| It is Labor Day morning and I have
just gotten up. We arrived from Madrid on Friday afternoon
(9/3/99) after a fabulous "despedida" on
Thursday night through the tascas around Plaza Santa Ana
in the center of Madrid just off Plaza Neptuno. I visited
Café Central once again. Café Central is the grandest
jazz joint in Madrid. They were celebrating their six
thousandth performance. However, we got there late because
we had been bar hopping for too long. We went to a taverna
where the only thing they served was sherry.
You could get any kind of jerez you wished;
"fino, seco, amontillado, palo cortado, etc.",
only sherry though. They would serve the jerez and then
write your bill down in chalk on the bar top. If you
wanted something to accompany, you got some bread with
salty anchovies on it. Quite a delightful mixture of
tastes. Then we went to a Pena Taurina where the walls
were filled with the heads of famous bulls and portraits
of bullfighters. We had this wonderful red wine ('Lan' de
la Cuenca del Duero) under a stunning portrait of Manolete
which reminded me of the face in Goya's painting "El
Fusilamiento". We had actually started the night at
the Cerveceria Alemana, a typical place off Plaza Santa
Ana where we ate some boquerones en vinagre and some very
good callos a la Madrileńa with chorizo and morcilla. Our
last stop was at a bar that specialized in mojito, a Cuban
drink of rum, spearmint, lime juice and soda. I had wanted
to visit a place that had Caribbean music and ambiance,
but it's not quite the same in Spain as say, in Miami? The
barrio around Plaza Santa Ana is a haven for bohemians and
night life. During our last visit two years ago, friends
took me to the barrio de Malasana, just across the Gran
Via on the other side, which was the "in" place
then. It all seemed glorious to me then and now.
I didn't get much sleep the last few nights in
Madrid, what with visiting friends and taking care of my
son, Santiago who ended up with a bad stomach. We went to
the bullfights in Colmenar Viejo on Tuesday (8/31) and
made the mistake of staying for the fiesta afterwards. The
fight was okay, El Cordobés (yes, its the same name
although this is his son -and remarkably similar too) cut
two ears in a typical fight for him, more bravado than
art. I had tried that day to get into the fight at San
Sebastián de los Reyes, but it was sold out. Turns out
that in the San Sebastian fight they cut eight ears and a
rabo (Abellan, Jose Tomas and Enrique Ponce). You never
know what you get in a bullfight. My son, Santiago, who
loved the bullfight (he had been once before) ate
everything you put before him during the trip; pulpo a la
Gallega, chopitos, bacalao, empanada, paté de ave,
merluza, etc. He succumbed that evening in Colmenar to the
temptation of eating fast food (un perrito caliente, un
poco de pizza y unos churros con crema), and got a bad
stomach ache so I stayed up with him the next two nights.
So you see it took a while to recuperate. But here I am
and eager to express my thanks and appreciation for the
exquisite two day reunion in Miami.
It seems like I began a journey into my past by
traveling to Miami that has continued for 16 days more in
Spain. I was supposed to end up with a week in Madrid but
extended our stay in Galicia and wound up with less than 5
days in the capital. And what with friends and Santiago's
discomfort, I didn't get a chance to go back and visit ASM.
I had not been to Galicia in 15 years. Needless to say it
was a very emotional visit. I met a whole new generation
of cousins and went back to my grandmother's home (still
standing) and showed Santiago his (great) grandmother's
tomb. The weather and beaches in Galicia were wonderful,
the food even better and the Spaniards just as gracious,
charming and outspoken as I remembered. I can't wait for
our reunion in Spain. I wish it were next year (or better
yet, I will preview it next year in Spain).
Miami was magical. The emotions that swirled
around Casa Juancho that Friday evening when we all saw
each other for the first time in 30 years were too intense
to imagine. No wonder the waiters had trouble holding onto
the plates. Bill Mock's intensity is still there, Pepe
Presley's humor is as joyful as ever and all the young
girls seem much younger than their years would belie. You
looked about 32, Michelle. None of the women looked their
age (Ana Ferrer still looks fabulous). But the most
gracious and stunning for me was Lida Hooghuis. We sat
down together at dinner and reviewed the tragic
circumstances surrounding the life of her late sister
Marina.
