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USA250 Journal Project
Personal Chronicle: July 4, 2025 – July 5, 2026
A gift for reflection. A record of now. A story for what’s next.
✍️ “Who am I?”
I’m Lucinda Martinez. Most folks call me Lucy, but don’t mistake the nickname for softness.
I’m the one behind the grill, behind the counter, behind a whole lot of men who think they’re in charge.
I’ve been up before the sun most of my life. Not because I like mornings—but because someone’s gotta feed people who’ve been up all night holding things together.
I was María’s best friend. I was there when she picked the color for the diner walls, when she made Hank swear the coffee would always be hot, and when she got the first diagnosis. I stayed.
Now it’s just me and Hank and a couple of kids who don’t know how sacred a quiet kitchen can be.
Who am I?
I’m the one who keeps the place running. Who tells Hank what he doesn’t want to hear. Who makes space for the ones no one else sees.
I’m not loud, but I’m not small.
I’m not warm, but I never let the flame go out.
I’m not here for thanks. I’m here because this place still matters. Because she still matters.
✍️ “How did I get here?”
I got here one plate, one shift, one damn early morning at a time.
I grew up in a house with four sisters, two beds, and a grandmother who believed in miracles and cast-iron pans. I learned how to stretch masa and moods. How to season things just right and keep my mouth shut until I didn’t have to anymore.
I didn’t go far. Didn’t need to. The town grew around me, changed its signs, swapped out its mayors—but the streets still crack the same way they did when I walked home from school with María.
She was my anchor. My person. My sister in everything but blood.
When she married Hank, I made a face. When she opened the diner, I rolled up my sleeves.
And when she died… I stayed. Because love doesn’t end when the heartbeat does.
Now I run her kitchen with her name in the back of my throat. I keep the lights on for boys like Dante who don’t have anywhere else to go. I keep an eye on Hank even when he pretends he doesn’t need it. I keep a photo of María in the drawer with the extra salt.
How did I get here?
By holding on.
By holding everyone together.
What has life taught me?
That loyalty is a daily choice.
That grief can live next to routine.
And that a plate of food made right can be the only soft thing someone touches all day.
Friends & Associates
Henry “Hank Mc Callister – Friend and employer.
Dante Rivera – Friend and fellow employee.
