Lo que yo me acuerdo de la familia de la Vega Hevia.....

Este verano pasado me reuní con José Ramón y Yoya otra vez después de dos años sin verlos. Ellos vienen a Miami todos los veranos pero últimamente yo no he podido ir a verlos. De casualidad me contaron que habían recibido un correo electrónico de mi prima que solamente conocí una vez hace más de treinta años. Ya hace rato quería ponerme en contacto con my familia Mexicana-Cubana y lo hice. Ella me respondió inmediatamente y escribió en el blog familiar. Yo quería escribir algo sobre ellos pero me quede pensando ¿De que voy a escribir? A Miriam casi no la conocí. Ella tenía quizás 10 años cuando la vi. A Alberto Jr lo ví hace cerca de veinte anos y solamente por una hora. A Carlos hace algo semejante, aunque lo conocí mejor porque el estuvo aquí varios días y fuimos a varios sitios juntos. Y Javier no lo he visto desde que las dos familias salieron de Cuba. Comencé a pensar: ¿que es lo que yo me acuerdo de ellos.....??

Alberto y Chani - de ellos me acuerdo mucho. Cuando yo era pequeño en Cuba, Ellos vivían en El Vedado. Se que era cerca de la calle línea (posiblemente entre 13 y 14). Para ir de el náutico hacia el vedado íbamos por el túnel de la avenida 5ta (fotografia). Si alguien se acuerda de la dirección de la casa, mándenmela, quiero buscarla en Google Earth. Creo que Abuela Julia vivía con ellos pero no estoy seguro. Me acuerdo que nos gustaba mucho ir a la casa. (fotografia de Alberto y Teresa en un columpia en el patio de la casa de El Vedado.) Cuando íbamos la pasábamos muy bien. Siempre estábamos jugando por toda la casa. Creo que ellos tenían un tren eléctrico. Nosotros teníamos uno también (aunque quizás era el mismo, no lo sé). El nuestro era inmenso y estaba instalado permanentemente arriba de una mesa vieja de pin pon. Casi siempre estaba roto. Yo sabía que tío Alberto era el que arreglaba los trenes eléctricos. En la mente mía Alberto era el tío que arreglaba los trenes eléctricos. Una vez, yo era bien pequeño, y quería arreglar el tren. Carlos (mi hermano) me dijo, “pregúntale a tío Alberto.” Yo fui hacia la parte de atrás de la casa en el Vedado y le pregunte a "tío Alberto" si iba a arreglar el tren de nuestra casa. No me respondió en la manera que esperaba. Aparentemente no se acordaba que el era el que arreglaba los trenes eléctricos. Se lo conté a Carlos. El me dijo, "ese no es Alberto, es José Ramon". Aparentemente yo no podía distinguir entre ellos. (Yo tenia menos de 4 o cinco años.) Me acuerdo que una vez, ya cuando nos íbamos a ir de Cuba. Alberto se apareció en la casa del Náutico para tratar de arreglar el tren. Decidió que el transformador estaba malo. Imagínense, como íbamos a conseguir las piezas? Otro día regresó con mas o menos 12 baterías de amarradas y aparentemente conectadas y las conecto a el tren. Por dos horas ese tren funcionó perfectamente. Claro las baterías se gastaron. Después de ese día nunca más funcionó el tren. Poco después nos fuimos de Cuba. Yo creo que Alberto sabía lo que iba a suceder. Que nosotros íbamos a Miami mientras la familia de la Vega Hevia iba a México. Era como una manera de hacer algo por nosotros por última vez por un rato.

En esta fotografia esta Alberto jr, Carlos Lopez, Ramon Lopez, Carlos de la Vega, Javier de la Vega, Arturo Lopez y Rosa Maria Lopez

Me acuerdo otro día, era un día de nochebuena. Llegamos a la casa de Alberto y Chani. Estaba toda la familia reunida. Había un nacimiento de lo mas bonito que creo que José Ramón había armado. No era un nacimiento normal. Tenía muchas características y diferentes detalles que nunca he visto desde ese día. En ese tiempo en Cuba decían que Fidel había expulsado a Santa Claus de Cuba. Claro, el 6 de enero visitaban los Reyes Magos. Esa noche buena de pronto se aparece Santa Claus en la casa. Empezó a regalar regalos. Todavía me acuerdo comos todos reaccionamos. Nos fuimos arriba de Santa Claus y le arrancamos la barba. Era Roberto Fernández. Se que hay una fotografía de todos nosotros con Santa Claus. Yo creo que ustedes tienen muchas mas fotografías que nosotros porque tio Alberto era uno de los fotógrafos de la familia.

