La Tienda (The Store)
My grandparents, Agustin and Maria, owned a small corner grocery store across the street from Our Lady of Lourdes in East Los Angeles during WW II. It was the “communication hub” for the ladies of the parish as they stopped in after Mass, running errands or simply stopping by for the forgotten item on their grocery list.
It was 1942 and most everyone was struggling to make ends meet, including my grandparents. However, they were able to survive with the modest income from my grandfather’s job as a welder at a nearby sheet metal shop and from the proceeds of their little corner grocery store, La Tienda.
My grandparents were more fortunate than most. They also owned a small one-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood which they hoped would bring in additional income and had recently rented it to a newlywed couple, Roberto and Elisa.
The newlyweds were very young. Roberto worked at a carpet factory on 7th Street and Maria worked as a housekeeper at one of the fancy hotels downtown and their combined income was just enough to cover their monthly expenses. Occasionally there was a little extra money left over to go into Elisa’s savings account, which was actually an old cigar box she kept at the back of the top cupboard in the kitchen.
Elisa and Roberto were expecting their first child in a few months. Although overjoyed with the news, Elisa was now beginning to show in her pregnancy. She would not be able to hide her pregnancy much longer at the hotel. The couple knew she would have to give up her job in a few months, which would jeopardize the affordability of their home.
The young couple soon began to plan how they could survive on one income. Elisa thought they she could take in ironing for some of the other working mothers. However, most of the other families were also struggling and it was unlikely Elisa could make enough money to help cover their rent.
Finally, the day came when Elisa could no longer hide her pregnancy, and she was dismissed from the hotel. Even with her secret savings, it wasn’t enough to cover next month’s rent, which was due at the end of the week.
The next morning Elisa stopped at the little store and saw my grandmother behind the counter.
Doña Maria smiled warmly when she saw Elisa and after a pleasant chat asking about the family, Elisa timidly said, “I’m so sorry, Doña Maria, we are unable to pay the rent on Friday.” Between sobs, Elisa managed to continue, “Please let us stay. We promise, we will make it up in a few weeks,”
My grandmother hugged Elisa, “Ay mijita, I need to speak to Don Agustin and we will see what we can do.”
After checking with my grandfather, she let Elisa know they would be forgiven the rent this month.
“Gracias Dona Maria, we promise to make up what we owe”.
That week, Elisa was delighted as she was able make a few dollars by taking in ironing from some of the women in the parish, She and her husband were hopeful things would turn around. But soon, the additional work became too much for her, and she couldn’t keep up with enough ironing to pay the rent. She would need to once again approach my grandmother and ask for more time.
A few weeks later, Elisa walked into the store and said,
“Ay Doña Maria, I am so sorry, I’m afraid we just don’t have the money.”
Again, my grandmother hugged Elisa and told her she would speak to Don Agustin.
Later that night when my grandfather returned home from work, she said,
“Agustin… I have troubling news…. Roberto and Elisa still can’t pay the rent…
What should we do?”
My grandfather with sadness in his voice said,
“Maria, please speak to them and tell them we absolutely need the rent money by the end of this month, or we will have to ask them to leave.”
Maria sighed and said she would stop by the apartment that afternoon and deliver the news.
Crossing the street Maria walked down the block to the small apartment and knocked on the door.
Elisa answered and broke down in tears as she invited my grandmother into the apartment. As my grandmother stepped inside, she noticed the little apartment was scarcely furnished. A threadbare couch and a tiny table with two chairs were the only furniture visible.
Elisa was in her apron and had been ironing. A large basket filled with clothes stood in the corner. She explained that now that she was seven months along, she had been dismissed from the hotel due to her pregnancy and had taken on ironing to make ends meet, but the long hours on her feet were taking its toll. As my grandmother stood there, the aroma of Elisa’s baking wafted in from the kitchen.
“Mija, what smells so delicious?”
“Gracias, Doña Maria, I have made a pie from the apples Mrs. Garcia gave me last week and I could not let them spoil. Mrs. Hernandez was kind enough to loan me extra butter. Please sit down and I will make us some tea and you may have a taste.”
Later that night, upon returning home from work, my grandfather sat down at the kitchen table. As he quietly sipped on a cup of coffee, he asked his wife if she had spoken with their tenants.
“Were you able to collect the rent Maria?”
“Ay Agustin” she said.
“When I saw how poor they were, I couldn’t ask them.”
“What did you do?”
Maria sighed as tears filled her eyes and said, “I’m so sorry Agustin, I just couldn’t ask them”.
“And what did you do?” he asked again with concern in his voice.
“I went back to the store and bought them groceries.”
Only my grandmother!
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