Gente is an important word in my culture
(nothern New Mexico). Gente is pronounced hen te.
We always went into Tia Lucia's house
through the back door because the front door was reserved for Gente. The front room
had to be clean and ready for Gente. When she baked something special she would
warn us, wagging her finger, “This is for Gente. Don’t touch it.”
We all knew the importance of that
special word.
One day, after Denise and I had become
adults and we were married, we flew to Salt Lake City to visit Tia Lucia. To my
surprise she greeted Denise and I at the front door. I wondered if something
was wrong. She told us to sit in the front room. I started to worry. She went
into the kitchen and brought us some cookies and something to drink.
A huge smile spread across my face as I turned to Denise and said, "Hey! We are
Gente now."
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