Denaro Sisters

I have never, in my entire life, been exposed to a great relationship between two sisters, except the one connecting my mother, Adeline, and Aunt Doris. There were other Denaro sisters but I was most familiar with this beautiful pair. If I have never seen a great relationship between sisters, how would I know this one was great? I felt it, like I hope you have, if you have ever seen them together.

They were not together much, which was ironically part of the connection. Because we did not have a phone in our Bronx apartment in the 1950’s, I remember my mother and I carrying fists full, no pounds, of quarters to the public phone booth at the local candy store to call Aunt Doris. Later, they hardly ever called each other because it was so expensive. So they wrote to each other. Well, they tried to write to each other. They tried very hard to stay connected over the many miles and many years they were apart.

Mom was with Aunt Doris in Mexico after her husband, Dan, passed away suddenly. And just as devoted, Aunt Doris was here in the States with Mom when Dad died, also very suddenly. At that time, Doris motivated Mom to get a driver’s license. (That is another story.)

But when Adie and Doris (born Matilda) got together, they were very funny. The way they talked and reminisced was wonderful to hear and watch. When they began to laugh, they would screech and cackle and howl; it would tickle your heart, if you were nearby. They loved and fought like sisters, I guess. Even that was amusing and interesting to watch.

I had the great opportunity to be alone with the “Sisters” several times. The last time was several years ago when they stayed at my home for a few weeks. Their heartfelt love for each other was obvious and it had sustained, if not been nourished by, the thousands of miles and years they were away from each other.

Driving. Many wonderful things also come to mind, but driving comes to mind when I think of Aunt Doris. Driving with Aunt Doris in Mexico City was impressive. Actually, at age 14, on my first trip to Mexico, anyone who drove was impressive. But in Mexico City, the congested traffic, the furious traffic circles and the bowling ball sized speed bumps, put anyone driving there in another class.

Aunt Doris is always fond of reminding me about the day she made a wrong turn into a stock car race. I don’t remember where we were going, but she turned onto this road which was lined with bales of hay. Cars with numbers on their doors were whizzing by us at an incredible speed. She did not stop immediately.

As I remember it, we had to be waved off the road by race officials. Well, there goes all the fun. Not so. We stood on the side of the road, on the other side of the bales of hay from the “normal” spectators and enjoyed the rest of the race. And I had the photographs to prove it! When it was all over, and the last car past our position, we got back in Aunt Doris’s car and drove by the bales of hay and spectators for our victory lap. The drive home was anti-climatic.

For my 50th birthday I took my mother to visit her sister in Mexico. After a few days, I got up enough nerve to ask Aunt Doris if I could drive her car in town. We had to wait a day. Local gas rationing dictated only even number license plates were allowed on the road that day. So the next day was the first time Aunt Doris and I collaborated as the “Mexican Driving Machine”. It was exciting as I drove and she navigated, with Mom in the back seat, in Mexico City (Grand Prix). Actually, we were just going to her daughter, Jacqueline’s for dinner. However, it was a very impressive and exciting drive for all.

Photo Notes: The one on the left is from a Denaro family group shot at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary party. I’m assuming it was in the 1950’s. The photo on the right was from our trip to Mexico City after my 50th birthday. I cropped myself out of the photo yet we were standing in front of a cactus fence around the home of the famous Mexican mural artist Diego Rivera, who Aunt Doris knew, back in the day.