| |
|
"Hills Brothers Coffee" (1993) by Luci Tapahonso My uncle is a small man. In Navajo, we call him, "shidá'í," my mother's brother. He doesn't know English, but his name in the white way is Tom Jim. He lives about a mile or so down the road from our house One morning he sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee. I just came over, he said. The store is where I'm going to. He tells me about how my mother seems to be gone every time he comes over. Maybe she sees me coming then runs and jumps in her car and speeds away! he says smiling. We both laugh-- just to think of my mother jumping in her car and speeding. I pour him more coffee and he spoons in sugar and cream until it looks almost like a chocolate shake. Then he sees the coffee can. Oh, that's the coffee with the man in a dress, like a churchman. Ah-h, that's the one that does it for me. Very good coffee. I sit down again and he tells me, Some coffee has no kick. But this one is the one. It does it good for me. I pour us both a cup and while we wait for my mother, his eyes crinkle with the smile and he says, Yes, ah yes. This is the very one (putting in more sugar and cream). So I usually buy Hills Brothers Coffee. Once or sometimes twice a day, I drink a hot coffee and it sure does it for me. |
