Life changing experiences happen when you least expect them. This is the story of one such experience. I was a freshman at a large state college in Texas. The campus was in the center of town and my apartment was about a mile away. Although I had a car available to me, parking on campus was a bear and not worth the effort. So, I walked to class almost every day. The walk was flat and easy and pretty much a straight shot. For the most part the weather cooperated. Occasionally, it would rain or was cold but nothing too terrible.
The residents were for the most part friendly and always willing to stop and chat with you or wave and say hi. One lady would sit out on her porch, drinking coffee and would make it a point to wave her arm off as I passed each morning and afternoon. As the first few weeks of school passed, she made it a point to not only wave, but say a few words as I passed. One day she asked me my name and I told her it was Sam, she yelled back that her name was Irene. I said hi to Irene for the next few weeks and she did the same to me.
One day, she was standing by the fence as I was heading to school. She looked like she wanted to say something, so I stopped to chat a bit. Irene said she had lived there for fifteen years with her husband Oscar. Oscar was a long-haul truck driver and would spend two to three weeks a month on the road, then pop in for a few days and then disappear for another three weeks. She said that Oscar was very traditional and forbade her to work. He thought that the man should provide, and the woman should stay home and run the house. She pointed to the small house and commented that there was not a lot to manage in a house this small. Irene really seemed lonely and desperate for some social interaction. I asked her if she volunteered or did any classes. She frowned and said Oscar did not allow it.
What I thought was going to be a short interaction turned into a full hour. I was now late for class and told her I needed to run but if she ever wanted to talk again, she could just come out and stand by the fence. Irene smiled and seemed to appreciate our conversation.
Over the next few weeks, Irene made it a point to stand by the fence every day. She began to make me little treats, like brownies and cookies. She would have a hot cup of coffee waiting for me each morning too. I would drink the coffee, eat my snack, have a nice conversation, then go on my way to class. As time passed, I discovered that Irene was 37. She had been born in Barcelona, Spain and grew up there. She had met Oscar while he was in the US military, stationed in Spain. They had fallen in love, and she had immigrated to the US when she was 22. When she arrived, she knew no one and became desperately home sick. Oscar just could not understand her loneliness and seemed to just brush it under the rug. Besides, he was a long-haul driver and was ok with being alone, it was his job.