Norma Cantu asked me if I found my wallet in El Paso...

....and this is how I responded to her email message of concern:

No, Norma, I had to let go of it.
And leave it behind in El Paso.
It felt strange, like leaving a pet or a child,
and to act like it wasn't important anymore.

Ni modo.
I was ultra-worried about what the airport
security personnel would put me through.
I fretted all night Saturday.

But, I made it!! I highly recommend reporting
your lack of i.d. status to the airline asap (should
this ever happen to you, god forbid), which
is what I did. They noted it in my record for
my reservation with American Airlines and wished
me luck with the airport staff I'd be facing.

And, everyone was cool. Accepting. I did get
assigned for "super security" precautions---like
having my carry-on stuff evaluated and I was "wanded"
extra long. But it wasn't very invasive, actually.

I wanted to kiss the carpet at my gate, when I got the
green light to pass through.

And, I have cash now, and will replace my driver's
license, etc., in time. And, more importantly, I was
able to transition from an actually WONDERFUL
first visit to El Paso

to the harried hurried 24 hours before showtime
(the Suzan-Lori Parks plays opened tonight).

And now, I am home, and it isn't even 10 pm,
and I am floating in a beautiful reservoir of
contentment, because our first show was AMAZING
and COOL. The local theater critic was there, and
said the show was "great".

I feel relaxed, relieved, capable, and contenta.

Thanks for writing,
Thanks for caring.

I too truly enjoyed seeing and being with you---
you in your technicolor jacket.

That panel* goes down in history as one of the
best I've ever experienced--both as audience
& as participant. Thanks for all you teach me.

con un abrazote,

tammy

____________________

The "panel"* I referred to is the GENDER and WRITING panel that took place on Saturday afternoon, March 31st, as part of the Hecho En Tejas commemoration at the El Paso Public Library. The amazing writer and great-humored guy, Benjamin Alire Saenz, consented to shoot video of the panel--as long as the tape and the battery held out. Very generous of him to do this for me, actually. Unfortunately, the tape ran out before the panel ended. Que lastima. It was an incredible platica, all of us on the panel--Norma Cantu, Cecilia Balli, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Carmen Tafolla, and me--wow, i need to transcribe the parts we caught on videotape...