My younger brother Roy was born in March, 1951. His padrinos, godparents, were Mom's older sister, Ventura, nicknamed Benny and her husband Gilbert. At their insistence the baby was named Roy after cowboy Hollywood legend, Roy Rogers. For Hispanics this was an unusual name. Even though she was older than Mom and lived in Belen, Benny was very progressive in her thinking. She thought the name Roy was modern and in keeping with contemporary times. But the priest conducting the baptism didn't agree. He insisted on a Christian middle name so my aunt and uncle settled on Andrew.
Their decision was made in light of a desire to be a part of American culture, a mind-set typical of my parents' generation. Benny wore the latest clothes including tight black pants, regularly had her hair done and was in a bowling league. Uncle Gilbert also followed his own interests, paying little heed to small town concerns. From his teen years into his seventies he drove Harley motorcycles, often taking long trips on them.
Mom caught a lot of flack from Grandma Remedios about Roy's name because no matter how she tried, she could not say it. The American 'r' is particularly difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce because the Spanish 'r' is achieved with a roll of the tongue. Most of Grandma's other grandchildren had names which could be easily translated into Spanish: Edward, Eduardo. Phillip, Felipe. Joe, Jose. Carol, Carolina. Kathy, Catalina.
"Oiee, eoiee," Grandma would start out, then shake her head. "Porque pusiste un nombre de los gringos a este pobre niño?" she would say in frustration. Why did you give this poor child a gringo name?
But Mom had an out. "No era yo. Es la culpa de su hija, Benny," she responded defensively. It wasn't me. Blame your daughter Benny for this.
Grandma was nonplused with this answer and Roy's name remained a permanent source of irritation for her. If language between her and her grandchildren who could not speak Spanish was a barrier, it was made more difficult by her inability to simply address a grandchild by his given name.