Posted by Carl Jr on October 18, 1998 at 19:33:17:
Dear Dianita,
After I posted my last message. It clicked. Yes, you are "Uncle Miguel's"
daughter.
I hope you enjoy my memories of your father...
My memories of your father, "Uncle Miguel," are of a quiet,
taciturn man. (Qualities, no doubt, which served him well,
being married to an Arreche "Tia!" )
I don't remember meeting him in 1966 when I visited Puerto Rico.
However, I have very clear memories of him as a result of an
incident that occurred about 1949.
I remember visiting "Aunt Yolanda" and "Uncle Miguel" as a
child. At that time, as I recall, they lived in a walk-up
apartment somewhere in New York City. It may well be that Uncle
Miguel was a student at the time.
The incident I'm talking about started on the drive back to
Hackensack after visiting your parents. It was a long drive,
across the single-level George Washington Bridge, and under the
watchful gaze of the gargantuan "Mr. Knickerbocker" sign. (I
would look up at Mr. Knickerbocker. He scared me--and I never
felt comfortable until we were out of his sight.)
My parents were talking about your mom and dad. My father said
something about how smart Uncle Miguel was because he was
studying accountancy...
(Parenthetically, I should mention that my father never had any
formal education. He was born in 1896, in Italy, and immigrated
to the United States as an eight-year-old boy. In 1904, eight
year old kids from Italy didn't go to school; they worked in the
coal mines. My father worked in the coal mines of Chester,
Pennsylvania, and many other places in Pennsylvania and West
Virginia, until he married at the age of 16.
I mention this because, although the Tia's regarded my father
with contempt because of his lack of formal education, my father
had enormous respect for education and learning.)
...and so it was that my father was so impressed about Uncle
Miguel studying accountancy. My father made the statement
"...boy, those guys are so smart, they could make you believe
that two plus two equals five!" I believe that those were his
exact words.
Now, I was only a kid at the time, but even at that age I
understood the fact that two plus two equals four was an
absolute, immutable law of nature. This really boggled my mind.
How could Uncle Miguel make me believe that two plus two equals
five!
Well, I ruminated on this over the ensuing weeks until we
visited your mom and dad again. I'm not sure why I thought it
might be necessary to speak with Uncle Miguel in private, but I
waited until your father was alone and away from other people.
"Uncle Miguel," I asked, "what does two plus two equal?"
Uncle Miguel looked at me with an odd expression--it was a look
of condescension, sympathy and incredulity all rolled into one!
(This was a look which I would see many more times on many more
faces over the ensuing decades.) He said nothing.
Well, that just piqued my curiosity even more! I could barely
contain myself. How in the world could Uncle Miguel make me
believe that two plus two equals five?!!
Later that evening I again found Uncle Miguel alone and away
from other people. Again I asked him "Uncle Miguel, what does
two plus two equal?" This time he spoke. He said only one
word, which I shall never forget. "Four."
Carl Jr.