Jacqueline Powers and Miguel [No Name Given]

00:05 My name is Mark Jacqueline Marie Powers. I'm 56 years old. Today's date is Monday October 28th, 2019. We're in Dallas, Texas and my interview partner is Miguel and he is my best friend.

00:24 Hello, my name is Miguel. I am 33 years old today is day is Monday October 28th of 2019. We're in Dallas, Texas and the name of my interview partner is Marie powers and she's my best friend as well.

00:46 Make out the first thing I remember about us meeting was when you came here and your cousin asked me if I had any side work to do you always an interior designer for a family that he worked for and he said he had his cousin who would come and needed a little work and I said, oh yes, I always have things that somebody can do I'm always getting that question and then he brought you to meet me and my friend Sandra who was needed some things done and you did a lot of things work for her and we were standing at the window watching her work so hard and that led to more jobs and more jobs for other people because everybody was always so happy with the work that you did and

01:40 They wanted to steal you from me. Then you got an actual job job that then I had to kind of ask do you have time to do this? If you have time to do that, and we maintained that until one of my clients really really said I must have him and you took a chance on that and took that job and you've been there for 10 years.

02:09 At 11. I forgot we met in 2008 when we first met. I think it's kind of like you were saying and one of those jobs thing was Sandra Sandra's house and

02:30 I don't know. I really never have.

02:36 Communication with other relationship like this, but another person always been surrounded with a bunch of Latino people. And so I don't remember starting kind of it was kind of difficult for me being communicating to you cuz my English is still no good, but back then it was really really bad. We did a lot of sign language.

03:09 I really am.

03:12 I think that we are now this is just

03:17 Really good place in a relationship and spend a long long journey together a bunch of them, I think.

03:33 I don't know I mean.

03:37 I just how do meiosis is kind of amazing how things can happen for a couple people, you know from two different places that to meet and to be such a strong relationship to I mean, I don't know if we are so different but the same time so the same I know that Adam has been good. Just been good having you in my life for so many so many years has going to be in 11 years. I think this is the same person what actually is over 11 years, but I'm glad to have you in my life.

04:21 I think I think the main part are we neighbors right now is because I don't even we talk a lot. I think I know we never liked these I don't think like so we just assume that each other feels the same sense of deep friendship. We don't talk about our friendship so deep. Yeah. Yeah. I think we know I'd buy that thing. So I mean, this is good and I'm glad you did this because I think it's important to realize help.

04:59 I mean, I don't feel so lucky to have you in all the experience man. Spend all the time mean.

05:13 I was thinking when you when you said about your English was not so good and we did sign language how you started teaching me some Spanish words for the parts of my body. Like that's your knees through your rodeo and you're not at ease and we would make fun and then that turned into some Spanglish and he taught me how to play lotto and Lottery has taught me more words in English or English and me last part my fault and never tried to help push mowers Youtube Learning is finding something. We still have time for me to Half Price Book for the for Spanish for the children. So I'll have to start reading that.

06:12 I don't know.

06:16 Can you talk with each other a little bit about when?

06:21 Time that you went

06:23 Coworkers or someone who is being hired by another percent to being friends. How did that transition happen? Well, it was it kind of happened kind of quick. We had worked and worked together and you know, I always in communication about do you have time for this or time for that and during his job he was working with his cousins at that same job that we that I first met him at our that his cousin asked me about do you have work for my cousin and he had been living with them and it just it was too many people in a small apartment and it just wasn't a comfortable situation and I was living in kind of a Bohemian lifestyle in a strip center and a warehouse that wasn't even supposed to be inhabited residents and he's a

07:23 You know, do you think I can just stay here for one night till I find someplace to live cuz we have had a fuss and there was plenty of room. It was a lot of big warehouse and I said bring it in come on and so for a long time, we just we ended up living together being roommates and moving from place to place as I said, he's moved you've moved me.

07:48 Seven or eight times and every time you told me this time is the last time cuz it's all going to the dump next time too much stuff.

07:58 We finally actually have different apartments now is different not to have each other's be in each other's world day today, but we still have the dogs we retrieved.

08:13 Best artist I rent a dog's we have not rented dogs. We have adopted dogs. We have had lots of fun. It's like having a family together and I share them four of them. And so anyway after it just once it once you moved in it became we just had to be the beans. You have no choice here, you know, you're sharing everything and I think was 2000s on that.

08:54 Yeah, everything kind of rap together. I think I know I was working full-time for Betty and

09:05 No, I said that start with your name and where he went down that start working with him in but we still work together but definitely moving together. It was like a big deal for me because I never experienced living with a female. I was live with a bunch of guys and you know, Messi plays Missy trailer messy house and all that demands, but they did so I got to deal with them, but I don't know how much time is each me how to mop every time you have not learned but living in same house is like, you know, somebody is there somebody is enough for me.

