History Lesson

As the autumn breeze coasted through the tree’s leaves, I saw the leaves take flight from their home until they landed with the rest on the pile down below. So much leaves, I thought to myself. I just wanted to jump into the orange pile and seek into it. “Tyler!” My grandfather called to me. My attention was caught and jolted over to the prep station as what my grandfather like to call it. I made my finish landing at the prep station with a frog jump and throwing my hand up in the air. “I give that landing a 10!” as my grandfather gesturing a 10 with his fingers. We just about have all the ingredients here and are ready to get this party started. My grandfather was going to cook his famous chili bowl and bake some corn bread. Man, I loved when he cooks this. I love all the mixers of flavors with the beef, beans, white and red onions, red peppers, corn, some mushrooms, and half a beer can. I demolished it every time, and I over ate when he cooks it and fell into a food coma like a bear.

“Listo mi Niño?” “Si!” I yelled out. We start our process of mixing everything as we talk about anything that is on our mind. “Are you ready for Junior High and the big move from being a boy to a teenager?” “Yes, without a doubt.” I was ready for the big move and all the good perks to it, plus I was ready to meet new people and see the pretty girls. As I grew as a boy to a teenager, my interest in girls grew as my eyes open up as they walk by. My grandfather turns on the outside T.V. and put on the history channel as we continued to prep. The American Revolution time era was on, discussing the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “My favorite part of history.” My grandfather was a history guru and could listen or watch the channel all day if he could. “Without this period of history and actions by our founding fathers, we would not have our individual right and voice to speak up for ourselves.”

I nodded, but I found history boring. Trying to learn about past dead people who are sometime remembered and only brought up sometimes when it is needed. To me honestly, what is important is the now. “Our past history teaches lessons each and every day. Without it, we would repeat the history and will not learn from our mistakes.” I nodded again, putting on an understanding that I cared about, and felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it from my right pocket and saw it was a notification from Facebook about Drake. The screen lit up with Drake in the middle with two women by his chest, touching his naked chest seductively in their summer bikinis. “Ooo yeah,” I think to myself and was excited to see what is good on this album. “Nieto, put down the phone and go get the azucar.” I finish liking the post and was about to put the phone in my pocket. “Leave the phone and go get the azucar, apuare po favor.” I did as I was told.

I enter the house and went to the kitchen and saw my mother packing up her purse. “Hi honey”. “Hey momma. I am just getting the sugar for the cornbread.” “Okay. Make sure to stay off the phone. Your abuelo likes to talk to you. He has a lot of wisdom and things to give, if you listen.” “Okay.” “See you later baby” and she exited out the garage door. 

I went to the big and rectangle pastry that pretty much represented a standard size living room. I saw the sugar by the jams and went to grab it and notice something to my right. Half way hidden by the hanging aprons, a small brown door appeared just enough to show its chamber handle. For some reason, I could not just grab the sugar and leave, instead I wanted to go investigate the unknown. I step towards the door and push aside the aprons and see the door is half my size. It is coated with ageing dust and dirt, in which did not match the rest of the wall that sided with it. I looked at for a bit and open up the door and only saw darkness. I heard the garage door open up and created an echoing noise across the house. Next moment I feel a pulling force from the door. I tried to brace myself on the door frame, but the force drew me harder into it. I yelled out for my mother, “Momma!”, but the echoing garage canceled my yells out. The force took me into the darkness.

All I could see was darkness for the time being and until I landed in a chair and everything lit up with yelling happening around me. Dozens of men were yelling and arguing aggressively. To the point, I thought a fight was about to break out. I felt my presence was not noticed, and they kicked my chair at and I slid with it. I tried to listen, but the men’s attire caught my attention. They were dress as like the pictures from my textbook in my history class. “Gentleman, Gentleman Order, Order!”, the man yelled out that stir everyone down. The man had a resemblance to James Madison. 

I look around my surroundings and I saw everything is old, out of style, and I guess they do not believe in AC units here. “Please gentleman, let’s speak in a calm and collective manner.” The man spoke and stood towering over the crowd with a direct but composed message. “All of this rapid and quarrelling, does not help the situation at hand. Can we all please refocus our objective here and stop fighting amongst each other”. Everyone nodded their heads in an agreement. A short and chubby man stood up firmly. “Washington is taking right the stand and measures. Let’s regroup our discussions and work together to find a common group and compromise as a whole, gentleman”. Everyone understood and yelled out as whole “Ah”. The short man sat back down. “Thank you, Mr. Adams. Men, let’s start this again, remember the chief enemy and threat to this nation is King George III. We all want the same freedom, liberty, and happiness to our ourselves, families, and to this country that we want to establish”. Everyone knocked on their table as a whole, causing some tables to wobble. I could only feel a deep understanding and sort of pride at what I have heard. 

All of sudden my everything went dark and flew backwards like into a black hole and landed standing on my feet back in the pantry. Puzzled on what just happen, I look around and see only what I just left here, or I thought it was. Search for the apron again and find them. I move them to the side, hoping to see the door, but it was nowhere to be found. I pat and push where the door was supposed to be at, but only to meet a concrete white wall. I could only analyze what I saw and heard and question, did that really happen? Stood there still holding the sugar in my hand.

“Mejo! Have you found it yet?” The yell startled me. I stood there for a moment and left the pantry. I came on up to the prep station and saw my abuelo sitting on his favorite chair that he built himself. He called it the big man's chair. I walk up to him and see him enjoying the history channel and sipping on his coffee. I can smell the pumpkin spice once I arrive. “Here is the sugar.” He chuckled, “Took you long enough.” We uncover the mixer and measure what we need, pour it in. Once the batch was ready to cook, we pour it in the cast iron Dutch oven.  

My grandfather was prep and ready for just about for anything. The fire has died down, and the coals were perfect with that orange glow. We placed the Dutch oven on to it. “Abuelo, can you tell me about our Founding Fathers?” His eyes glowed up. “Of course. Let’s have a seat.”