Esta fue una fotografia que se tomo el dia que Roberto Fernandez se disfrazo de Santa Claus. Tengo idea que Alberto o Jose Ramon tomo la foto.

Yo siempre tuve una impresión de Chani ser una persona muy alta de estatura. Casi siempre me acuerdo cuando era pequeño mirar hacia arriba para verla. Me asombré cuando la vi otra vez en Miami, muchos años después, cuando yo era mas grande que ella. Es una experiencia rara. Yo me acuerdo de toda la familia la primera vez que los vi. Después me acuerdo los conocí otra vez en Miami. Yo no había visto a Chani desde el 1965. Yo tenia 6 años. Después la vi cuando yo tenía cerca de veinte años. Ella se veía igual pero como yo había crecido me parecía más pequeña. Me pasó algo semejante con Alberto Jr. Yo esperaba que Alberto iba ser mas grande. Carlos vino a pasear por una semana. Fuimos a varios lugares pero el que mas me recuerdo era El Planet Ocean. Eso era un museo educacional dedicado a el océano. Ya cerró y lo convirtieron a una escuela de bachillerato. A Javier nunca más lo he visto. Me acuerdo cuando éramos pequeños que yo y Javier nos reíamos. No me acuerdo por que. Miriam la conocí cuando ella tenía alrededor de diez años. Quizás era mas joven. Ella me asombró. En Miami la gente habla una combinación de lenguajes. A veces uno habla español y otras veces ingles. Ella solamente hablaba español, como es natural. Todos los dichos que nosotros decíamos en ingles, ella los decía en español. Como una persona tan pequeña podía hablar tan bien el español tan bien y naturalmente nos asombraba. Fue un placer muy grande ver las fotografías que me mando Miriam y Nora. En ellas reconozco a Chani (todavía bien bonita), Alberto, Carlos y Javier (¿porque tan serio?) Lo que mas me gustó es ver a Miriam. Se parece tanto a Abuela Julia. No se en qué pero me recuerda de ella (la máxima autoridad).

Abuela Julia le gustaba ayudar. Ella pasaba tiempo en México, Miami, y Filadelfia siempre tratando de ayudar a las familias. Siempre llegaba a Miami y nos hablaba de la familia en México. Ella se ponía tan orgullosa. Alberto quería que ella vaya a México, José Ramón y Julita a Filadelfia y Rosa a Miami. El día que el medico le prohibió ir a Monterrey se puso muy triste. Me acuerdo que ella decía que Alberto iba a hablar con el mediquito de Abuela para que la deje ir a Monterrey. José Ramón quería buscar otro medico. En esta fotografía que Alberto le ofrece un cigarro a Abuela era cuando se hablaba de eso. Abuela siempre estaba muy contenta que todos los hijos e hijas querían que ella viviera con ellos.

En ese tiempo me empezaba a gustar la Opera y como yo sabia que a Tío Alberto también le gustaba, lo lleve a una tienda de discos (esas cosas que uno ponía en el tocadiscos, la juventud ya no sabe lo que es eso). Esta tienda se dedicaba a discos de Opera. Yo pensé que el iba a ir a ver discos de Placido Domingo, Leontyne Price o Luciano Pavarotti. A el le gustaban los discos de Jussi Bjoerling y Tito Gobi. Yo no sabía quienes eran pero pretendí. Mucho después me compré discos de ellos y me di cuenta por que le gustaba tanto. Con Tío Alberto siempre me lleve muy bien. Una de las últimas veces que vi a Alberto estaba mas serio. El estaba muy preocupado porque iba a tener que cambiar de trabajo. Aparentemente un papel que le habían prometido que permitiría a sus hijos trabajar en México no se lo habían dado. El no quería cambiar de trabajo pero se sentía como que tenia que hacerlo. Nunca lo había visto tan serio. La fotografía esta el nos estaba explicando el problema.

Siempre e admirado a nuestros padres. Cuando yo me imagino el trabajo que pasaron mudándose de Cuba y empezar de nuevo en los Estados Unidos o México, los admiro más. La preocupación de Alberto aquel día no era por que el quería mas dinero, o un trabajo mas cómodo. Lo que le preocupaba a el era que los muchachos pudieran trabajar en el futuro.

