Conversations Characters and a Ride Share - 3rd

I hope you liked last two experiences that I shared. So here is the third episode of  Conversations, Characters and a Ride share.

This time I was in Oklahoma city, on my first visit there. I have remote managed work in OKC but never traveled there before. Reached late at night and took the shuttle to the hotel near the Airport.  

Next morning getting ready for the meeting, I discovered that we had to squeeze the meeting and lunch plan to a lunch meeting only. That meant, no projector to electronically present and we will have to print the presentation . I promptly summoned a ride share to get to nearest Kinkos and get the presentation printed. My conversation while going was good, may be for a later day. However when I was done printing and binding, I had to call a new ride.

The request was for a small car, but what showed up was a large Ford F-150 pickup truck. I was greeted by a well built man with a heavy South American voice, wearing a Mexican Hat. This is slightly big to be called a small car, I chuckled. Ahahaha! after a loud laugh he said, the shareable portion of the car is small, just the two seats. everything back in the truck is for my work. Oh okay so what work you do? I asked as cued. And he said; 

I make Pinatas!!! 

Oh! A professional Pinata maker was my ride share driver. I looked at him almost in disbelief. A Pinata maker, though I never thought of it earlier, but that moment for me was 2nd best to seeing Santa for real. 

Having seen hundreds Pinatas in parties and stores. Having bought a few on my kids birthdays, I had never thought about the question "who makes them?" And there he was a Professional Pinata maker.

I don't make the kind you see in stores, to me they are a rip off if the original. On movie themes and all. I make real traditional Pinatas. For festivals and parties trying to keep the real Pinata tradition alive. I do a lot of custom orders. Many times for office parties and picnics. Birthdays and marriage anniversaries and all sorts of celebrations.

My wife and my sister work with me on any large orders. We make 200 Pinatas a month during busy times. Then I put them in the back of the truck and deliver them to customers who ordered them. We are well known in 5 states around Oklahoma for my Pinatas. A lot of good customers who have me as their exclusive Pinata maker for more than a decade.

I am keeping the art and tradition of pinata making alive. And I am proud of that. A very valid reason for his pride. The proud in his voice was the evidence of his passion for pinata making. I could see beauty of some of his work in his words.

My Pinatas bring joy and luck, he winked. I was sure he is telling me the truth. Colored paper, soft wood, some cardboard and glue, that is all the recipe of pride. Joy and Pinatas.

The stores and factory made pinatas are slowly killing the business, he said with a sigh; but I will keep this alive as long I can, he continued with a resilient tone. That is why the ride share, make money for family while the Pinata making is slow. Keep kids comfortable and keep the tradition alive. 

I didn't ask him many questions, I couldn't ask him many questions. In my earthly existence he truly was some what other worldly. A Pinata maker. I can check that off my bucket list, " meeting a Pinata Maker"

Good luck my friend, may you continue giving joy, laughter and Pinatas. People need you. People need your pinatas. As for me I've a good conversation starter in occasional parties I go to. "You know once I met a Pinata maker" What, oh! never thought of someone doing that, tell me more, and the conversation starts.

Thanks Mr C. the Pinata maker. Hope you continue spreading joy. Hope the truck is mostly full with its best cargo, the Pinatas and lesser need to use it as a ride share. But don't stop offering the ride share in your free time as there are passengers like me in the world who need to talk to a Pinata maker and believe in that the small packages of happiness like Pinatas have a human hand making them.