Family Ritual

After I came home from school, the rest of the night would take the same course. Once I put up my school books, I headed straight outside to play with my friends. Every night between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. my father would call my name to tell me it was time to eat dinner. When I entered the house, I would automatically know what we were having for dinner because of the smell.

After washing my hands, I always sat in a certain seat, which was the only chair without a cushion on it. My back would always face the television so I would not be distracted by it while I was eating. My grandmother always sat to my left in her comfortable chair so she could watch everybody eat her food. My grandmother's chair would be directly in front of the television, because that is where she spent her time during the day.

In front of me, at the dinner table, was my sister and the only reason she sat in that particular seat was to see the television. There was also a mirror behind my head and every now and then I noticed her taking a glance at herself. My father would always sit to my right, and he was always the last one to sit down at the table. I remember every night at dinner my father would sit down real hard after a long day and set his hat to his left on the ground. We each had our own assigned seats, not because we had to, but because it was our habit.

Developing this ritual over time, the places that we sat showed our personalities. My grandmother would take pleasure watching us eat, because that would let her know that she is taking good care of her family. My grandmother would sit in her seat so she could get the best view to see everyone eat her food. My sister always made sure she could get the best view toward the television and the mirror because she was always concerned about being "cool." My father would sit in his seat to get a glimpse of the television and to be head of the table. My main priority was eating my grandmother's country food and not letting the television bother my eating. Personally, I did not care to watch televsion because my main focus was eating the food in front of me. After eating my grandmother's wonderful food, my sister and I always had to make our contribution by washing the dishes. Now that I am in college, I look back and notice how every night was repetitive and organized.