Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

We Complain. She Listens.

Dorian Hargrove says his mother is “short in stature, tall in confidence.”​
Dorian Hargrove says his mother is “short in stature, tall in confidence.”​

My mom walks funny. It’s not a physical problem. It’s a mindset. There’s pride in her steps. She walks strongly. She walks as if she is the first line of defense in case of ambush. She walks like a general, short in stature but tall in confidence. Her chin always tilted upward. Her arms and legs work in soldier-like fashion.

My mom speaks funny. She mispronounces names and places. For years she referred to actor/director Clint Eastwood as “Clit.” She shrugs it off and laughs it off with her infectious chuckle. We laugh with her. We tease her when letters disappear from the end of words like when she says “schoo.” We laugh when she mispronounces names. She laughs with us. A man once went up to her and asked what country she was from; he couldn’t quite place the accent. She told him Los Angeles.

My mom doesn’t care what other people think of her. She will walk into any situation, that goose-step march, to protect her family. She’s marched into a group of emergency-room doctors while her son lay in a coma. She’s marched to the front door of a family whose son had picked on my sister. She’s held her ground waiting for her husband’s mini-stroke to pass. She is our defender, ready and willing to fight.

Sponsored
Sponsored

My mom once told me that her greatest accomplishment in life was her children. There are four of us. There have been ups and there have been a lot of downs. Through it all she put herself last. She doesn’t complain about aches or pains. She moves through any pain with that same stride. We find out in passing that she has high-blood pressure, bouts of dizziness, vertigo, and bad hips. We complain about jobs, about being tired, because life for us is hard. We complain, and she listens.

She’s sacrificed her happiness for us. Whether that happiness meant the money that she has given to bail us out of some jam, or in my case, much greater sacrifices.

When I was 13, my dad and mom sold their home in San Clemente. They were splitting up again, this time for good. My dad was taking a job in Florida. My mom was going to use the money she made from the sale of our house and put a down payment on a small shack near the beach. I threatened to hurt myself if I didn’t follow my dad. She canceled her plans and moved to the humid swamplands of Florida to make sure I was safe. I remember landing in the airport in Orlando, the blanket of humidity smothering my mom, and I remember the moment we set foot on the jet bridge. I was nervous and scared for the decision I made. I looked over at her. Her chin tilted upward. She continued her march through the thick air.

And through it all she never pushed any of us to become anything we weren’t. She supported everything we did. She is happy with who we are, regardless of whether or not we are happy with ourselves.

Now, in her 70s, she takes care of my dad who is saddled with dementia. She has seen him turn to ice as small blood clots get stuck in his arteries. She has had to clean and feed him. She has done all this despite the difficult years. She does this for us and for him.

On a few occasions she has called crying. She yelled at my dad when he wasn’t listening. She swiped at him with his T-shirt as she was trying to change his clothes. She tells me she feels horrible. I tell her she is the most caring and loving person I know.

I call every day, or try to at least. I make sure to ask how she is doing. She’s always fine. She’s convinced me that she’ll always be fine. That’s the sacrifice she’s made.

She has put herself last in line for my family, or, first in case of an ambush.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell
Dorian Hargrove says his mother is “short in stature, tall in confidence.”​
Dorian Hargrove says his mother is “short in stature, tall in confidence.”​

My mom walks funny. It’s not a physical problem. It’s a mindset. There’s pride in her steps. She walks strongly. She walks as if she is the first line of defense in case of ambush. She walks like a general, short in stature but tall in confidence. Her chin always tilted upward. Her arms and legs work in soldier-like fashion.

My mom speaks funny. She mispronounces names and places. For years she referred to actor/director Clint Eastwood as “Clit.” She shrugs it off and laughs it off with her infectious chuckle. We laugh with her. We tease her when letters disappear from the end of words like when she says “schoo.” We laugh when she mispronounces names. She laughs with us. A man once went up to her and asked what country she was from; he couldn’t quite place the accent. She told him Los Angeles.

My mom doesn’t care what other people think of her. She will walk into any situation, that goose-step march, to protect her family. She’s marched into a group of emergency-room doctors while her son lay in a coma. She’s marched to the front door of a family whose son had picked on my sister. She’s held her ground waiting for her husband’s mini-stroke to pass. She is our defender, ready and willing to fight.

Sponsored
Sponsored

My mom once told me that her greatest accomplishment in life was her children. There are four of us. There have been ups and there have been a lot of downs. Through it all she put herself last. She doesn’t complain about aches or pains. She moves through any pain with that same stride. We find out in passing that she has high-blood pressure, bouts of dizziness, vertigo, and bad hips. We complain about jobs, about being tired, because life for us is hard. We complain, and she listens.

She’s sacrificed her happiness for us. Whether that happiness meant the money that she has given to bail us out of some jam, or in my case, much greater sacrifices.

When I was 13, my dad and mom sold their home in San Clemente. They were splitting up again, this time for good. My dad was taking a job in Florida. My mom was going to use the money she made from the sale of our house and put a down payment on a small shack near the beach. I threatened to hurt myself if I didn’t follow my dad. She canceled her plans and moved to the humid swamplands of Florida to make sure I was safe. I remember landing in the airport in Orlando, the blanket of humidity smothering my mom, and I remember the moment we set foot on the jet bridge. I was nervous and scared for the decision I made. I looked over at her. Her chin tilted upward. She continued her march through the thick air.

And through it all she never pushed any of us to become anything we weren’t. She supported everything we did. She is happy with who we are, regardless of whether or not we are happy with ourselves.

Now, in her 70s, she takes care of my dad who is saddled with dementia. She has seen him turn to ice as small blood clots get stuck in his arteries. She has had to clean and feed him. She has done all this despite the difficult years. She does this for us and for him.

On a few occasions she has called crying. She yelled at my dad when he wasn’t listening. She swiped at him with his T-shirt as she was trying to change his clothes. She tells me she feels horrible. I tell her she is the most caring and loving person I know.

I call every day, or try to at least. I make sure to ask how she is doing. She’s always fine. She’s convinced me that she’ll always be fine. That’s the sacrifice she’s made.

She has put herself last in line for my family, or, first in case of an ambush.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Best Sports Betting Sites - 10 Online Sportsbooks Ranked for 2024

Best Sports Betting Sites (2024) - Reviews of TOP Online Sportsbooks
Next Article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.