CHAPTER 26
THE AMERICAN DREAM
BY DAVID DELGADO
At a very early age in the late 1970s, I was sitting in my grandfather’s black Lincoln Town Car jumping up and down asking my grandfather, “Is that a phone in your car?” Back then they didn’t have cell phones, and this phone was big, black and almost the size of a public phone squeezed in between the front leather seats. I could not believe seeing the size of this phone, and car phones were not in everyone’s budget. My grandfather was successful, as you can assume anyone who had a car phone in their car was. In those days, a car phone was not common and cell phones didn’t exist. I was inspired at an early age by my grandfather’s success.
Our family didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in our mouth; we were average middle class folks. My dad worked in construction with his dad, my other grandfather. My mom was a housewife and I had two siblings and a golden retriever. I enjoyed playing baseball at the local park while my father was the baseball coach. I enjoy thinking back on those years, thinking of all those great days. As time went on, my parents could not get along and they eventually got divorced when I was 8. I felt lost without my father, my soul was sucked out of me. I stopped playing baseball, I didn’t want to talk to anyone or go to any social events, and all I wanted to do was to stay at home.
During this time, 8 more years had passed with no sight of grandpa. Out of site out of mind is true. My mom was forced to take a job to support the three of us and our dad was in and out of our lives as he started a new family. During my early childhood years my mom struggled, so I would always be thinking of ways to entertain myself with my cars or playing in my backyard. My mom hardly made much money, and she would cry herself to sleep in her bedroom.
THE AMERICAN DREAM
BY DAVID DELGADO
At a very early age in the late 1970s, I was sitting in my grandfather’s black Lincoln Town Car jumping up and down asking my grandfather, “Is that a phone in your car?” Back then they didn’t have cell phones, and this phone was big, black and almost the size of a public phone squeezed in between the front leather seats. I could not believe seeing the size of this phone, and car phones were not in everyone’s budget. My grandfather was successful, as you can assume anyone who had a car phone in their car was. In those days, a car phone was not common and cell phones didn’t exist. I was inspired at an early age by my grandfather’s success.
Our family didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in our mouth; we were average middle class folks. My dad worked in construction with his dad, my other grandfather. My mom was a housewife and I had two siblings and a golden retriever. I enjoyed playing baseball at the local park while my father was the baseball coach. I enjoy thinking back on those years, thinking of all those great days. As time went on, my parents could not get along and they eventually got divorced when I was 8. I felt lost without my father, my soul was sucked out of me. I stopped playing baseball, I didn’t want to talk to anyone or go to any social events, and all I wanted to do was to stay at home.
During this time, 8 more years had passed with no sight of grandpa. Out of site out of mind is true. My mom was forced to take a job to support the three of us and our dad was in and out of our lives as he started a new family. During my early childhood years my mom struggled, so I would always be thinking of ways to entertain myself with my cars or playing in my backyard. My mom hardly made much money, and she would cry herself to sleep in her bedroom.
Then one day we were out to dinner, and this was a spectacular beach
restaurant. With the yachts I saw in the distance, this was not just any
ordinary dinner we were at. My mom had enough gas money to get
us there and back, but not enough to feed her three children at this
beachfront restaurant. Then as we walked through the restaurant, my
mom received a kiss from this tall older man. I was shocked. I didn’t
know who this person was. But this man had a lot of charm, charisma
and was full of life. I asked my mom who was that person that just
kissed her and she said, that’s your grandfather. I said to myself, my
grandfather, who is that? I knew my dad’s father, who was extremely
close to me, but now I had two grandfathers!
At the time, I never realized I had two grandfathers and then it all hit me at once. All the memories, sitting and bouncing in his black Lincoln, at his home looking up to him, my mentor was standing right in front of me. We were definitely out of place at this restaurant. Keep in mind for the past ten years, we didn’t eat out, we didn’t have any money and my mom would cry on her bed, because she could not pay her bills because she had no money. Our house was disorganized; my mom had a tough time raising two boys and a daughter. Going from private school to public school because of the divorce was inevitable.
I remember one day with my mom we sat at the table, having dinner, at a renewed meeting with aunts and uncles at a Christmas dinner. I knew this is what I wanted and had been missing. Throughout my life my grandfather did not know this, but he had been instrumental in my life. I had no relationship with him. It was over the next ten years and a dozen or so times meeting him, from our poor dysfunctional family to the next ten Christmas dinners, which gave me insight that there are two kinds of people.
My grandfather built one of the largest real estate investment firms in Los Angeles County. He was an only child who was raised by his mother and did not attend high school in order to work and help support his mom. He was a mover and a shaker. When he would arrive at the Christmas dinners, he was the most important person in the room.
At the time, I never realized I had two grandfathers and then it all hit me at once. All the memories, sitting and bouncing in his black Lincoln, at his home looking up to him, my mentor was standing right in front of me. We were definitely out of place at this restaurant. Keep in mind for the past ten years, we didn’t eat out, we didn’t have any money and my mom would cry on her bed, because she could not pay her bills because she had no money. Our house was disorganized; my mom had a tough time raising two boys and a daughter. Going from private school to public school because of the divorce was inevitable.
I remember one day with my mom we sat at the table, having dinner, at a renewed meeting with aunts and uncles at a Christmas dinner. I knew this is what I wanted and had been missing. Throughout my life my grandfather did not know this, but he had been instrumental in my life. I had no relationship with him. It was over the next ten years and a dozen or so times meeting him, from our poor dysfunctional family to the next ten Christmas dinners, which gave me insight that there are two kinds of people.
My grandfather built one of the largest real estate investment firms in Los Angeles County. He was an only child who was raised by his mother and did not attend high school in order to work and help support his mom. He was a mover and a shaker. When he would arrive at the Christmas dinners, he was the most important person in the room.
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