Love, International Style

This is a story how love crosses borders, cultures, and even languages. Its remarkable how two people in love, can overcome the craziest barriers to love and relationship. It speaks miles of the power of love and trust and respect. In all this whole wide world, we found each other and we found love, international style, as romantic and improbable as that is, it worked for us, and will continue to work as we face each day commited to each others ideals, and individuality.

I am so proud to be called his wife... And, I strive each day with all its challanges and obstacles to remember what a great gift God gave to me, when I met and fell in love with Jesus Mosso, or more commonly known as just; 'Chuy.

I would like to introduce you to my husband. He is a man of unbelievable intrigue, ethics, and intelligence. I must say that when I first saw him, even before I knew his name, my first thoughts were ... 'What a cute man, with such a funny haircut! He had smiled at me as I passed him by, on a hurry to get to my dental appointment in Los Algodones Mexico. With that said, I should back up a bit.

I was living in Yuma, Arizona and undergoing four months of intermittent dentist appointments. I was having extensive dental work done, that took many weeks of appointments, drilling, root canals, and caps. Most of the time I was in a 'painkiller and antibiotic haze, but, I do remember a 'cute Mexican man, with a funny hairstyle that often smiled at me.

During one particularly painful appointment, I went outside to take a break. As I walked down the busy street to find a shady quiet place to just take a breather, I had to pass all the street vendors that were hoping to make a quick sale. It was like walking the gauntlet every time I dared to venture outside the dentists office. Imagine that your mouth is numb with Novocaine and you feel like it is a huge cotton ball, your lips and tongue refuse to form a decent sounding word, and your trying to be polite to all the vendors shouts of : "Hey Barbie Doll, over here!" or "Hey Lady, I have what you want...." or my favorite...."Buy what you want... pay tomorrow". (Never understood that one)

I tried my very best to be a really nice American women. I would give a glimmer of a smile, a nod of my head, and keep on walking. You would think that they (the vendors) would take the hint and leave one alone, but oh no... they are not to be put off that easy. They persisted in their vendorous shouts of false flattery, hoping to lure me to one of their tables and be prey to a sale.

All this attention, when all I wanted was to be invisible and disappear around some corner for a break from the dentists drill. It made me irritable and grumpy.
It was on a day like that, that I first saw him. He stood there amongst his friends, so short that he was barely noticeable at first glance. I think the only reason I even noticed him, was that he had my FAVORITE tennis shoes on; Black Converse high tops! My eyes landed on his feet first, (as I had learned to keep my eyes down to avert the gaze of the persistant and irritating vendors.) I suppose as I looked up, I saw the black corduroy pants, and the wide appealing smile, but then, I saw the funniest looking hairstyle on a Mexican that I ever could have imagined. He had some sort of steel strong gel, holding his hair straight up, ALL OVER! It looked like a porcupine on high alert!

I know that I smirked, and probably gave a slight smile (as good as a numbed mouth can) and now looking back, I suppose he took that as smiling at him!

I didn't stop and linger though, it was only a smile, and a slight acknowledgement. Harmless, right?

Two more days passed by. Each day, he was there on the corner, just happening to 'catch me as I passed by for my dental appointment. And, each day, he had a nice smile and comment for me.

Well, by now your probably wondering how we went from casual acquaintances, to being married. That is a bit of a story......and a thousand events transpired between first meeting and our wedding, but, for the sake of this short story, I will keep it brief.

It was nearing the end of my dental work. And, by now I had taken notice of this charming, short, and really intriguing Mexican. I was sitting down, during another one of my dental 'breaks...and here he comes, walking towords me with one of his hands behind his back. He approached me, smiling as broad as a guy can, and extended his hand to give me a huge bright red hibiscus flower ..."for all the painful dental appointments."

He won my heart!

I tried to smile, a funny novacained smile, and attempted a slurry thank you, and I put the flower in my hair, and my heart skipped a beat. How romantic! How Sweet! Wowwwww....!!

That little red plucked flower did the trick. I took notice! And, this time I noticed alot more than his Black Converse tennis shoes, and funny hair do. I noticed a man six feet tall, romantically bestowing me with a beautiful red flower, and wishing me well.

I made sure to return to Los Algodones again, AFTER my mouth felt better. This time to try to see that short, nice Mexican man again...... and as you know, I did! We had lunches, we shared our life stories, we laughed and laughed and laughed as I often tried to guess what he was trying to say in his broken English........

I found myself thinking about him alot, and laughing to myself when thinking of all the fun times we were having.

I remember one particular day we were all sitting around. I was trying to follow some fang dangled story he was telling me....and he was trying to say that his parents used to have sheep..................well, it sounded like he was saying.......SHIP.................... and the storey was NOT making sense, as it sounded like he was telling us how the 'Ship's did this and that.......

The Ships would run away, and the Ships would follow him around? I tried my best to make sense of this story, and quizzed him over and over........... HOW do SHIPS follow you around?

He would wrinkle his brow, and try to tell the story in a different way. I still could not follow it.

Finally, I suppose I said............. SHIPS? And, he said, ..."Yah! You know.... BLAAAH BLAH....

I finally understood. He was trying to say, SHEEP! ! I guess Mexicans pronounce the letter 'E the way we pronounce it as 'I. So, Sheep became Ship.

I laughed until I thought my stomach would turn inside out. I grinned until I thought my mouth would stay in that shape. My face hurt from smiling. It was the beginning of love, international style.

I come from the uppermost corner of USA, Washington State. I never had much interaction with people of other races or countries...and certainly not other accents. So, this was proving to be a real challenge. To fall in love with a man from another country, another language, and culture is alot of work! I never had to try SO hard before just to communicate the most basic of words.

Time went by..... and just to see this guy, I had to cross the border every time. Its not so bad going into Mexico, but its the wait in the line to come home that gets on your nerves. Sometimes the wait is 2-4 hours depending on the season and time of day or night. But, when you are in love, you will do just about anything, so cross the border I did.....day after day after day after day. After work, I would anxiously drive 'South of the Border', and dread the drive back home.

We took to riding together in the car for the long wait in the line at the border, and just as I was about to cross back into USA, he would jump out, and wish me a safe drive home.

A year and a half (and a thousand adventures) passed, and I finally told him that I just couldn't take much more of this border crossing stuff. I knew I had met the best man in the world, and I wanted to be with him always. I didn't care how or where, but I wanted to be with him.

So, I did the next best logical thing, I proposed marriage. And, he accepted! It was the only logical thing to do, and it would mean tackling immigration. I absolutely knew I wanted him here in the USA with me; LEGALLY! (Little did I know what that would entail!)

Later, he admitted to me, that he felt that he just couldn't propose to me first, because he was so afraid that it would look like the typical Mexican, seeking a quick route to the Green Card..... (little did he know, I knew that all along........ so, I took the pressure off of him, and just proposed first! I just hoped he would say yes!)

So, I am proud and pleased to introduce you to the most wonderful man in the world. He is the man that I will be beside for life. He is the man that loves and supports me like no other. He is ten feet tall, and he is Jesus Gonzalez Mosso, My Husband, and father to my kids, and son-in-law to my parents.

And, now, soon to be United States Citizen!

I am so proud of him.