There
are times, usually after a posting featuring my friend from Hialeah, when I get
emails and I am asked point blank … “Where did you meet Cheíto?” … “Why do you
make fun of his accent?” … “He seems such a nice guy.” So, I thought it was
time to present my friend Cheíto to you. (By the way, Cheo is a nickname which goes with the proper name “José”
(Joseph) a fairly common name in Latin America and Cheíto is an affectionate
diminutive)
The
first of those questions is one I have asked myself many a time, and the one I
will try to answer somewhere in this posting. As for his accent? Well, that is
the way Cheíto speaks. Anything else would simply not be him. It’s not making
fun; it’s his reality. I also have a deep respect for Cheíto and many others like
him (and her, for he is both), who always manage to fight adversity while being a good provider and
family man. And, yes … he is a very nice
guy indeed.
So, when
did I meet Cheíto? I would have to go back some 12 years, when I went to stay
with my brother for a while at the condo he then rented in Hialeah. Up to that point,
this city had simply been a map reference, and the source of many empty South
Beach jokes. I went by it on the Palmetto but almost never into it. If Miami
traffic was crazy, Hialeah’s went beyond description. Sometimes a quick two
block entry to get gas, since it was cheaper than most anywhere else in Miami. This
was then, I don’t know now.
Going
to stay at my brother’s was a temporary refuge; a
get-away-from-other-issues-and-think time. And I have to say that it was also a
little bit like going to a foreign country. I was thrown back in time, space
and place. It was like jumping headfirst into every popular Caribbean neighborhood
I had ever known. Including my own childhood neighborhood. No matter the island or country in question.
The
noise, constant and full surround. Tropical music playing for all to hear (no, it’s not enough to hear it within your
home, it has to be enjoyed without as well!), people speaking loudly to be
heard above the din, hands flying and gesticulating (yes, we do speak with our hands in full motion), the cooking smells
of my childhood coming in from all directions, the colors -on and off the
people- and, perhaps the most forgotten calling card… the laughter which comes
from people who are managing to be happy even though they may not have all the
goodies some others think of as basic “needs”. What others may see as chaos, to us is simply …
us.
Yes,
I travelled to every country in Latin America (and several outside) from 1980 to the end of the 90’s, and even
lived in two of them. But this was as an adult and most of my time was taken by
business issues and requirements. So, I can’t say I was totally devoid of “Latinity”
(is that a word? …if not, it is now!)
during my US life. However, coming into Hialeah and at a time of personal turmoil,
made me more susceptible to what was a total throwback to another time when, as
a child, I simply enjoyed what was then a normal environment but which, after
many years of US culture immersion, found somewhat confusing. Even unnerving. For a short while.
So,
who is Cheíto? I met him in Hialeah. He was my brother’s neighbor, the guy or
woman at the grocery store, at the gas station, any one of many friends who I
met and who welcomed me like a long-lost prodigal child. The guy walking down
the street, the mechanic or the plumber… He or she came from the Dominican Republic,
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panamá, Nicaragua and from most any country that touched, or
was surrounded by, the Caribbean Sea.
All of
us bound by that magical musical sound the water makes when it breaks on the rocks just
before washing on the shore, the warm breeze it brings with it and the salt that
permeates the air; by the carnival parades, the music, the food, the simple and
pure enjoyment of life. The basic gratitude that comes from being alive, from being
able to work and to enjoy your family and friends. And the simple and very straightforward
street sense (not nonsense) that comes from all the above.
Cheíto
is a compendium. He represents all of these good people who came here to work
and find what their own country could not -or would not- offer, who try hard to
adapt to this culture, who can’t (or don’t
want to) fully get rid of the accent and lifestyle that gives them identity. He
is every one of those who have managed to build what was a dormant country town
“north of Miami” and the butt of many jokes, into the 4th largest
city in Florida, and have done this while maintaining that presence which makes
all of them who they are. And which gives them comfort and support. The same offered
comfort and support that was there for me when life brought me into their midst.
So,
now you know who Cheíto is; where he hails from. He (or she) is my friend and wants to be yours too. A simple, basic and
solid person who takes the hits life sometimes hands out, but who refuses to
fold or give in. He (and she) goes
on. And he is not such a bad example to follow.
Be
Well … Be Back!!!
Final Notes:
· Pray
for those who are
fighting an illness which may take them away from their loved ones… Every
request is heard, and counts!!
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