I always correlate Kenny Rogers with family gatherings. As the youngest kid in my family, I was used to getting squished in the family car, whether precariously placed between my parents and keeping a yoga like position to avoid getting hit by the shift stick, sandwiched between my brothers on the back, or on the large boot with clear windows on the back of the Datsun B210 or the Dart K station wagon.

From the late 70s until 85, we lived in a small colony outside a refinery in Tula. It was peaceful and the place had a communal pool, a golf course, and large palapas for parties. It felt isolating from time to time if you didn’t have friends your age, but still you could socialize quite a bit.

Relatives visiting were always a special ocassion as most of them lived way too far. I’d sometimes wait by the sand dunes and hope to see my maternal grandfather’s Renault 18 on the horizon, making his way to the security booth, all dusty from the trip from Tampico. Other times, it would be several cars as my father’s side was numerous and they’d usually travel in caravan.

Banquets made from barbacoa, fish, or carnitas were the usual fare. I think the poison of choice was either Domeq (brandy) or Bacardí. I don’t remember much tequila being drunk, but beer was always on stock.

My dad used to obsess with a singular song from an artist and play it until the end of times, much to everyone’s chagrin. Weirdly enough, I never got bored with The Gambler, and the LP was a precious acquisition. One time three of his brothers came by for beer and carnitas, they talked about the song’s lyrics in detail and one part always stuck with me.

“And somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even”. It was the first time I remember my uncles and my dad talked about death. They reminisced about long lost relatives, including my grandfather, whom I never met. One of my uncles was managing the ranch my grandfather owned and always thought of himself as a cowboy, I believe.

A few months later, I would see Kenny Rogers guest starring on The Muppets Show, and of course, The Gambler was part of one of the skits. I know it’s fiction. I know it’s just a simple puppet. But when the gambler muppet passes away peacefully and becomes a ghost, I thought about that grandfather I nevr met and felt overwhelmed by the sadness.

Kenny Rogers has a vast discography, full of memorable singles and collaborations, but for personal reasons, I think The Gambler will always be my number one song of his. That’s why when I needed to quote a Kenny Rogers song in a novel, I chose The Coward of the County, as I didn’t want to attach any character’s path to a song I already had a personal attachment to. I know writers project onto their characters, but for that particular novel, I tried to draw a line in the sand.

-Sam J. Valdés López