A narrative essay on a memory. Thank you Jose for the suggestion!
Popping the Cow
We popped the cow. That’s what my little sister Raquel said. I don’t think it would be accurate to say that we popped it; more like we obliterated it. What else can you expect when your Suburban hits a black cow broadside in the middle of the night going eighty-five miles per hour.
We were in Mexico to visit my Dad’s parents and family. I hadn’t been there since I was maybe three years old. The drive was ridiculously long, nearly two full days. We were heading to Guadalajara which is about ¾ of the way to the bottom of the country. Eight kids packed into the car for two days makes for a lengthy journey. There were no car dvd players in those days. You read books, pulled your sibling’s hair or played games to pass the time. We laughed, we fought, we slept. I have no idea how my parents survived the drive.
We finally arrived at my grandparents home and got settled in. We enjoyed shopping, eating and exploring. It was December and the neighborhood was enjoying several fun Posadas. We loved the festivities and treats; plus I met a really nice, good looking boy. It was a lovely time. One day, we set out, along with our cousin Salvador, to go see some fabulous pyramids and ancient ruins. There weren’t enough seatbelts for everyone, so my little brother Jose sat on Salvador’s lap in the middle seat of the front bench. The ride was uneventful for quite awhile. We passed through Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis that seemed never-ending. We pulled onto an Autopista, a Mexican interstate that charged a toll to traverse. Along with the toll came an auto insurance for the duration of travel on the autopista. How grateful my parents ended up being for that coverage.
I was in the back left seat next to the window and had fallen into a deep sleep. I was pulled violently from my slumber, hitting my head repeatedly on the ceiling of the car. I remember only making small noises as this was happening, but the family says I was screaming like a crazy person and that they were all yelling at me to shut up. The car bounced at least three or four times and then finally came to a stop. We were all talking at once, some of us crying. Jose had flown into the windshield and was bleeding profusely. My parents were mainly focused on him as the rest of us seemed to be fine. I remained in a bit of a fog as we started unloading onto the side of the road. As I went to step out of the Suburban, I nearly stepped on the head of a cow, the reason for all of the bouncing, its face looking straight up at me. It was black and its open eyes were lifeless. Blood spilled from its mouth. I screamed again and then my cousin Salvador helped me over the head and I gratefully stood on solid ground, a good distance from the dead cow.
My siblings and I watched as the scene unfolded. We stood huddled together as a passerby stopped to help. An ambulance came soon after and took Mama, Jose, and my other brother, Jared to the closest hospital.
Jose’s nose was obviously broken but he was also experiencing immense pain in his abdomen. Scans were done and initially it looked as though there was some pretty serious internal bleeding going on. Luckily, one of the staff figured out right before they were to take him to surgery, that he actually just had a really full bladder. He was hooked up with a catheter and drained a full liter of urine. The accident had shocked his little body so much that he hadn’t been able to urinate on his own. He still had to have surgery on his nose and there was a piece of broken bone floating around from an unknown previous accident. It was a far less complicated or dangerous injury and that night we said many prayers of thanksgiving for our good fortune.
Police came to the sight of the wreck and set up flares and cones. The suburban was towed away, leaving the cow out on the road. Pieces of said animal trailed back a quarter of a mile. The missing leg and other parts were collected from the road. A couple of guys with a flat bed truck came along and tied a chain to one of the cow’s remaining legs and dragged it off to the side of the road where they loaded it into the back of their truck. Why waste good meat, right?!
A taxi was called and came to pick up the rest of us. We were taken to a beautiful hotel, built in the Spanish style, with white stucco walls and lots of arches. I loved it immediately. Bougainvillea flowers climbed everywhere and rose bushes were abundant. The tiled floors and balconies created an imaginative atmosphere, where my active mind ran wild. I had been reading a lot of romance novels at the time and this place fit perfectly into the scenarios I created in my mind.
We stayed there a few nights and once my little brother was released from the hospital, we made arrangements to get back to our grandparents’ home. While we waited for the Suburban to be repaired by the state, we were able to enjoy an extra month with our family, getting to know them better.
There were several details that I didn’t know until I started discussing this with my mom today. I didn’t know that she could have been arrested for Jose’s injuries. I didn’t know that while in the hospital, my mother, scared, no, terrified, had asked if anyone there knew if any of the staff happened to be LDS. Amazingly, they found that one doctor, who was not at work at the time, was in fact a member of our church. Mama asked that he be called and would he please send two men. She assured them that he would know what she meant.
Shortly thereafter, two of our young missionaries showed up at the hospital to administer to my brother. My mom found so much peace in this and her testimony grew. It continued, as Brother Montoya, the doctor who had been called, continued helping our family. He found us the fabulous hotel, he helped my dad with going to court for my mom. He assisted my dad in getting the Suburban to the appropriate place to be repaired. He made sure that everything would go as smoothly as possible for our family. Sometimes strangers become angels.
I will never forget that trip. We had so many amazing experiences. Our first plane ride was on the way home, as our car still wasn’t ready. The USA isn’t the only country with ridiculously slow bureaucracy. It will take several more essays to cover all of the details and the other adventures we enjoyed and even more spiritual experiences that we were blessed with. Suffice it to say, this was an amazing experience.
