Thinking of Tito Pete On Veteran's Day

 With Tito Pete on Easter Sunday 2000 

I'm told that I met Tito Pete for the first time when I was a toddler. Tita V brought me to Guam, where I stayed with them for a couple of weeks. I actually remember parts of that visit, particularly watching Arthur, an older boy, eating olives that he poked onto the tips of his fingers. Tita V and Tito Pete lived in an apartment, and I remember climbing the stairs outside to get to the second floor. One story that Tita V tells me, of which I have absolutely no recollection, was this: they put me down for a nap, and thinking they had the afternoon to themselves, started fooling around on their bed. But I wandered into the bedroom! Tita V quickly put me back down for that nap. Later that evening I supposedly asked her what were you and that old man doing on the bed? She answered "I was picking lice out of his head". And that was that.

It is Veterans Day, and I especially thought of Tito Pete today. He was not enlisted in the US Military [I stand corrected; see post script below], but I think he served the military as a sailor in the United States Merchant Marine. In fact, he was a crane operator on his ship. According to Wikipedia, ...the Merchant Marine is responsible for transporting cargo and passengers during peace time. In time of war, the Merchant Marine is capable of being an auxiliary to the Navy, and can be called upon to deliver troops and supplies for the military. He was so proud of his job, and the privilege to shop in the Commissary and the Navy Exchange on Guam.

My fondest memories of Tito Pete are:

1. Receiving gifts from him every time he came home (to Guam, while I was living with Tita V). 
2. His hearty laughter.
3. His calm demeanor despite being in the midst of chaos. 
4. Chivas Regal. 
5. His love of cooking. His specialty was Everything Stew. No special ingredients; just everything he could take out of the fridge. Hah!
6. His stories of adventures wherever his ship took him... Japan, Korea, the Philippines, the Mainland West Coast, Australia.
7. Budweiser. 
8. His childhood stories, especially the one about him being teacher's pet because he was her best student ever! (This was my favorite because it seemed most unlikely! Hah!)
9. His boat, on which he took Papa V and Aris on the most adventurous fishing expeditions. Once, they ran out of fuel waaaaaay out there! Thank goodness his compadre Angel happened to sail buy, and give them a tow back to shore. Accoring to Aris, Tito Pete was the living epitomy of cool ice. He never panicked! (See no. 3.)
10. His fearlessness behind the wheel of his Trooper. "Because this car is invincible", he said. In fact, one late night, on our way home from a party at the other end of the island, he plowed right into the thicket of a tangan-tangan grove as we rounded the last curve of the road back to Agat. Without so much as a jerk of the wheel, he eased the car back onto Marine Drive, and proceeded as though the off-road incident was just a sightseeing detour, and not an over-compensation maneuver for taking that curve too fast in pitch black darkness. All the passengers who were asleep didn't wake up. That's how cool and collected he was. (Again, see no. 3.)
11. His milk. (See no. 4.)
12. He drank it everyday! (See no. 7.)
13. He also loved doing laundry. More than once, he washed my basket of freshly laundered clothes twice! 
14. His sense of humor. There was a husband and wife and their young girl who lived with us for some time. The wife conducted herself as always being correct, above triviality, pious, and extensively educated. Tito Pete was in the middle of a conversation with the husband about false teeth. The wife interrupted, "You mean prosthetics," in a corrective tone. Tito Pete let out a sudden guffaw (see no. 2), managing to say between peals of laughter, "Prostitutes?!... har-har-har-har... PROSTITUTES?!... heheheheheh... Where do you get prostitutes from false teeth?... hahahahahah...You should mind your own business, and leave us alone to our conversations!" The more she corrected "I said pros-THETICS, not prostitutes," the more Tito Pete laughed. It was the most contagious laugh, because even us kids laughed about that for days!
15. He always said "Yes" when we asked to go the beach. "Just mind the cars when you cross the street."

Ah, I could go on forever! But I'll stop here because I'd like to leave a bit of mystery for the next time I write about him.

Today I paid Tito Pete a visit to bid him greetings on this Veteran's Day.

P.s. Tito Pete was indeed enlisted in the United States of America Military.