Going back to Rio Piedras

* My dad's spot was there in the Commoloco store
Deja vu kicked in heavily on Saturday morning. Due to something called the adidas rule, I found myself in Rio Piedras, Paseo de Diego at 8:00m to resolve this matter. I regressed to my first work experiece at twelve. For many years my dad owned business in el Paseo de Diego. As his oldest daughter, I was expected to help and learn the business. I was to be there sharp at 8 ready to work, with no showable signs of puberty/womanhood in me. Suble makeup, no cleavage, loose jeans, no talking to employees. My dad was king of Rio Piedras and by default I was a princess. It was hard working there. During the day it was a busy shopping destination with the biggest produce distrution in the Caribbean, the bus stop for all the public transportation from the countryside and hanging spot for college students that attented the "UPR". At night: cheap bars, prostitudes and tranvestites, drug lords and their clients took over el Paseo.

Going outside the store was hot and smelly with homeless people sleeping 10 feet from you. I couldn't complained, since I actually earned money and I didn't pay lunch while working. First I was a folding girl, putting clothes into shopping bags. Then I got promoted to cashier, the coveted spot for me and Tania. Dad had a watchful eye and small tolerance for bs, he didn't liked me mingling with other people around. Hard to do with this personality. Im grateful for those days, I think that I founded a strong work ethic to that first job.Both Tania and Rebeca followed tradition paying their dues as well

Apart from all the quirkiness surrounding the store "palace", the loud SalSoul music, the buyers from Saint Thomas who bought the store in half and hour and my dad pursuers ( apparently he was a commodity among the ladies- he has the most gorgeous yellow eyes) it put an interesting perspective in my life. You see my dad's store was targeted to poor people. It was a juxtaposition from my private school, expensive clothes and ballet classes world. I knew what is was like to put clothes into a layaway plan in order to make a nice gift to a love ones.

At the turn of the century, Rio Piedras was the most shopping mall in Puerto Rico, but little by little consumerism started putting people into air conditioned, not smelling structures with massive parking space. A gas leak that produced an explotion, the undergroung train construction and goverment innactivity created a very precarious situation to local business men. It has changed now, municipality has tried to make Rio Piedras more modern with various architectural elements. It has lost its magic.

Eventually Dad closed and has moved on.But to this day as I go to el Paseo to buy 15 yards of white grosgrain lace, I can still see Dad hustling in the heat, all pressed in his linen white shirt with a cigarette in his mouth screaming "barato,barato,barato"