyclist, so he went
directly to an area were artist are painting other mural, so he got spell
bounded in looking artist in action making murals. Jose Ponce the artist of the
mural was detailing the wheels of a bicycle in the mural and at the same time,
he was joking around with other people looking his mural. The mural has three
dominant figures. Three men ridding their bicycle, and one of them carries a
basket of hot bread on his head while a brown playful dog follows him. Ponce tells Robert: “I paint murals all over Pacoima
because I want it to look beautiful. I do it as volunteer basis. You can go all
the area and find several mural I painted” He has a long history of doing
murals for many years. Robert enthusiastically
takes a video with his phone interviewing Ponce, so he will upload on his mimo
molina YouTube channel. When he finished it, he gave thanks to Jose and his helper
Rey and started walking across the street where a young lady was designing
another mural on wood board as told as a metal fence where it hanged. Since he did
not want to stop the spirit of been a reporter, he asked the artist if it is fine
to record an interview explaining her objectives as an artist and community
member. She happily accepted the interview and explained her art “This
is pregnant woman; she is carrying the earth; she represents mother earth, and
her hair falling on her body will be willow branches. I want to send a powerful
message that we need to take care our mother earth and that the women have the
power to do much more to take care our mother earth.” The figure of a pregnant woman
has her hands on the stomach as if she is tenderly nursing the world
represented as the globe on her stomach. Robert ended up the interview and gave
her thanks for the art she is doing and her work as an artist. Even though the sketch
only has lines, Robert spent some minutes imagining the colors, the lighting design
and the structural harmony that the piece will have. He could imagine a flying
dove in a blue sky. After that, he continued down the street thinking in the
colors that the mural might have once is finished. After that, he went to see
what kind of threes he can plant at his house; plants that are local and
utilize less water, he got new water head for his shower in order to save more,
and he stopped to hear a drum circle playing on the street. After several
minutes, he went on and walked two rounds from San Fernando st. to Pacoima City
Hall; after that he felt tired and decided to leave, but when he crossed the
street near to San Fernando, he recognized a man walking on the side walk. He
only could remember that his name was Jesus, but he remembered well that Jesus
sings opera and plays guitar. He called him to say hi; both recognized each
other and started talking about music and Mexican songs that are not remember anymore.
“I am a soldier defending Mexican folklore in this city. I sing only songs that
are not well known. I want to rescue them from oblivion. Singing these songs is not easy; the singer
has to know all the vocal strains to give the proper projection level and
pronunciation of each letter. I am expert in diction. I know all the vocal
cords and the proper use of the body to produce the sound. Do you know Mantras?
There are few people in the planet that really can sing them. People think that
they are just songs, but no, their energy connects men with the divide; so the
singer has to know very well with which vocal cord is singing in each letter.”
Jesus continued telling passionately to Robert everything he knew about Mexican
culture, opera, and music and expressed his frustration because in Pacoima
there is not place where high art can be performed. Also, he mentioned that he
is willing to go anyplace to teach the truth knowledge of opera singing which
he possesses; but he feels frustrated because artists are not being paid as
they should. Therefore, he felt frustrated because having such an important knowledge
and no having the opportunity to share it do to funding, kills the tradition.
For him was a deserter. He also, spoke about families and the preservation of
Spanish language among the new generations in Pacoima. They hugged and say
goodbye, hopping to get together again in some point in the future and continue
taking about art that lift the spirit not like the noises that youngsters here
now days listen. Jesus, with wear out cloths and with more white hear than the
last time they run across with each other, got lost between people and cyclist
on Van Nuys blv. Roberto, thought that Jesus cloths seemed to be the same as
the last time he met Jesus, and it is not because he does not have other, but
since all his energy and life he spends in studying opera, diction, vocalization,
Mexican folklore, and Spanish, the condition of the cloths he was wearing is
irrelevant; he did not care having new cloths, but knowledge. Robert decided to
leave too. Therefore, walking toward his car, he reviewed the movie in his mind
about what he witnessed whole day. When he started his car, he thought, in what
he would do in Pacoima next. He felt grateful that at least had pleasant
moments meeting artists, old friends and all kind of interesting people
bicycling on Van Nuys bvl. in Pacoima.
