Celia "Sally" Orozco (nee Barron)
How did your parents feel about you getting married to him? (speaking of first husband,James)
Uh...Daddy said, "he didn't like the idea cause I was too young. My daddy said, "I'm not gonna take that away cause this might be your lucky guy, then I tell you not to then you get a guy that beats you up and I'll beat the shit outta him. That was daddy. I mean that was daddy. And he would, he'd kill him. So he said, okay. Mother had to go sign for me cause I couldn't get married at that age.
Why wouldn't your dad go sign for you?
Because he was working. We got married on a Tuesday. I think.
How old were you when you had your first child?
I was about nineteen.
After you divorced, did your parents help you raise Allen?
They took over with him. Because when he left (James- ex-husband) he told daddy and momma, "I'm leaving cause Sally don't want me no more." he said "I still love her, and I'll never get married." Which he never did.
You're talking about James?
Uh-huh. He says but I want you and mom to take care of Allen cause she's too young. I was...you know..very young. He (Allen) was only nine months old when I left him or ran him out of the house or whatever the hell you wanna call it.
And why did you get divorced?
Stupid thing. Which now I think is stupid. Now what I think happened I was fifteen, he was twenty-five, he was in the service and he was in the second division. The sexond division was "puro Mexicanos" (just Mexicans) very few "gringos" or Germans or whatever they were, there were very, very few. so they spoke espanol so I spoke espanol. I was in Wisconsin and they talked to me in Spanish "y que honey...you know how men are. Honey here honey, sweetheart and they would come and kiss me...then they'd buy something, buy me something and I took everything like a teenager would...I guess and now I say, "maybe that's why he was so jealous." He didn't want me going out by myself. He didn't trust me and I didn't blame him. Now I say I don't blame him at that time I was pissed. But I was crazy. Very crazy. I was a tomboy to start with. I'd do silly things. Well..I mean well I was little we went to...they had a big thing at the "campo" (base)they had food, had a lot of games, had a fortune teller, they had the whole works. So we went to the fish pond and the damn thing (fishing pole) didn't go in so I picked up my dress and threw my leg up...you know and boy they threw so many things (prizes) at me you wouldn't believe which was stupid for me to do things like that. I was a married girl but at that time I was a kid so now I say that maybe that's why. Cause he'd buy me everything. I was dressed better than anybody. I never bought a dress...look at this..at that time he'd pay seventy or eighty dollars for a dress and shoes he didn't like junk. He didn't like to buy trash. He would say, "if I have five suits they're going to be good, tailor made you name it." You know he was just that. And Allen was also like that. Allen was also dressed very well He (James) was so conscientious on how he dressed that he'd get on the bed or get on top of the cedar chest to change so that he wouldn't dirty his pants. He was bad.
Did you have much of a social life?
OH HELL YEAH! I had s good life. Oh yeah, Ihad a good life. My daddy let me go out. Daddy wasn't the type. No. you got to get out. Have a good time but you go early and I'd come in..I mean buy eleven thirty I had to be home. Last time the parties started at six not like today where it starts at ten, eleven or twleve. And by twelve o'clock there was nothing there no beer joints open.. I mean everything was already closed. The dances were over with. We used to go to the U.S.O. (downtown San Antonio) and I used to tell Ricky (son), "it was so funny at that time not like today a lot of girls of today go with boys/men get on top of cars and and they do all kinds of things you know that they would not let the boys go with us to the "Y" (Y.M.C.A.) they had a bus in town and the girls would meet there and the bus would take us where the U.S.O. was at and they'd take us and we'd get off and the boys when they came, they came to the bus and they couldn't get in there, in the bus. They'd stand there and see us get in the bus. That was pretty good. But it was good it kept us in line. You know?..
So where did you go Friday and Saturday nights?
I went dancing! Ohhhh!
Where at?
At the U.S.O. I ooooo... girl I danced. The whole works. I mean..I was a ..well I started dancing when I was in school. Cause I use to be in all the plays/ And my Aunt Juanita use to be a seamstress so she would make the dresses and she would buy the material where she worked for five cents a yard. And she use to make me Mexican dresses, Spanish, Ire..Ireland..everything that I was she made it for me. Iremember one year I was "Spaniola" and I cried cause my daddy was sick, Louie (brother) was sick and momma said, "We didn't have money..well they did buy they weren't going to spend money stupidly cause Momma and Daddy wee not the type. And they said we can not afford to pay but justsee it was a lot of material Spanish dresses are long and they have loose things that go round and round the dress. I go way back and I guess I was suppose to marry a German the first time. I was grown up in a German area. Came to San Antonio and eneded in a german place. And I dreamed and I always dreamed that the Germans...Cause it was during the war (World War II) I didn't even know James yet. I would be there during the war and then they'd always take care of me, always took care of me. And I married a German boy and I had a German girlfriend.
Did men accept you having a child?
Yeah. What do you mean? If you had a child before? Most men didn't. Carlos was the only one of course. I went to every dance nobody knew I was married. I never told.
What events do you remember happening that had a big impact in your life?
Like what?
Um..like did the war have an impact on your life?
It didn't affect my life. No.
Do you remember anything going on in the world that affected maybe your father's farm?
No because Loue...by the time he went in the service it wasn't during the war. He was in Greenland it wasn't during the war.
Now this question you're really going to like. What kind of advice did you give your children before they left your house to live their own lives?
Don't take no shit? You don't let..it's the truth. I told Sylvia (only daughter) you do not let a man tell you how to dress. You've always dressed this way, you dress that way and don't let him change you. Because that's what my daddy taught me, you don't let no man touch you (abusive way). If he touches you, I don't care where you are mija you can be on the other side of the world you'll get money and you'll come home with your kid. I don't care. Youalways have a home here. And that's what I tell the kids you always have a home in my house. And I think you should tell that to your kids too because if not they're going to feel like who's going to help me. Daddy always told me not to worry just to come home of course he wasn't going to give me everything I had to go to work and I had to pitch in but I mean as far as anything else cause daddy was the type he believed in saving. He did not believe in giving you money for anything. Just because you wanted it, no. I remember it was my birthday and I was just starting to work and momma said what do you want for your birthday? And I said a watch and momma said, "Lupe, Celia wants a watch for her birthday and he said she's already working let her buy it. That's the way daddy was. so in other words...he made us stand on our own two feet........
I learned that the times are diffrent but people don't really change. If you've got a free spirit, you enjoy life to its fullest. Ms. Orozco seemed to have her fun as a young woman but not forgetting her responsiblity to her first son, Allen. Men back then frowned upon women who had children, it's not like today where it is a common thing. She is not an educated woman but she forced her children and her grandchildren to read and study. Before Mr. Orozco passed on he would talk about all the things he and Ms. Orozco would do. He spoke about being out with friends dancing. All the past experiences she has had has made her the woman she is today. If there is something she wants she'll go after it and not stop until she gets it. I enojoyed doing this interview and have enjoyed hearing all the interviews in this class because people from our past whether it be dad, mom, uncle, aunt or a friend they have all paid the price for what we chose to do today.
U.S.O. In San Antonio. This is where Ms. Orozco use to go out dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.
Gunter Hotel. LONE STAR LEGENDS: Haunted Menger Hotel in San Antonio. Legends of America website. P.O. Box 19423, Lenexa, KS 66285, 913-708-5119. Postcard of the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, TX. This is where Ms. Orozco went on her blind date.
