And I, who had never had any problems saying goodbye ever, am suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to tell her what she means to me - Te quiero Mrs. O, te quiero
Sublime. Los Abuelos, Ms. O., so beautifully conjured. As a kid in Caracas, I too learned English from music. A cassette of Sugar Hill's Gang's Rapper's Delight tucked me into bed each night for all of third grade. Beautiful. Thank you. And thank All Good Forces See and Unseen (my def of God) for tus Abuelos and the Ms. O.'s of the world.
It's never enough time with these certain elders we love so. Thank you for this reminder of how sweet it is to be in their presence, and sharing your love of Mrs. O with us.
There’s something unspeakably tender about the way you honor the quiet rituals—Mr. N’s music notes, Mrs. O’s final abrazo, the mango tree in Santo Domingo. It’s not just nostalgia—it’s sacred memory. The kind that shapes you quietly over time, until you look back and realize those moments were the real story.
The line “I always wait for you” crushed me. Not in a dramatic way—but in that small, irreversible way certain goodbyes do. Thank you for this. For reminding us that some people aren’t chapters—they’re whole libraries we carry inside, long after we’ve left the building.
I’d start to say goodbye to everyone, in every situation, and always—and is someone asks about the obsession I’d answer—I’m making up for lost time and by so doing I’m saying good bye to los abuelos. Maybe I’d give Mes. O a call and when hanging up I’ll say that dreaded good bye!! And to make it real I’d throw in there the I love u second mother!
The older I get, the more I treasure memories of those old souls I’ve known that showed me how it can be done. We need more stories like this. Thank you.
Sublime. Los Abuelos, Ms. O., so beautifully conjured. As a kid in Caracas, I too learned English from music. A cassette of Sugar Hill's Gang's Rapper's Delight tucked me into bed each night for all of third grade. Beautiful. Thank you. And thank All Good Forces See and Unseen (my def of God) for tus Abuelos and the Ms. O.'s of the world.
An idea to honor your time there: an all Tokyo Read, Watch, Feast office hours? Selfishly, I’ll be visiting soon and would love the recs.
kevin i hope this aint too late...
I woke up to this post in Tokyo today. I’ll be fitting some of these in over my next couple of days. Mil gracias!
if you can make it to the farmer’s market you wont be disappointed and then do the whole meiji shrine walk…
It's never enough time with these certain elders we love so. Thank you for this reminder of how sweet it is to be in their presence, and sharing your love of Mrs. O with us.
Your language is music. Takes me away.
There’s something unspeakably tender about the way you honor the quiet rituals—Mr. N’s music notes, Mrs. O’s final abrazo, the mango tree in Santo Domingo. It’s not just nostalgia—it’s sacred memory. The kind that shapes you quietly over time, until you look back and realize those moments were the real story.
The line “I always wait for you” crushed me. Not in a dramatic way—but in that small, irreversible way certain goodbyes do. Thank you for this. For reminding us that some people aren’t chapters—they’re whole libraries we carry inside, long after we’ve left the building.
wow! I felt that hair tickling and brushing against your cheek and so much more.
Love love love this, far beyond a Substack comment.
It sounds like Japan has become home in a lot of ways. Take care of yourself, I know those first few weeks back can be hard.
beautiful, sad
I’d start to say goodbye to everyone, in every situation, and always—and is someone asks about the obsession I’d answer—I’m making up for lost time and by so doing I’m saying good bye to los abuelos. Maybe I’d give Mes. O a call and when hanging up I’ll say that dreaded good bye!! And to make it real I’d throw in there the I love u second mother!
And what’s what I’d do.
Happy return Junot!
Oh, Junot... sending you so much love.
The older I get, the more I treasure memories of those old souls I’ve known that showed me how it can be done. We need more stories like this. Thank you.