Loretta Lynn_ Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn [85]
One time we were on the beach and there was one American guy in the waves and another on the beach. I said, “You sure got your britches wet.” He said to his friend: “If this wasn’t Mexico, I’d swear that was Loretta Lynn.”
But the people don’t care who I am. And my fans don’t know where I am. It’s the one place I can go to relax. So I ain’t gonna tell nobody where it is.
We bring the babies down with us. They think they’re getting a good deal by getting out of school. But Gloria, our housekeeper, comes down with ’em. She finds out all their work from their teacher and she makes ’em work every morning. They fight with her like mad. They come to me and I tell them to get back to Gloria before I whip ’em. So I make sure they get their work done.
I guess one of the things I like best about Mexico is the people. The Spanish and the Indians, they show their affections. I think it’s bad when you can’t. When a man says to his boy, “You shouldn’t hug, you should be a man,” I think it’s a shame. Ever since Daddy died, I made it a point to show my feelings because I don’t think I ever let Daddy know how much I loved him. Daddy was never able to see me as a performer, and he didn’t have nothing. I wish I could have given him more. I was always able to show my affections but not as much until Daddy died. I guess that’s why people follow me from show to show. Love is like a magnet.
We have a boat down there. Doo likes to go out and go real fast, but like I said before, I’m scared of the water and always have been. I believe I must have drowned in one of my earlier lives, and since I almost drowned in Tennessee, I’ve been real scared of water. Doo tells me I’m no fun because I won’t let him go fast, but we do have a good time. We fish and eat all day long.
That’s another reason Mexico is good for me. After my 1973 tour, I was down to about ninety pounds. It was disgraceful. I was wearing size-three dresses. None of my regular clothes fit. I was ashamed to let people see my arms and legs, I was so skinny. We got down to Mexico right after Christmas, and I could see Doo was worried about me. I was nervous, tense, underweight, and worried.
Doo, who is supposed to be this tough guy, was watching me to make sure I’d be all right. Well, the first morning we were there, I ate a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuits, and potatoes and whatever else there was. Then we went out to the beach. Around ten o’clock, I started dipping into the lunch basket, eating sandwiches and cookies and anything that was packed. By lunchtime I’d eaten somebody else’s food. Then I ate a big supper, and in the evening I’d eat another snack. I’d just eat like a pig all day.
Well, I gained about one pound a day for almost a month. Doo said I was like a flower opening up every day. He said he could see the color coming back day by day. And it was true. I stayed a month more and canceled an appearance. When we had to go back to work again, I weighed 115 pounds. I was back up to a size five or seven again, and I didn’t look like a ghost. The only time I felt sick was when I thought about going back. I’m telling you, I was born to be a housewife, not a singer.
During the work year, Doo is always pestering me to eat. Whenever I get nervous about some little problem, I just think about Mexico. I can’t wait to get back there. I just let my hair hang long and stringy and don’t care how I look. And that’s the way I like it. I’m telling you, some day they’re gonna be looking for me backstage and I ain’t gonna be there. But I’m gonna pin up a note and it’s gonna say, Bueñas Noches.”
26
Entertainer of the Year
Why me, Lord, what have I ever done,
To deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known?…
—“Why Me?” by Kris Kristofferson
Going out on my own was the best thing I ever