Don Fernando: Tire Repair in Lagunillas
He’s open every day, patching up the trouble the road gives you
Nails, screws and pieces of rebar. A few hazards of the road in our area. Sometimes old construction debris is used to fill holes and trenches. It does the job but that mix is not always only concrete. That’s happened twice recently, my driving over some fill and coming away with something in my tire. I also had a construction project near me this summer. I took two nails before found another way home. Did I buy new tires? No, I went to Lagunillas to Don Fernando. He patches up tires in about 20 minutes, working like an efficient surgeon, finding the source of your pain, extracting it and getting you back on the road. The spiritual significance of a flat tire is that it’s a message to slow down. You have to do that when you’re with Don Fernando. And when you find yourself with him more than once, you can discover a lot. I’ve found his wife drinks Coca-Cola and he likes Corona Light, but there’s more to him than that. Meet Don Fernando Ramírez Pompa.
%2017.27.38.avif)
%20(Spanish)-2.avif)
LOT: Where are you from?
Don Fernando: From here. I’ve been in Lagunillas all my life.
LOT: You went to school here?
Don Fernando: Just elementary school.
LOT: How old are you?
Don Fernando: 54.
LOT: How many years have you been doing tire repair?
Don Fernando: I’ve been doing it for five years.
LOT: How did you learn?
Don Fernando: With another person. Someone else taught me.
LOT: Did you get all the tools you have from him?
Don Fernando: No. Those came from a close friend of mine.
LOT: What did you do before?
Don Fernando: I was working in the fields.
LOT: Why did you leave the fields to do this?
Don Fernando: Well, I’ve worked in a tortilla shop; I’ve worked making concrete blocks, picking mangoes, picking papayas, fixing furniture, etcetera. I left the fields, because I cut myself right here on my hand. I got 10 stitches. I left the fields and then I came here.
LOT: Do you like living in Lagunillas?
Don Fernando: Yes, it’s my hometown. I know the people here.
LOT: What days are you open?
Don Fernando: Every day. Even Sunday.
LOT: What time are you open?
Don Fernando: From 6 in the morning until 7 at night. On Sunday, I close at 5.
LOT: What is the best thing about living here in Lagunillas?
Don Fernando: That I’m still living here.
LOT: What does your father do for work? And your mother?
Don Fernando: I don’t have them anymore.
LOT: But before, when you were a kid?
Don Fernando: My father worked in the fields, too.
LOT: And what do you do for fun around here?
Don Fernando: My wife and I spend time together, and I’m looking for a bicycle so I can get some exercise.
That’s sort of funny when you see Don Fernando move and work with tires. He’s fit and strong. You’ll find his shop on the main street in Lagunillas, in between the two topes, next to the car wash that used to be a restaurant (an old cenaduria sign is still painted on the building). Don Fernando has a tire on the road marking his location. The old cenaduria sign is easier to spot.
