P21The Curious Life of a Preacher's Wife

Character: Protagonist Profile

Azul Cara Pequeña Corazon Finalmente Gozo was born in Sycamore, Georgia on August 12th, 1927.

As a teenager she had reached 5' 7", staying that way for the rest of her earthly life. As a youth, she was smallish compared to the other members of the family, but throughout her adult years, she lamented over carrying extra weight, which made her feel ugly.

Blue eyes and brunette hair with attractive, rounded features made her feel self-conscious to the point of "typing 'em down with tape so they didn't look so big." She didn't date much as a result, meeting her future husband, Fuerza, when she was in her late twenties.

Going to college in the late 1940s meet, that Normal School was one of her few options. When she finished Norman Park Normal School, she began to teach because back then Normal School was the name for a teacher's college.

Azul was reared in a family of farmers, who attended the local Baptist Church. They attended this Bethel Baptist Church, religiously, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday Night,VBS, and Fall and Spring Revivals.

Publicly, Azul was the life of the party. She always had a smile, a laugh, and a joke to tell. Azul could spin a pun from a road sign "at the drop of a hat." Her private life was rather morose and depressed because she felt things deeply. People didn't really know when they hurt her heart deeply because she kept things inside.

Amazingly enough, Azul loved cardinals, which she could watch from the front porch for hours. Her favorite place was home, where she would sit and read in her room for hours.

Azul disliked being "made fun of," and she couldn't abide anyone making fun of her friends and loved ones.

Azul was a social introvert. She loved to relate closely to one friend, and never more than two. However, the social element of her personality made her vulnerable to hurt when reciprocity was not in the offing.

Azul was bipolar before it was in the DSM. When she was having a good day she was strong, forceful, and could be quite manipulative. On a bad day, she was "a puddle of water."

Azul had one over-arching motivation, Stay Out of Trouble.

Azul had one desire, to live in a peaceful home.

Azul was the textbook example of defense mechanisms, but to understand the reasons why, we must explore her childhood, and that is for another day.

by Jay O’Toole
on October 3rd, 2021