A child’s life of crime begins with a pack of gum and a bag of apricots?
From the Editor-in-Chief
It was a day like any other. My siblings and I accompanied Mom for a little shopping at Kmart. The memory of what happened between the time we got to the register and when we were in the parking lot walking towards the bus stop is sketchy at best. The moment that is clear in my mind is when I pulled a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum out of my pocket and with all the pride I could muster said, “Mami, mira lo que tengo.” (Mom, look what I have)
My beaming smile quickly faded as I looked at Mom’s face. Her reaction was not what I expected. She yelled at me to throw it far. I looked at her confused, “Why was she so angry?” Maybe at age seven I should have known better, but I was clueless. Up until that moment I had been such a perfect child that the only thing I was ever yelled at for was being too shy. As booksmart as I was, I was still completely ignorant about life.
To this day, I tell this story and wonder why Mom had me toss the gum instead of choosing to teach me a life
