My Childhood Dream to Become a Hooker (Yeah, you read right!)

As a little girl I begged my mother for ‘poufy’ dresses and patent leather shoes but the only pair of fancy shoes I owned were for Easter or special occasions and thus ‘off limits’. My mother usually made me wear pants and a Mexican brand of shoes called ‘Exorcista’. (Yep! They were as ugly as the name implies and they were made to last F O R E V E R!!) They were basically boxes with shoe laces (which fit my square and chubby ‘Fred Flintstone’ feet perfectly! …..Darn It!)


My poor mother, had to endure my constant begging for long dresses and pretty shoes, but she couldn’t indulge me. Since I was a little girl I suffer from what all my dad’s side of the family calls ‘rheumatism’ (as an adult I was tested, but according to the CDC I only have 3 out of the five criteria and so they can’t formally diagnose me. REALLY! Then why does it hurt so darn much…stupid CDC!!) . Having (what my Mexican family diagnosed as) ‘rheumatism’ basically means that my bones hurt whenever I am stressed, tired, or cold. I am able to deal with the pain much better now that I am an adult.  As a kid, I was always crying in pain at the end of the day, thus the warm pants and comfy ‘Exorcista’ (Mexican Devil) shoes.

Life sucked….until one faithful cloudy day as I was riding in the car with my parents we passed by Tulare street ……and that is when the clouds parted and I saw my future.

Women dressed in high, high heels, sparkly dresses, big poufy hair and lots (I mean LOTS) of make-up (It was the 70’s people!!). I was mesmerized! They were dressed for Easter….. And it wasn’t even Easter! To my five year old eyes…..they were BEAUTIFUL!

“Papi (which means ‘daddy’ in Spanish), what are those women doing?” I asked exuberantly.

My dad was thoughtful for a bit before he answered with, “They are working women, mija.”

‘Working Women’…well, my mom worked so she must be a ‘working woman’, but she never dressed like THAT!

Thus began my hope and dream of one day being a ‘Working Woman’ on Tulare Street in Fresno, California.

THANK GOD for un-fulfilled hopes and dreams!