09:58 I mean, you know, my whole family is there is Mexico so I never have the chance to see him in 15 years old. I spend a lot of support for me for you being there everyday and his last three years that we haven't been live in the same house has been kind of crazy. It's it's good. It's good. I I think I'm gonna like to be by myself with the dogs sometimes and sometimes with you and by the same time so I miss you sometimes you know, yeah.

10:37 Somebody to share a meal and things like that. I was thinking about you returning last night because I finally make pork chops for two months. I've been wanting pork chops for a long time. And I remember we eating a lot of pictures before and I made it last night and I was just by myself in and right there by myself with the dogs, but still remember when we were living together. Yeah. It's a lot to tell her not to remember. I always tell people you know that coming from your culture that it's so

11:10 I think the American cultured we families quit sitting down eating meals together a while back and you it was always important for you to for us to sit down and make a meal to sit down at the table and you know, you usually cooked and then I would clean up and or sometimes not and you would clean up but we definitely had that more of a family feeling where we've made an effort to have those times that were

11:43 Kind of the way they should be where you talk about your day at the end of the day and you know, what whatever terrible thing happened or what great thing happened moments. Yeah course, I still text you at 11 at night sometimes and say crazy crazy person did this today? Or I can tell you never guess so in so-called and I've got to bring up new big job coming up and I'm going to need your help and still having you there. When you move to Amarillo like three years ago. It was said I was 2 years that was hard. I couldn't see you. All friend and I couldn't see the dogs. Love him and that was that was hard and then it would make me worry the whole time you would get in the truck to come over every few weeks and see.

12:43 May I be so worried for the whole six hours of your drive and I would text you the whole time go slow through the little towns go slow to the little towns, but I knew you were there the minute at that kind of blew up and I needed to move back. I just called you and I said I need to rent a U-Haul. I need you to come get me and you and I enjoyed drove over and saved me loaded the trailer the van back up again lot of times.

13:23 What are some of the reactions that people have had to your relationship?

13:29 You know people have a very they find a so interesting but maybe more in the beginning they were just determined that we were a couple and we're like no we're just best friends and how I depend on him for everything and and I've never had that before before I could depend on someone. I've always had to depend on people depending on me and

13:56 We would be very wealthy if we had a nickel for every time. Someone said I will come on but no we're just so close We are family and the reactions are really today. People are like, you're so lucky to have me go. I know I know you know, they

14:23 I talk about you. Sometimes they decide whether you know, the weather like you did was ask me you should marry her dismuke and you could have your papers long time ago and not worry about going back home. But yeah, it's just kind of

14:48 I don't know. I remember even one time we were driving different cars and we were right there at Walnut Hill 75 you remember but you were driving besides me and I just kind of make you signs with my hand send a guy besides another car. He going to look at me. Like are you crazy? Are you do a woman? Do you like coming to your place or something like that? But they didn't know like, you know, we know each other crazy but relationships crazy, but

15:35 Yeah, we got a lot of experiences together that

15:44 I David I haven't had these experiences of travel with you know, even boyfriends or husbands that I've had where you

15:53 Across the country and make an effort to stop and see the exciting things, you know in the past. It would have been just you know, get on the plane go do what you have to do. If I work get back on the plane or get in the truck. They're do what you have to do turn around and come back but we've made an effort or I guess I feel like I made an effort to make sure you saw, you know part of the part of the country which actually made than me see part of the country because I take it for granted I live and I can go anywhere and you can't necessarily go anywhere. So we've been to Chicago and seeing those we've been through st. Louis to see the arch and

16:38 To Washington DC and that it was good and everywhere we go and we stay with these families at work that I do work for they all fall in love with you and just can't believe the things that that we read each other's mind as I have said to you before I didn't people say all the time you get so much more done. If you do a gate and it's impossible for me to delegate because it takes me longer to tell someone how I want something and then I end up doing it over again because it's not the way I want it but you read my mind you finish my sentences. And before I was said,

17:26 Screws that rug over our do, you know can we move that chair? You've already know that I'm going to want that chair of here. I'm going to want that that painting up higher you do, you know when you're already on the ladder doing it, you know, and then when it's time to go you're already packing up the tools and getting everything organized and I'm in there trying to get us paid. Yeah, when I think we could we just a good team. I think it's okay.

18:00 Yeah, but this I don't know a lot of things to.

18:05 To think to do to remember but

18:08 My goodness all time lot of good moments. I remember we have capital.

18:18 Couple nice where we got really?

18:21 Drawing probably out of the day when I used to drinking and good times though. It was our second Christmas with us together.

18:36 The first one I think we were leaving the White House when I first move into place, but yeah, I mean, I remember you saying I'm driving around Jackson, Mississippi. I don't think Mexicans live here yet. I think that's absolutely we are everywhere.

