Maybe 6 years after the Lupita chapter in my life, I was down in the Rio Grande Valley , in McAllen, on this side of the border, visiting the oldest sister of Alicia, where she was living with her husband and kids. Saida. She had been one of my first girls who I tried to mentor. We had been friends for a good while. She knew me well, and I knew her well. Alicia was going to ride the bus across the border, to come and visit her sister, and we were waiting for her text, so that I could go and pick her up. 

I drove to the bus station and picked Alicia up. She hugged me and got into my truck.

Me: Hi Alicia! What brings you over this side, other than to see your loving padrino?

Alicia: I need to buy some things on this side. And visit Saida, and play with my nephews.

Me: Ok, what do you need to buy? We can go shopping on the way back to Saidas.

Alicia: (looking embarrassed) Um, Just some things, padrino. Some, um, ropa interior. (her face turned red)

Me: Well, you have come to the right man! I know everything about bras and panties!

She looked even more embarrassed. 

Alicia: I was thinking of going to Walmart for them.

Me: Au contrare, my precious! I, Sam Birchall, being the owner of my own life, know the best place for these things! ( I never missed an opportunity to show what being the owner of your own life can do for you. It is the core of my mentoring girls.)

So I drove her to Victorias Secret in McAllen, in the mall. It was her first visit to a mall. We went in to Vickies, and I turned to her.

Me: What sizes do you wear?

Alicia: I don’t know.

Me: You don’t know your own sizes?

Alicia: My mom always buys my clothes. I don’t know my size.

Hmmm. How was I going to get this together? Just then a salesgirl came up. I asked her if she had a tape measure and could measure Alicia, for some bras. No, she said, but she could take Alicia in the back, where they had a person, a costumer, who could not only measure her, but find the perfect sizes that would fit her just right. I told Alicia what the salesgirl had said, and when I spoke in spanish, the salesgirl turned to Alicia and spoke to her in spanish, and before I knew it, Alicia was smiling and chatting away happily with the salesgirl, and off they went into the back room.

15 minutes later they came back, and Alicia had an official Victorias Secret paper with all her proper sizes on it. It had evidently been a big deal in back. They treated her like a valued customer, gave her a glass of coke, chatted with her about school, and measured her to within an inch of her life. She was beaming. And we walked around together, looking at undies. It was a whole different energy. Being there with Alicia, people did not look askance at me, like they had back when I first went to Vickies in Austin, alone. And it made me smile to see her trusting me with what could have been an embarrassing experience.

Then I took her to a dress shop. To buy a new dress, to go with her new undies. 

Alicia: Why are we going here?

Me: To buy a dress to go with your new ropa interior. Later we will go have dinner at a restaurant.

It was a swanky dress shop and the “sales consultant” took good care of Alicia, and had her trying on a bunch of dresses. She finally found one that she liked, and we bought it.

We went back to Saidas, where Alicia took a shower and put on her new duds.

While I was waiting, I took out my phone and googled “the most fancy restaurant in McAllen.” There weren’t many choices. McAllen is a tiny city. I picked the one that had fotos that looked like it was pretty chi chi, and made a reservation. I took Alicia to dinner there. She had never been to a swanky restaurant before. The waiter was solicitous, he spoke to us by name, we ate nicely prepared dishes with pretty garnishes, prepared by an actual high end chef, and they were delicious. Dessert was a huge chunk of chocolate cake with Ice cream. The waiter made us feel like the most important customers he ever had. It was great. Alicia was blown away. Paying the tab, and leaving a healthy tip for the waiter because he was so great, the cashier said, “That dress is wonderful! You look so beautiful in it!” Alicia lit up like a christmas tree.

It might have been her favorite day with me.

Why I work so hard, so I can do this.