Evenings at the Argentine Club (40 page)

Dear Reader,

The Argentine Club that sets the stage for much of this book became a catalyst, a sort of time machine for me to take a trip back to my own childhood. I have vague memories of my family attending “the Argentine club.” We didn’t go often, because my mother didn’t like going. She shared with me recently that the women sat around gossiping most of the time, or trying to one-up each other. My mother didn’t find a sisterhood, but rather, as she says, a bunch of silly women she’d rather avoid.

My father, however, must have felt a different type of connection. He enjoyed being around other Argentines. He wanted to be reminded of his birth country, which he missed as if he’d left behind part of his soul. I remember many Friday evenings when he would go to the club to play cards, then return Saturday morning while my mother was cleaning the house and my brother and I were watching morning cartoons. If he won money (because they played for money), he’d walk in and toss twenty-dollar bills into the air and watch them rain down on us. My brother and I would excitedly pick up the bills as if they were candy that had spilled from a piñata. We were usually allowed to keep one each. If he lost, he walked in quietly, sat at the kitchen table, and talked to my mother about his night.

I wanted to share with you that “the club” was a part of my life; however, it wasn’t the central part, as it is for my characters. The club in the story comes from my imagination. Bits and pieces that I remember combined with, perhaps, wishful thinking. For instance, children didn’t learn Spanish or have a school at the club—I wish we had. We ran wild around and between the tables set up in the main and only hall.

I don’t know the exact history of the club, but I do know that it disbanded eventually. Today there exists an Argentine Association of LA in Burbank, which holds weekly dinner shows. I took my mother to a dinner event when I was doing research for this book. I thought she’d enjoy it. Good food, tangos, and jokes that went way over my head but she found funny because she connected with Argentine humor. We had a nice night out together, and she indulged me as I drove around Burbank taking pictures. Since I grew up in the San Fernando Valley of California, and I know there actually are large concentrations of Argentines in that area, I knew I wanted this to be the setting for my story. But I do want to make it clear that my fictional club is not intended to resemble what exists today.

As a child, like Eric in my story I didn’t see the point in getting together with a bunch of strangers only because they happened to have been born in the same country as my parents. I didn’t “get” my father. I’m happy to say that today I do. I don’t belong to an Argentine club, but I
am
a member of a number of Latina organizations. And I’m passionate about writing stories with Latino characters.

I think the beautiful multicultural fabric of our country makes us such an amazingly wonderful and strong nation. I’m glad that we have groups that keep bits of foreign cultures alive. I love Cinco de Mayo fiestas, and St. Patrick’s Day parades, and churches that hold services in various languages.

I love my memories of the real Argentine club that helped make me aware of my roots in a minor way, and I hope that you enjoy being a part of my fictional club.

1. The Argentine Club was the glue that kept all these people together. What do you feel groups such as these do for a community? Does it keep immigrants from becoming Americanized? Or help make the transition easier?
   
2. Every character in the story was seeking, in some way, to fulfill the American dream. Is the dream still a possibility in this country? If no, what has changed? If yes, is it still the same dream that early immigrants came to this country to achieve?
   
3. How do you think Victoria’s relationship with her father affected her blossoming relationship with Eric?
   
4. In Latin America it is not unusual for a child to live with his or her family until marriage, which could be in their thirties. Do you see a problem with children staying to live with their parents longer?
   
5. As mothers, our jobs are to help our children mature and prepare them to live life on their own. Did Jaqueline perform this job well? Did Lucia?
   
6. What do you think caused Victoria’s weight issues? Was it simply a lifetime of unhealthy habits, or was there another, more emotional cause? How do you feel that her decision to follow her dreams helped her shed the extra pounds she carried?
   
7. Did Victoria hold traditional Latino values? How did they affect the way she lived her life? What are traditional Latino values? Is there such a thing?
   
8. Independence is one of the themes of the book. Are we ever truly independent or is that a myth?
   

1. El club de Argentina era el cemento que guardaba a toda esta gente junta. ¿Qué hacen grupos como éstos para la comunidad? ¿Impiden a los inmigrantes a integrarse? ¿O hacen la transición más fácil?
   
2. Cada carácter en la historia intentaba, de cierta manera, satisfacer el sueño americano. ¿Es el sueño americano todavía una posibilidad en este país? ¿Si no, qué ha cambiado? ¿Si sí, es el mismo sueño que los inmigrantes de antes soñaban?
   
3. ¿Cree usted que la relación de Victoria con su padre afectó la relación de ella con Eric? ¿Cómo?
   
4. En la América latina no es insólito que un niño viva con su familia hasta su matrimonio, que podría ser a sus treinta años. ¿Ve usted un problema con los niños viviendo con sus padres por mucho más tiempo?
   
5. Como madres, nuestros trabajos son ayudar a nuestros niños madurar y prepararlos para vivir sus vidas propias. ¿Realizaron bien este trabajo Jacqueline y Lucia?
   
6. ¿Qué causó la preocupación acerca del peso de Victoria? ¿Era simplemente un curso de la vida de hábitos malsanos, o había otra causa más emocional? ¿Cómo le ayudó a perder sus libras adicionales esta decisión de seguir sus sueños?
   
7. ¿Tiene Victoria valores tradicionales latinos? Si sí, ¿cómo afectaron la manera en que ella vivió su vida? ¿Cuáles son algunos valores tradicionales latinos? ¿Hay todavía tal cosas?
   
8. La independencia es uno de los temas del libro. ¿Es posible ser realmente independiente, o es un mito?
   

JULIA AMANTE
had the misfortune of growing up away from the extended family that is so valued in the Latin culture, but she missed out on very little of what it means to be Argentine. Asados were sacred meals shared together on weekends. Cheering for the Argentine soccer team was a must, as were the pilgrimages to the Argentine Club in Los Angeles, where the young Americanized kids hid under the tables and watched the adults dance tango until the wee hours of the morning. Julia giggled right along with the rest of the kids at how geeky the parents looked, but secretly she was intrigued by the romantic culture and passionate music.

Julia lives in California with her husband, son, daughter, and two pampered pound puppies. She is hard at work on her next novel.