19:07 When you first came to the United States, what were the kinds of relationships that you had with people? And how did how did this one? How does this one compare to those kind?

19:20 Well, when I first came which wasn't around September 2004 when I left my family my country Myrtle Beach South Carolina and I got their living with the bunch of guys which I didn't know was that one guy that I came with a relationship with the with the with those people who it was it was great. I was doing I would say to your soul. So it was great because I mean for me was a whole new world here. I think I learned a lot from those people being around them.

20:05 It was just guys he was just guys it was his you know, so having conversations totally different than what I can have with you. Now, totally totally different never have really actually a good friend a good friend like you I don't think I never have it. I mean I have friends but no not like you is so different, you know, it's like going out to go to to to to the clubs with guys or with other females just for an hour or two just you know them but no like having a good relationship now and I know this is so different and it's so special just because all the things we went through. I mean when you come out of jail two times already and it's tell nobody else that way. I don't think nobody could have done that to me. It's not a lot of people that do that do that for you.

21:05 You know a lot of people have that support and it's a lot of little things that the make stuff relation big. I think I said.

21:19 I mean

21:22 I don't think one of those guys that I know I've been wouldn't put me out of Yale helmet with with a bunch of problems in so I think it's what makes it special that makes different and I never have I'm leaving with a female before you so let's just make the whole thing kind of

21:45 Different for me in a special just trying to learn how to

21:58 Ssss is really different from the different living living with them but the bunch of guys and they were born with a woman and have that relation. You know, who's with nobody else? I don't think not even with him with Antonio never talked about really important things. You know, what just guys and you talk about it when you were with them if you just talked about the work in the same thing. You can come over and over.

22:30 We talked about everything about everything it don't matter what it is. We talked about everything. I don't think we have at least myself. I don't think I have anything that I haven't told you, You know, it's really, you know me more than I do myself. I think I used to say that if I wouldn't do it, but I used to say if it was even possible for me to marry you so you could be get your papers. We would pass the test because we know every single thing about anything and so with that is another thing about what other people have always said, why don't you just marry him and I'm like, well, first of all, I'm 23 years older than him and second of all, I don't want to lose my best friend because I think that would change things so much and that's not the relationship we have our relationship is

23:27 It's not brother and sister, but if it's but it is family. I don't know what have I got to be a word for that. But whatever it is. I know the other day was your six five years or six years since you had a drink since your way past, which is then encouraged me to also be

23:59 Oh, yeah, and I kidding I was thinking I don't have to support in that part. Do you know it stop drinking like a while was doing it and I don't think I would have make it it's a lot. I think you would have but that's I'll take that credit if you want to give it to me, but I don't know. You know, how was I was drinking a lot. I didn't I was making her own decisions and and you know other people wouldn't say yes finishing probation and just come and hang out again. Don't let me know. I mean if I would have been video to take a drink again now, I feel comfortable without it. So

24:50 Now but I think you're good. You're a good representative for what it can.

24:56 What that can do for you what a and things like that can do for you you really shine where that's concerned.

25:15 That's a good question.

25:19 Well, I think one of my favorite things that she's really smart. You're a smart just

25:26 Surprise me. How high can you remember things that I wish I could like. I mean people can come and talk to you about anything. Then you have like you have little bit of knowledge about a lot of things that I don't know Sports little bit of sports little bit like take a little bit of that until that I like about you a lot because

25:53 I'm not I mean, I'm not so much out there that note about a lot of things and you do so that's one of my favorite things that you you're smart and people come to you and you have you can have a good conversation with with anybody pretty much and I'm little bit you know she or whatever but you always like to jump sometimes even when I

26:21 Cannot express myself you young for me and just say things that I want to say, but I cannot say it though. I don't know how to say it. I do that. Sometimes I don't I don't mean to but I feel like I I know what you're thinking you wanting to say and you can't get it out. So I answer and then I think that's not I need to let him be know. You have a lot of good qualities. You have a lot of good stuff that I don't know. It's just

26:52 You are a good cook when you cook with just once a year, probably I like I like your food.

27:04 I know it's a it's a lot of think of.

27:10 The way you you listen to when when somebody has a problem or something to say, you know, that's what you were bringing you dinner or well you always think for the people that they sometimes even before yourself you think about somebody else do some something for somebody else. I doubt I like 100% learn that from you as I not that I haven't always tried to do but it was always out of what I thought was more obligation. Like I do this person or idea they can't do this without me. So I have to do it. But what I learned from you is just the generosity of your heart.

28:00 I don't know. I when we went to South Bend for our first project and together and you told me about when you first came here, even though you were living with a bunch of guys and you know sleeping on the floor for over a year and a trailer or apartment or something with just so much and you made the effort to I mean who you came over here for a better life, but you didn't start sponsoring a child at st. Jude. I mean, you know, I've never done that now I would of course to that. I do many things like that, but I always do it with the thought that Miguel would definitely do this.

