WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE hit Baja California on Easter Sunday, I was eating with my mom, sister, and her two kids at the Rainforest Cafe at Disneytown. As I was finishing up my dank lavanachos, we all looked up at each other as the table and everything beneath us started to sway back and forth slowly. Looking at each other first and then at adjacent families who stopped eating their meals as well, we all knew that this wasn’t a part of the prop thunder and yelling gorillas that the restaurant is known for.
Although unsure of what it was at first, everyone around clarified that that definitely was an earthquake. It was also evident who was not from California as a child sitting at the table next to us immediately started to cry and tremble as he had never experienced an earthquake before - it turned out the family was from Indiana. As the waitress came back to our table, I asked if she had felt the earthquake. with a smile on, she replied, “You know what, I actually didn’t. But then again I’ve been working here for almost a year now and I’ve lived in California my whole life so I’m kinda used it I guess, as bad as that sounds.” The nonchalant and carefree manner of the waitress without showing the slightest fear in what just happened seemed to resonate to me the typical Southern California attitude regarding disasters like earthquakes or fires; we’ll worry about it when it happens and until then everything will be fine.
As my mom finished her rasta pasta and paid the check, she calmly looked over at my two teenaged nephews and says, “You know if this earthquake would have been the big one that’s coming, I would have been fine with it knowing that I was with two of my kids and two of my grandchildren.” With too-cool-for-school expressions that are typical of high school teenagers, they look at each other and smile and laugh seeming to think about the million places they would rather be than with their mom and grandma.
Driving back home I thought about where I would be during the next earthquake. No matter where I might be, I hope I’m not far from my family. Being away from home for the last three years at college, I have grown to enjoy not being home. Eating something between lunch and dinner with my family when the quake occurred, I felt it was a bit of a reality check from nature.
The quake was a reminder of the ever-looming possibility of disaster and where you may be when it occurs. Being with my family put everything in a bit of a perspective as I have spent less and less time with my family since college. Since that quake, I have seen my mom at least once every weekend and have phoned her almost every other day- an improvement from the sporadic visits during winter and summer break and minimal phone calls.--Eddie Flores
(photo credit: Eddie Flores)
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