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How Do You Misspell Potion? Chapter 1

DECEMBER 4, 2008  

      Dear Diary, today Auntie Mercedes came to see momma, she was crying and angry, real angry. I couldn’t help but listen in, momma had forgotten I was there and Auntie Mercedes was in no mood to see anyone or anything except the target of her anger. Problem is that most of their conversation is in Visayan and Tagalog, too many words I don’t know and at a mile a minuet.  As she yelled and wailed I flashed back to my own bone of contention, momma is a practitioner of potions. I don’t know if that makes her a witch, but her results are either magic or sorcery. Now more times than not, I forget that I used to be her father in law, not one of the twins, heck according to the birth certificate that the navy drummed up, I’m not even the older twin, Connie is.

    Auntie Mercedes Delgado Perez is momma’s younger sister by five years, she just moved to Illinois with her husband, Tech Sergeant Emanuel Perez who was stationed at the 128th Air Refueling Wing. Both families, hers and ours, now live in Forestall Village, a civilian run housing unit at Great Lakes Naval Base. Daddy, who used to be my son, is no longer in the navy but he works on base and the housing is open to civilian rental, on a space available basis. As soon as momma found that out, she had us move in right next to Auntie Mercedes and tiyo Manny. The two families became one extended family and my six year old cousin, Lucinda, became more like a third sister. It seems like Auntie Mercedes follows momma’s lead, they shop at the drop of a hat at momma’s suggestion, go out when momma wants to, and if uncertain of anything Auntie Mercedes will ask momma the way to proceed. Now I may be just eleven but I have seventy years of experience and knowledge and momma just flat out gives out horrible advice.

    I went and found Lucinda, didn’t have to go far, she was sitting outside the back door to their house, crying daddy where are you...

    That’s enough, I’m calling daddy from their house, I don’t want momma to know that I’m calling for help. I know that momma will not give me much of a listen but perhaps Wayne and I can figure out what is going down. Where is that cat wailing coming from, daddy might have to call animal control.

    December 5th, 2008

    Dear Diary, Daddy has taken leave from work to see if he can help out Auntie Mercedes. He came home yesterday right after I called him and talked with Lucinda first, she told him that police from her daddy’s work and a priest came to talk to her mommy. They asked a lot of questions, wrote a lot of notes and took their ID cards. They said that daddy is a deserter. He was suppose to go trick or treating on Halloween with the three of us girls and her mommy, but something happened and just Connie and I went trick or treating that day. She hasn’t seen her daddy since then.

    December 6th, 2008

    Dear Diary, something strange is going on at Auntie Mercedes’ house last night. Around 3:00 this morning I heard their garage door squealing, the rollers need greased, I got up and looked out my window, it was just Auntie Mercedes. She backed up the van to the garage, than popped the rear hatch. A few minuets later she pulled a large trunk to the van, propped the edge, lifted the other end and shoved it in. That cat is screaming some where again, kind of faint as if farther away than last time, I hope they find it soon, it sounds as it is hurt or very hungry.

Time Line up to December 6th, 2008

Saturday, June 15th, 1996, Wayne Gutierrez and Miranda Hernandez Delgado are married in a chapel in her home barrio in the mountains of Southern Leyte.

Thursday, May 15th, 1997, my granddaughter Consuelo Elizabeth Delgado Gutierrez was born.

Saturday, June 16th, 2001, Emanuel Perez and Mercedes Hernandez Delgado are married in the same chapel in Southern Leyte.

Thursday, September 13th, 2001, Emanuel Perez joins the US Air Force in response to the events of Tuesday, September 11th.

Tuesday, June 18th, 2002, Lucinda Maria Delgado Perez is born, 280 days after 9/11
Friday, March 21st, 2008, Good Friday, my son, his family and I arrive on Guam.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008, I’m my own second granddaughter now. My name has become Elizabeth Consuelo Delgado Gutierrez.

Friday, August 1st, 2008, the shit hit the fan, leading to daddy having to leave the navy and us moving to Illinois.

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008, received my assignment to write a report about what I did this summer which was turned in on Monday, the 8th.

Friday, October 31st, 2008 Both Tech Sergeant Emanuel Perez and the Perez family cat, Tesha, disappear.

Monday, November 3rd, 2008, Tech Sergeant Emanuel Perez is recorded as missing morning muster and Master Sergeant Gill notifies the Major as part of his morning report.

Thursday, December 4th, 2008, Air Force MPs, the unit chaplain, and an administrative staff sergeant arrive at the Perez home to pick up military dependent IDs from Mercedes Delgado Perez and Lucinda Maria Delgado Perez. The administrative staff sergeant explains the actions being taken and the chaplain offers counseling and help.

Saturday, December 6th, 2008, Doctor Harold Alan receives a trunk, no a foot locker at the children’s hospital and medical school, where he is doing his internship.