An Unexpected Departure

Diriamba lost a good friend this past week. My friend Erlinda called me Friday to let me know she had died suddenly and that the funeral was that afternoon at Saint Sebastian's church, where Mary Mary and I attended Christmas Eve Mass.

Lulú was the daughter of a late well-respected physician, a Chinese-Nicaraguan man who had a large family, including Erlinda's brother-in-law. Lulú ran the family pharmacy with her sister Blanca, and I knew Blanquita and Lulú via my regular visits to the store. Last month, Lulú complimented me on the improvement in my Spanish, her broad smile lighting up her round face. She was only 56.

When I arrived at the family home behind the pharmacy, located on an opposite corner from St. Sebastian's, a crowd of people had gathered outside and in. I had only a short moment to express my condolence to Blanca, and then headed to the church to find Erlinda. The church was packed by the time the pall bearers moved up the aisle. I was very touched by the obvious sorrow and piety in the faces of the mourners. Clearly, Lulú had earned the affection and respect of many many people, and I felt the loss of a generous soul in my somewhat limited Nicaraguan world.

Every country has its saints and sinners. No society is without its shortcomings. But here in Nicaragua, I am daily impressed with the generous spirit and sweetness of so many strangers I meet. In the mercados or on the microbuses, I am addressed as amor (luv), madre, mamacita, senora, hermosita (lovely lady), querida (dearie). The security men and groundskeepers at Keiser University know me now, and are so kind and welcoming. I have an absolute crush on my vet's father, a tall, elegant charmer who shares the responsibility for their shop servicing farm animal and pet owners.

All these people on the fringe of my solitary life are important to me. I shall miss Lulú very much, her ready smile, her kindness to me. When I consider how important my own sisters are to me, I can imagine Blanquita's unfathomable loss. Her daily routine is forever altered most painfully. I hope she can find solace somehow in the knowledge that she, like her sister, is well-loved and appreciated in her town.