Letter: To my mother.
Dear mom,
You were always the strong one in the family and I thank you every goddamn day for giving me the strength to deal with this world. Go figure it'd be pretty cliche to mention how dad was a drunk. Thing was, he wasn't really an abusive drunk as he would just sleep all the time. Wouldn't pay bills, got moody and didn't really do much of anything. He left, he just left. Do I resent him? Yes. Do I blame you? No. You raised me in Detroit in the shittiest part of the city there was. But also from humble beginnings came strong family values and morals.
You taught me to treat everyone with respect and to give everyone a chance unless they gave me a reason not to. Well, I've got the respect part down but there are always assholes in this world that'll screw with you. Luckily for me I got your temper. We're like soft tamales on the inside but on the outside we might as well be tough as nails. I know you're long gone now as I write this. I don't even know who the fuck is gonna' even read this.
But I want you to know wherever you are, that you're not alone in the quest for some deeper meaning in life. If you're alive or dead, I don't know. I'll never know. But just know that what you and my knock around idiot brothers taught me will last a lifetime.
PS: I'm sorry you never got to meet J.D. He was my best friend, can you believe he actually proposed to me!? Who in their right mind would actually want to marry me?
Go figure, your little Lorraine a terror of the streets.
I love you and will always cherish the life and the light you gave me.
Adios and muchas gracias, Teresa Ocampo. You'll always be my hero.