A Bit More Like Her

To honor Christina's memory, I am trying to solve problems a bit more like her. Already canceled her mobile number, and taking care of vehicles, went to the bank, legal photocopies of important documents, government applications forms almost ready to be sent. There is so much to do when a tragedy like this one hits a family and the worst is that I had to face all of these things alone.

If I would do things like "me", my way, the wrong way... (the Cuban way?), then I would have said - "I am tired now, and all these will be done, perhaps, later" - I would have started in August!

There we are, December of 1994, and believe me, it was not enough time together. In those days I was living in New York and we got married in Seattle, Washington. We did it that way to allow her family to attend our ceremony.

I wanted us to get married in New York where my science career was finally taking off. To give you some context; I was working at the City University Of New York (CUNY) and had a job offer from a prestigious USA east coast research center, "the center", from Rockefeller University. I had really good friends there, work connections, met a lot of important people in science and I wanted them to be part of my wedding. When people get married they invite friends, colleagues, one's boss, even if we do not want to do that! However, when she said, "I want my mother to be there", that was it. Her happiness is what mattered to me: if she was happy, I was happy.

We had a modest ceremony, but we were very happy together and that is what was important.

After our marriage, we settled in British Columbia and those were the happiest days of my life.

Comments

It's been a Long Time Since I've Seen Her

To our daughters; I learned so much from your mother! She was my lover and my bosom friend. The summer of 1992 was running in earnest and Mom and I were escaping every day to many different places around the mainland. We were having the time of our lives! At the end of the summer, I did not have a penny left but was the happiest man alive! Mom had a white 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier station wagon. Her car smelled like a wet dog, Sam, her dog, was the main passenger before she met me. That car would break down every 100 kilometers or so and would run out of gas as soon as the gas red light went on, and guess who had to push; your Dad! But, we were like peas and carrots and as happy as they came. You always tell me - " Dad, you know strange old words and expressions no one uses these days! " Your mom is responsible for that! I learned what a "Sea Shanty" is in that white Cavalier listening to CBC radio. The station had a show on sailors and fishermen and how po

Settling the Score

Today, completely out of the blue, I remembered a story from my childhood. In my neighborhood, there was a child whom everyone called "Buchee". This fellow was a lot older than me, about three or four years older. Therefore, if I recall correctly he must have been a young teenager when these events happened. Buchee lived near my maternal grandparents, who lived two blocks from where I lived. Every time I visited my grandparents I had to walk by Buchee's house and we would exchange hellos and sometimes we would tease each other lightly, nothing offensive. I would visit my grandparents daily after school therefore I would walk the distance every day and most days Buchee and I would exchange friendly words. One evening a group of children, including me, were playing cards on the sidewalk, a few doors from my grandparents. These games could be very competitive and the currency used at that time was crystal marbles. At some point, the stakes were very high and the poo

Dear Love

Dear Love, Forgive me, it has been a while since I have written to you. It is not for the lack of news; home is buzzing with events typical of growing pains and gaining experience. For me, it is just about missing your hands, warm body, your words; missing planning something to do together. I must admit, you always had the best ideas. Recently I became a Master Chef , but not the kind of chef popular among all ages; oh, no! I cook your dishes, daring, adventurous, and full of flavor! I set the table and see you on your chair , right opposite to mine displaying my favorite smile, approving the dinner. I remember when you made Spaghetti Tomato Bassilic for the first time. You thought that I was not going to like it. Boy, were you in for a surprise! It became my favorite dinner! You made it for me. What a treat! Oh, Christina, you were the wife I always wanted to have! The fact that we found each other made me feel very special. We worked hard to be together and celebrated

My Family After Tragedy

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