MERA, Oleiros, La Coruna, Espana (JNS) _ Things are easier now, Rosario said,
eating an ice cream from the supermarket next door.
The store occupies the space where Eduardo once ran his huge, mostly empty cafe
bar in the bottom of one of the first blocks of condominiums to be built among the
small stone farmhouses.
He now runs a hardware store on the road to Santa Cruz, just past Xoes and
Cabreira, where my grandfather was from, a five minute walk away.
When I first came to visit, we would ask if there was anything we could get
Rosario when we drove to nearby towns. Now, she has it all next door.
Still, things were fun in the old days.
``We used to get together on Tuesday nights and all do the laundry,'' she said.
A stone and concrete washing trough still stands on the way to Espineiros,
the second beach over. Another stands in Canabal, fed by a spring people still
take water from, overlooking the wild crashing sea.
``We would sing while we were there and then all walk home together,'' Rosario said.
My mom still sings the songs.
``Fuches tu, fuches tu, fuches tu, que cago na payeira? Fuches tu, fuches
tu, fuches tu, pa que ainda levas a paja na cou,'' she sings.
``Was it you, was it you, was it you, who pooped in the straw. Was it you, was
it you, it was you, because you still have the straw in your butt.''