FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

 It's Friday. When you're retired, Fridays aren't quite as meaningful as they once were. While COVID-19 is surging again throughout the country as Trump's arrogant ignorance with his unmasked, no social-distancing rallies has so blinded him that he can stare into a blazing sun and and walk away with a positive feeling that he has enhanced his tan, the Super Man in his own estimation has become the Super Spreader in our estimation. Even if he isn't personally responsible for infecting others as he was in the White House outbreak, his criminal example metamorphoses his fanatical followers into contagion conspirators. 

Texas is one of the few states that is not a hot spot, but that doesn't mean we escape unscathed. Cameron County reported five deaths and 50 new cases yesterday. There have been almost 1100 deaths during Trump's pandemic. In Brownsville a popular political figure lies intubated on her death bed. You might say we are a warm spot, but I would be willing to bet the house that we are going to get hot again before we get cold.

After doing some research via Google, I went to the supermarket yesterday and purchased both Vitamin C & D, zinc, melatonin, elderberry and Pepcid. The experts say that there is scientific evidence to support that a combination of this concoction can lessen COVID's effect. I paid $100 for a month's supply. That's a small price to pay for a patina of protection that gives some peace of mind.

Friday night has not lost all its significance. It's Friday Night Lights. Coronavirus will never conquer Texas football. And nothing excites me more than watching Michael in action. As a sophomore, he is a starting end. Last Friday the team held an intersquad scrimmage and he played well although he fumbled a punt. I told him to avoid running forward for a kick because this is when most the fumbles occur, but his coach was yelling at him to catch it for field position. He took the coach's advice--he's a teenager now so he has decided that the old man talks out his ass--and the ball slammed off his shoulder pad.

Afterwards, I reminded him of my vast expertise on all subjects life and he sat next to me in the car with his head bowed. Except for a few other small mistakes, he led the team in pass receptions and displayed his natural skills with a catch-and-run in the waning minutes of the game. Today they play the mighty whomever they are called from Edcouch-Elsa at Sams Stadium, Brownsville's coliseum, a concrete structure that has an aesthetic charm harking back to the architecture of the rough-and-tumble days when football players competed with one thin bar for a face mask.

His mother and I will sit in the 10,000 seat stadium with ample room for social distancing. Unlike other parts of the country, you never see a person in a public setting without a mask. It's not about personal freedom on the border. It's about personal survival. We are a Democratic stronghold, but if Biden is going to defeat Trump and flip Texas, the state's apathetic Mexican-Americans are going to have to come out of hibernation after a life-long political siesta and vote. 

With a 38% Hispanic and a 12% African-American population, Texas is flipping demographically. With enough white liberals in the urban areas of San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas, Texas in the near future may be as solidly blue as California and New York. After Beto O'Rourke only lost to Senator Ted Cruz, 52% to 48% two years ago, there are Democrats dreaming that Texas will side with Biden against Trump, but in my opinion it's a mirage. We still reside in a desert of white trash.

Just like there are rumors of a Biden victory, there are rumors of a cold front, but summer is a stubborn bitch and she continues to make life insufferable. We don't have winters in South Texas. We have five to six months of an eternal spring. The leather jacket I bought 20 years ago still looks new. The winters here kindle memories of the Indian summers I once knew in California. The days are crisp. There is no humidity. Our worst weather--a blue norther with abundant rain--only ushers in our best weather. The snow birds appear in huge flocks. They came to the Valley for a reason and they relish congratulating themselves on their sagacity.

After the game Claudia, Michael and I will go for a quiet dinner and replay the game. Hopefully, he will have a stellar performance so he can bask in the glow of his athletic prowess. As parents we have one wish: We want our children to be happy as a result of their successes. Tomorrow night Claudia and I will leave Michael at his girlfriend's house and meet my oldest son Carlos and his girlfriend at Dodici Pizza & Wine. The establishment is located in the heart of downtown in a historic building that has an interior patio evocative of New Orleans. We'll wine and dine, but the women will not be able to savor the evening to its fullest since they have been reduced to second-class citizens as designated drivers.

Are we doing everything possible to escape the clutches of COVID-19? Obviously not. We are  living life, but we are careful. We adhere to Biden's example and we avoid large crowds. There are no besos y abrazos when we meet old friends. It's hard to remain old friends if you're dead.