Family is such a conditional word for some members of the family tree. They will only come to you when they need you. Even if you legally separate yourself and you no longer share the same last name, you still have the same aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. It’s inevitable, you will bump into them sooner or later, even if it’s at their funeral.
But even despite the beef I may have with some of my family members, I also have a soft and very empathetic part in my heart. A very gentle and tender spot that understands what it means to struggle and face the trials and tribulations of life and injustice. If you have no food, I will share my tortilla with you. I will be stingy with the beans, but the rice, there is plenty of that. But they always want the cheese, oh how everyone wants the cheese! There’s no government cheese here like there is in the US. There aren’t even food banks, well, at least not in Manzanillo. I work hard for my cheese so that it lasts me long enough to not have to borrow some. Some people eat too much of their cheese the day they get it. Others, well, their cheese belongs to much bigger rats like banks and sources of vices like casinos and strip clubs. We all have family members that fall into many of these categories. Sometimes we want to help them and we will. Other times, well, re-read my first paragraph…