28:42 You always think of the person I don't think we've ever come to an intersection where there was a red light and there was someone who needed, you know, just the money and you always always you don't judge do I think that person really needs this or what? Are they going to spend this on? You just open the window and say hey. Man, you don't think twice about it you work hard for your money and you know that not everybody has that capacity to the strength to get up and go and do something they did not.

29:22 Something in their lives has happened where they can't do what you can do and you jump in there and you know do what you can for them. Even that remember. I just remember this to you went after the Rowlett hurricanes or tornadoes a few years ago on during Christmas how you went and bought all the discounted. Pet beds and then we went and shelters around Rowlett for the pads. And that was your idea. I didn't I mean I was like sure I'll go do that but it never occurred to me to do it by myself. Do you know lots of things like that that you just do? So, yeah, if you say I'm generous I've learned that from you.

30:11 I know now.

30:15 Well, I don't know.

30:20 I know I think I don't I mean I don't think of something that I don't like some stuff for you but not a lot. You don't like me. So I don't like that. You know, I think I like me some things about you. I mean most of the things of course we'd you know, we've had several times we get mad and got made several times but silent silent.

30:51 And I think that

30:54 Those are a lot of times good for me to go through because I usually when.

31:01 There's Discord in a relationship. I intend to just

31:07 At will with you, I'm like, what's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong? And with you you say back to me nothing which means everything.

31:18 But generally within a few hours you

31:22 Tell me what it is and

31:25 I don't know. You know I said before one of the best things.

31:31 Maybe the best thing is that I know no matter how I can be I can be a little

31:39 Can just get sad for no reason no discernible reason that I can put my finger on and you allow me to space in the place to be that way. If I need to you don't try to say oh you have so much be so happy. You don't there's no reason you allow me to

32:01 Have that those feelings and

32:04 Work through them and then I'm you know, somehow it comes around to me to feel I got that I got through that I had that shoulder and now I'm good how you were so same.

32:26 What do you think is going to happen with us with?

32:29 If I happen to move to Mexico what you think, I mean, I wish you can come up there and they with us I mean with me cuz of the dogs.

32:40 Amana want to make you upset but I know it's on point any is going to happen and that's not like you cannot go out there and things like that, right? That's what I have to remember to set. I'm really lucky cuz I can get on a plane and go and you can pick me up and done so well here you've built a beautiful home. So there's plenty of room for me. They are.

33:18 I know that day is going to come I know that that's where you where you'll be it, you know, the whole goal was to create a life that you can help your family at home, but then took have enough to go home and have a around life there and a family and wife of your own there.

33:42 So I think it'll be okay, but it will be hard.

33:46 I don't look forward to the day you make the decision notice going to be hard. I think I worried that your mother the first time she meets me will say that's that Gringo that Gringo this changed my son into the green house there and she really loves you. I mean every time I talk to them to always tell what size for you and you know that they did really love you.

34:20 Nothing be okay. I really trying to not think about my job. I'd that

34:27 Whenever is going to happen, but I'm not going to lie because

34:31 I mean, I'm serious. You mind if I'm allowed to have in here for the last 11 years and I don't know it's gone. I know that you can go and we can still be in touch but that's going to be totally different different but

34:49 I think our friendship like ours is going to be for everything.

34:58 All I know is I don't think I know people have those friendships. I know they do. I know people have friends like they last forever until they

35:09 Dial whatever but yeah, I mean, I feel really

35:16 Grateful to have you in and I know you'll be there if we never knew if I happen to have a child. One or whatever if I have a wife or to my mom's first.

35:33 I know you'll be there then. This is a this is has been a pretty good experience in your Nia.

35:46 11 years has spent a lot of learning from you and from all our experiences we have together.

35:57 Especially this what we doing now, you know how I never think about this going to things to do when you always have that.

36:06 To do a little different things for us. So I hope all the way so I really want to thank you for for for everything for everything that we have these.

36:30 Everything but now it's been good. I know and I'm sorry for all the times. I made you cry. You could have been several times. I've been an asshole sometimes to you and

36:44 It's not right but we learn from this experience. I think this second get a woman to do remember those things that smell good but also kind of make that relationship stronger and make me a better person to think about those those things that I did. Oh, oh make you feel and do you know that?

37:15 And I don't know just to to realize that it's not.

37:21 I don't know. I'm not confused what I'm saying, but I want to thank you for everything we've done together and for your relationship for free friendship. Fantastic meu ready as I will say, you're the best man. I have ever known in my whole life.

37:43 And I mean that

37:45 I think you love each other. I love you.

37:51 De puerco.