Lida appears to be as calm and collected as she
was when we last saw each other. She has a family and a
career and appears to have done very well for herself. She
looks like a model or an ex beauty queen. And she reminded
me so much of her sister -my first love- that it brought
tears to my eyes. It is a pretty sad and tragic story.
Marina was a young beauty who had everything to live for
in life. Apparently, the choices she made weren't very
healthy and a lot of bitterness and rebellion creeped into
her life. I only wish you had done this sooner Michelle so
that, perhaps we could have seen her again.
The next day at Ritchie "Bad Boy"
Daugherty's house was just as exciting. Richie has changed
very little. He still has a heart of gold and a tough guy
image. His memory was remarkable (as was most everyone's
except mine). Larry Hawkins remarked that he did not
remember Ritchie being quite as Spanish as he now seems. I
also did not realize how steeped in Spanish tradition and
heritage Ritchie is. I never knew that his mother was from
Spain and that his father, although of Irish ancestry, was
a prominent Spanish diplomat. What with all the hair and
Beatle boots you would have thought he was from South
Boston or the Bronx. Ritchie Daugherty's appears to have
been a life worth living, one of those that is all too
uncommon now. It must have been hard and had a heavy dose
of ups and downs, but Ritchie appears to have lived the
life he wanted in High School. His wife was a lovely host
and appears to love him very much. She must be a very
patient woman.
The most vivid memories for me are of those
students who spent the most time in Madrid with me;
Ritchie, Pepe, Henry, Rafa, Lincoln, Xamara, Bill and a
few others in my class. Then there are those who stood out
even though we didn't spend that much time together; Jim
Karna, Jamie Kevlin, Debbie Jeans (still as fit and
beautiful as ever), Sheila Donovan and, oh yes, Becky
Philbrook. I had not seen Larry Hawkins in close to five
years and we have a lot of catching up to do. I will visit
with him again quite soon thanks to Miami. We have kept in
touch over the years, especially when I was in college and
afterwards. I couldn't believe so few people remembered
that during our 10th grade year, everywhere you
went in Madrid there was a billboard or bus that had a
ridiculous picture of Hawkins with a fake blond wig, a
sword through his mouth and a bottle of Smirnoff Vodka in
his hand. That has to have been the most famous ad
campaign Hawkins ever did. For most of that time, I would
prance through Madrid explaining to my Spanish friends how
that was my English teacher from school up there in the
lights.
Another very touching series of moments for me
in Miami was seeing Rafael Diaz-Balart again. Rafa was
ahead of us in ASM but during his time there he exuded a
kind of elegance, charm and confidence that has always
eluded me. I met Rafa years later in Washington when he
was married to Jennie Haer. They had two lovely kids and
lived in the same neighborhood as my family. Rafa helped
me with one of my businesses, for which I will be forever
grateful. My relationship with Lincoln is not nearly as
close or as warm. In my newspapering days I criticzed him
quite a lot. Nevertheless, he was quite charming and
relaxed in Miami.
The weightiness of that family name must weigh
very heavily on all of them. They will go down in history
as important figures in the struggle for Cuba. As you
know, Rafa's uncle by marriage ("politico" as
they say in Spanish ) was Fidel Castro (his aunt divorced
Castro prior to his taking over in 1959) and Rafa's father
was a famous figure in the Cuban Congress (he had been
elected Senator but never got to take office).
Together with both the brothers in Miami, we
went through the famous story of their father's speech to
the Cuban Congress on the release of Fidel Castro from
prison in 1955. The elder Diaz Balart's speech would be
prescient. Its prophetic nature, and Diaz Balart's lone
vote against the amnesty of Castro is a very important
event and key to understanding the modern history of Cuba.
My email is yjjsuerio@msn.com
(don't ask me how I came upon that address. It is beyond
my technological capacity to understand). Please write me
everyone. I promise to respond.
One final thought. Whatever came over you,
Michelle, to begin a project such as this may God keep you
in all his glory. This is a wonderful attempt to get some
rather extraordinary people back together again after a
very long time. I was moved and amazed by the
sophistication, intelligence and thoughtfulness of all
those in Miami and particularly proud that all those
people were my classmates. I thank you once again Michelle
for all you have done in this and I am grateful for your
efforts.
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