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Adelina's Sewing Machine
Your impact has been tenfold to what you could picture. On days long gone, you’ve given birth to eight kids. In a small village, lost between the boarders of El Salvador and Honduras. There was a woman, who defied social conventions. When she saved enough she bought a sewing machine a Singer treadle model ninety-nine K. Some sixty years old. As a curious kid, going through every corner of my grandmother’s room, I remember seeing this very object. It was black, rusty and clearly old. No electric wiring. Completely manual. Your livelihood. I wondered if she used it to fix her clothes, or if it was just one of those vintage decorations old people liked. As I got older, and I was granted little glimpses of the past; I discovered this sewing machine managed to feed my father and his siblings. It had endured alongside its owner hardships and success. To me, the turn of its band wheel with each and every push of the treadle, the thread running through its metallic joints; Unraveled the opportunities everyone in my family has had. It was the cornerstone in everyone’s future. Her sweat drops fell with the light of the sun and the moon. The mechanic roar invading her room. Inch by inch, stich by stich the seamstress and her reliable model ninety-nine were there, creating, mending, and altering fabric. Fast-forward to old age, her craft, has taken its toll. Poor eyesight and excruciating arthritis. Her partner no longer able to properly sew. But still at ninety-two she is going strong and that sewing machine still by her side. A token of the past. Adelina, meaning noble or of nobility, couldn’t have been further from the truth. More rags than riches. But to your family, you are the matriarch. You knew that your children deserved better. You mastered your craft for brighter days, happier ones, less worrisome, less painful. Miles away from that foreign place, you maintain your old ways. Nothing can be wasted. It’s been a hard transition to old age. Hard work, a sharp tongue and bravery will be your legacy. An eventful life it has been, a better future it is, and you can leave knowing that all is well. I hope I turn out to be the man you believe I can become. I hope I’ll eventually find my sewing machine and devote myself completely. Know, that you will always be in my heart, and every now and then I will find you in a dream.