She was one cruel teacher

All the time in the old country, it was always Carlos y Ramon y Turi. We were always together. All three brothers were used to always being together. Sometimes we would leave Turi behind because he was much younger. It was kind of a shock to us when we arrived here and we had to be more independent of each other. Carlos and I were placed in the same school, Coral Way Elementary and in the same class. Turi was placed in Sts Peter and Paul. He was placed in Kindergarten, instead of where he should have been placed which was first grade. It may have been the right decision since Turi did not get the benefit of our teacher who always spoke about her migraine issues. Carlos was then transferred to another school since they had a special program for Cuban immigrants. It was supposed to be some type of intensive English program. I, on the other hand, was not eligible for the program since I was younger. Carlos had to get up earlier and take a bus to Citrus Grove Elementary. He hated it. Since Turi was in Sts Peter and I was in Coral Way Elementary, we were now most of the time separated. This was quite a shock at first(at least to me it was), but I am sure all of us benefitted from it.
I always relied on Carlos to talk. This explains why I have always been so quiet? I was place in a class taught by Mrs Magda Lecours. I think I made some friends in that class. The one I remember most a named Gabriel. He sat right behind me and I got in trouble more than once because we were talking or laughing so much. I do not remember that much more about that year. I know after that I kept going to Coral Way for the fourth grade and my teacher was Mrs Lopez. The kids made jokes about her being my wife. I was now in the regular school population. Up to that point I was in some type of special program almost on a trial basis. I did meet this guy whose name was Mario Patterson. For some reason he was always picking fights with me. He always wanted to fight me behind the school. One time I said sure. Only that afternoon did I realize he was serious. I fought him. I am not sure who won but we became good friends afterwards. I do not know what the fight was about. I have the feeling it was some type instinctive alpha male competition. If he only knew he was wasting his time fighting me.

Once, just before Halloween, the class was asked to do an art project. We took a piece of light construction paper-like material and we colored it in different primary colors. One section was green, one was blue, one was yellow etc... Then the teacher took a tablespoon filled with black paint and would coat the paper with the black paint. We were each given a nail and with the head of the nail we were supposed to draw something having to do with Halloween. Of course the colors underneath would now be visible and to me it looked liked something drawn in neon colors. I did not know what Halloween was (we had arrived in November of 1965 so I had never experienced it. I did not even know how to spell Halloween. My English advisor (Teresa) was not there to help me out. This is not something La familia Lopez celebrated, at least the just arrived from Cuba division. This was a real problem (perhaps this is why I remember the incident so clearly). The paint would dry within a half hour. I had to come up with something quickly. I asked the guy next to me and he said "come on don't you know about Halloween? You know ghosts, goblins." I said sure of course I knew. (To this day I am not sure what a goblin really is) so I looked at what the girl next to me was doing. She was drawing some kind of a fence (I figured Halloween was an English word for fence). I drew a fence. She drew what looked like a cat on top of the fence. I figured I would draw a dog. ( I guess in Halloween small animals would walk along fences) then she drew a moon in the sky. I drew a sun and some clouds. (this was really strange since the black paint indicated night.) Then it got really crazy. She drew a lady on a broom flying. ( I later realized this was kind of a cute witch, my idea of a witch was very different) Then she drew what I found out later were ghosts and goblins. Her drawing was beautiful. Mine on the other hand......A couple of days later the art teacher was talking to Mrs. Lopez. I realized they were talking about the girl next to me. They said she had done a wonderful job. Then they pointed towards me. I did not need to hear what they were saying. I felt horrible..... I wanted to make them understand how it happened. I did not say anything however....
Carlos came back for fifth grade at Coral Way. Since we were in different grades, we were not together then either. However we did walk to school and back together (most times). He had a teacher whose name was Mrs. Well (or something like that I never saw her name written down.) She was one cruel teacher. Carlos would go to school with one full BIC ® pen (one of those which you could see where the ink was and how much ink was remainin) and come back with the whole thing almost empty. I have yet to use a half a BIC pen. She would make him write and write and write these things called lines. His hand would really hurt. …… I did not know what lines were. I was once punished and had to write 200 lines and that is what I did, I drew 200 lines. Some of them were straighter than others. I handed them in. The kids thought it was some kind of a rebellion thing, I played along with it but in the end the teacher realized I really did not know what lines were. I then did the assignment correctly. I felt really badly for Carlos ......I could not complain much. Mrs. Lopez was not all that good, but compared to Carlos’s teacher she was wonderful. Carlos always had bad luck with his teachers. During the summer we were enrolled in summer camp in Sts Peter and Paul. I had a coach or camp leader who was one of Robert's friends. His name was Tamarit. That was his last name; his first name I think was Luis or Jose, I am not sure. He was ok. We played a lot of baseball and flag football. I had a lot of fun. Carlos on the other hand had a camp leader who would apparently was trained elsewhere. He always make his group run. I saw Carlos once in a while. When he ran through the back of home plate and I was batting. When he ran through the back of the end zone and I was trying to figure out what was going on in this game called football. As he ran by, sweating and tired, he kept shaking his writing hand.....