We were in Mexico to visit my Dad’s parents and family. I hadn’t been there since I was maybe three years old. The drive was ridiculously long, nearly two full days. We were heading to Guadalajara which is about ¾ of the way to the bottom of the country. Eight kids packed into the car for two days makes for a lengthy journey. There were no car dvd players in those days. You read books, pulled your sibling’s hair or played games to pass the time. We laughed, we fought, we slept. I have no idea how my parents survived the drive.
We finally arrived at my grandparents home and got settled in. We enjoyed shopping, eating and exploring. It was December and the neighborhood was enjoying several fun Posadas. We loved the festivities and treats; plus I met a really nice, good looking boy. It was a lovely time. One day, we set out, along with our cousin Salvador, to go see some fabulous pyramids and ancient ruins. There weren’t enough seatbelts for everyone, so my little brother Jose sat on Salvador’s lap in the middle seat of the front bench. The ride was uneventful for quite awhile. We passed through Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis that seemed never-ending. We pulled onto an Autopista, a Mexican interstate that charged a toll to traverse. Along with the toll came an auto insurance for the duration of travel on the autopista. How grateful my parents ended up being for that coverage.
I was in the back left seat next to the window and had fallen into a deep sleep. I was pulled violently from my slumber, hitting my head repeatedly on the ceiling of the car. I remember only making small noises as this was happening, but the family says I was screaming like a crazy person and that they were all yelling at me to shut up. The car bounced at least three or four times and then finally came to a stop. We were all talking at once, some of us crying. Jose had flown into the windshield and was bleeding profusely. My parents were mainly focused on him as the rest of us seemed to be fine. I remained in a bit of a fog as we started unloading onto the side of the road. As I went to step out of the Suburban, I nearly stepped on the head of a cow, the reason for all of the bouncing, its face looking straight up at me. It was black and its open eyes were lifeless. Blood spilled from its mouth. I screamed again and then my cousin Salvador helped me over the head and I gratefully stood on solid ground, a good distance from the dead cow.
My siblings and I watched as the scene unfolded. We stood huddled together as a passerby stopped to help. An ambulance came soon after and took Mama, Jose, and my other brother, Jared to the closest hospital.
Jose’s nose was obviously broken but he was also experiencing immense pain in his abdomen. Scans were done and initially it looked as though there was some pretty serious internal bleeding going on. Luckily, one of the staff figured out right before they were to take him to surgery, that he actually just had a really full bladder. He was hooked up with a catheter and drained a full liter of urine. The accident had shocked his little body so much that he hadn’t been able to urinate on his own. He still had to have surgery on his nose and there was a piece of broken bone floating around from an unknown previous accident. It was a far less complicated or dangerous injury and that night we said many prayers of thanksgiving for our good fortune.
Police came to the sight of the wreck and set up flares and cones. The suburban was towed away, leaving the cow out on the road. Pieces of said animal trailed back a quarter of a mile. The missing leg and other parts were collected from the road. A couple of guys with a flat bed truck came along and tied a chain to one of the cow’s remaining legs and dragged it off to the side of the road where they loaded it into the back of their truck. Why waste good meat, right?!
A taxi was called and came to pick up the rest of us. We were taken to a beautiful hotel, built in the Spanish style, with white stucco walls and lots of arches. I loved it immediately. Bougainvillea flowers climbed everywhere and rose bushes were abundant. The tiled floors and balconies created an imaginative atmosphere, where my active mind ran wild. I had been reading a lot of romance novels at the time and this place fit perfectly into the scenarios I created in my mind.
We stayed there a few nights and once my little brother was released from the hospital, we made arrangements to get back to our grandparents’ home. While we waited for the Suburban to be repaired by the state, we were able to enjoy an extra month with our family, getting to know them better.
There were several details that I didn’t know until I started discussing this with my mom today. I didn’t know that she could have been arrested for Jose’s injuries. I didn’t know that while in the hospital, my mother, scared, no, terrified, had asked if anyone there knew if any of the staff happened to be LDS. Amazingly, they found that one doctor, who was not at work at the time, was in fact a member of our church. Mama asked that he be called and would he please send two men. She assured them that he would know what she meant.
Shortly thereafter, two of our young missionaries showed up at the hospital to administer to my brother. My mom found so much peace in this and her testimony grew. It continued, as Brother Montoya, the doctor who had been called, continued helping our family. He found us the fabulous hotel, he helped my dad with going to court for my mom. He assisted my dad in getting the Suburban to the appropriate place to be repaired. He made sure that everything would go as smoothly as possible for our family. Sometimes strangers become angels.
I will never forget that trip. We had so many amazing experiences. Our first plane ride was on the way home, as our car still wasn’t ready. The USA isn’t the only country with ridiculously slow bureaucracy. It will take several more essays to cover all of the details and the other adventures we enjoyed and even more spiritual experiences that we were blessed with. Suffice it to say, this was an amazing experience.
Julie, you write really, really well. I look forward to hearing "the rest of the story" as you unfold more details in future posts. I'm left wondering: why could your mother have been arrested?
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