Things get personal as a reader asks Auntie SAM how she got her start.
(Bild: Auntie SAM’s Dad)
Dear Auntie SAM: How is it possible that you have only been here four years and yet already you have done so much without knowing the language?
When I was a kid, I went every weekend to live with my father. A charming man, with a radiant smile, who spent all of his paycheck (when he had one) on booze.
My two younger sisters & I spent a lot of our time in that house cuddled together in front of a kerosene heater wrapped in all things – believe it or not – a Swiss Army blanket (Merci).
He had shot holes in our walls & front door with his rifle and bow & arrow. We had no heat, electricity, water, or food. Just sorta a roof & walls, a dog, that blanket, & lots of books.
Every weekend we went to the bar. With what little money he had, he’d buy us Cokes & he’d drink. But his charisma paid mostly.
Very few were immune.
Even me. I adored him. What could I do?
I hustled.
I don’t remember my first mark, but I remember the dinner winning a game off him bought: a meatball sandwich I shared with my sisters.
From then on, that was my role in our family. My dad taught me poker, euchre, pepper, & pool. I was naturally great at pinball & ok at darts.
But drunks are only profitable when you own a bar.
So, at ten, I became the youngest person in my state to earn First Aid and Infant & Adult CPR certifications after spending my summer in day-long classes with policemen, firemen, nurses, & EMTs. Then I babysat their children.
Then, as a Plan C, I taught myself calligraphy & got regular business scribing invitations & signs for weddings, graduations, quinceañeras, & anniversaries.
These skills, plus a few other jobs, helped sustain us the next 8 years.
I’ve never been one of those girls who questioned whether their dad loved & approved of them. My dad adored me; everyone knew that.
Just not as much as Seagram’s Seven.
Which is just my childish way of acknowledging adults have needs that love & goodness can’t feed. And that, when things get tough, even a child can surprise you.
As a tag-along spouse, I didn’t have a place waiting for me in Basel. The pharma company that welcomed my husband refused to even speak with me on the phone. Deals made before we arrived were proven sour. And, rather quickly, my life rang several unexpected & ugly tunes.
So, how did I do so much so quickly? Necessity.
The origin story I’ve told many times now is that I asked a total stranger for something crazy, and he said „yes“. That’s truly the long & short of it.
But the fact is, too, that I had to find an opportunity and make the best of it. When I was a child and unsure when we’d eat, playing games with strangers may have saved our lives. But, now I am a woman who has been properly loved, educated, and cared for. I no longer play games. I just figure out what I want & then I ask for it.
And, I’m always happy when the universe listens.
xo
AS
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This SATURDAY, 14 FEBRUARY you’ll find me at my VALENTINE’S DAY EVENT at VOLKSHAUS: „JE T’AIME: THE BURLESQUE ODE TO LOVE“. The CABARET and COMPLIMENTARY BUBBLY & CUPCAKES start at 9PM. Then a TWO-PART BURLESQUE SHOW, each act chosen for its view on LOVE. Finally, DANCE with me, other club kids, the performers, & drag queens until they kick us out – probably some time around dawn 😉 Pre-sale & VIP tickets available via ticketcorner.ch: 27 SFr / VIP 50 SFr. For more information, see: www.weloveburlesque.ch SATURDAY, 9PM.
Or, if love’s got you down this year, check out VIRTUAL BAGGAGE at ENGLISH SEMINAR, NADELBERG 6, BASEL UNIVERSITY. A series of 5 short plays all dealing with the idea of baggage (emotional/psychological/virtual). Tickets available at ticketino.com & at the door: 30.40 SFr General admission; 19 SFr Students. 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, & 21 FEBRUARY, 8PM.