Turi on the other hand loved his teacher. His Kindergarten teacher I do not remember. I know there were two. One's name was Mrs Olio. I think the other one was Ms Aleman, but I may be making it up. In first grade he had Sister Kateria. I think Turi really liked Sr. Kateria. Actually, all of us liked Sister Kateria. We lived on SW 12th avenue and around two blocks from the Convent at Sts Peter and Schools and most times the nuns would walk by our house and say hello. One time we were playing volleyball in front of the house. (we were always playing something or other in front of the house all the time, that is one advantage of having so many brothers and sisters, also since we had no air conditioning....). Sister Kateria and a number of other nuns would come by and sometimes participate in the game. Turi seemed really happy at that time.

This was in 1966, the year of the first super bowl. I did not really even notice the game, then again at that time the Super Bowl was not that big a deal. Robert had just been accepted at LaSalle High School. Mami and Papi were really proud of Robert. He was really looking forward to the next step. He was going to play football. He kept talking about the school and how in the Science Laboratory they had certain chemicals. He said he wanted to become a chemist when he grew up. I did not know what chemistry was. I asked mom. She said chemists could turn one thing into another. Great, my brother was going to be un brujo. When I think back on that I wonder how I became a chemist at all. It did make me curious, however. Robert always seemed to look forward to new challenges such as school. He would then look back and think how easy it was. He went out for football and played right guard. He had to use number 65. He wanted to get no. 64 but was not able to. I think the next year he was able to use 64. He was reading a book which was a best seller at the time. It was entitled "Instant Replay" by Jerry Kramer. He was a guard for the Green Bay Packers. Robert really liked that book and Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr and Ray Nitschke. I read that same book much later. It was actually the same book he read, I found it lying around the garage. It really was a good book to read; very inspiring. I would alway say I liked the Baltimore Colts and Don Shula and Johnny Unitas. Carlos liked the San Francisco 49ers. At that time I do not really think Carlos and I really knew or understood anything about football. Carlos may have understood a little more. Teresa's attitude was different. She liked to be with her cousins but she did not treat school the same way as Robert did. To her it seemed to be just something you had to do. Years later we would spend a lot of time talking about literature and books. Actually, she did most of the talking. I just listened. I really did not have that much to contribute. I think I just wanted to impress my big sister. I ended up reading a lot of J.D. Salinger and Samuel Clemens which I did enjoy.

One time I was inside the house, I think I was watching television. Turi was outside, possibly waiting for Sister Kateria to come by. Carlos was nursing his hand when all of a sudden I hear Turi scream, "Mami hay una negra en la puerta." I ran outside and sure enough there was Misora. She had come by to visit. We had never met Misora. Mom was so embarrassed. She did not know whether to scream at us or whether to scream at us. Mom saw me, and the first person Misora saw was also me. I kept thinking it was Lydia or Lucia. Misora just looked at me. To this day Misora swears that it was I who said that. Well, for the record, it was TURI not me.

Misora stayed for a while. She was a very nice lady. She kept trying to make Mom not feel so badly about what happened. Misora had taken care of Robert when he was little. She came to the United States well before us, in the mid 50's I believe. Misora had a sister named Dolores. Dolores I did remember. She went to see me in the hospital while I was having a simple surgery done. I was scared and was very grateful when she went by. Funny how one always remember things like that. Dolores also helped take care of Antonica ( or at least look in on her) when she was the last living member of La Familia Falcon (abuela’s family) left in Cuba. Dolores was still in Cuba. Misora kept talking about Dolores and asking mom how Dolores was since Dolores and Misora had not seen each other in years. You could tell how Misora really missed her. I kind of identified with her. Our family had also been separated. It did make me appreciate how things were now. Carlos Ramon and Turi were separated in school, but when we got home we were always together, well maybe except Carlos who was in the next room, working on his lines…..