Richie, as we decided we would call him, was a curious little character. Just hours after being born, he was brought to the room. The nurse pushed the nursery crib towards the window, and out of nowhere, he lifted his small head while he faced the right, looked towards the window for a second or two, then turned it to his left, as if wanting to know where he was. All of us in the room were stunned. That's when we knew he would be quite curious. He would stretch his entire body when he woke up, and when he slept, his little hands remained open and stiff to the point where we would try to close his fingers and they would spring back. For us, being parents for the first time was quite scary, but it was a joyous moment that we lovingly accepted. He came into this world out of love. He was our pride and joy.
Richie became a big brother to a baby girl at the tender age of 1 year and 4 months. The first time he set eyes on his sister, Jacqui, he cried. Probably because he didn't understand what this baby in his mom's arms meant, but he overcame the emotion quickly and befriended this new addition to the family. He adored his sister. He would make her laugh and would keep a watchful eye every time someone held her. Needless to say, he became very protective of his younger sibling.
Richie began talking at a very young age (1 year 6 months), he could manage entire sentences. His curiousity grew more and more every day, as well as, certain habits. He loved french fries and nuggets from McDonalds and could smell these from a mile away inside an air-conditioned vehicle, "Ummm, que rico huele..." he would say. His dad would ask, "A que te huele?" To which he would reply, "a papitas fritas y a nuggets." He would accompany his daddy tothe bakery to buy bread and he discovered how nice and warm and delicious it was - well, the inside of the bread. While on the trip back home he managed to make a hole in the loaf of bread and eat all the white. By the time they arrived home, the bread was hollow inside and Richie was stuffed. This habit never went away, we always knew who had pulled and eaten the white inside of the loaf of bread until he parted from this world.
By the age of two, Richie was so curious and ready for more input that we decided it was time for him to socialize and learn, so he began his journey to school (pre-preK) at Colegio Sagrado Corazon. He made so many new friends, he wasn't shy and never knew a stranger. He loved packing his little lunch box and going to school every day. His vocabulary increased, as well as his knowledge. He was like a sponge just sucking up all the information available. He just loved it. We were so proud of this little guy, he was way too smart for his young age and the older he grew, the more curious he became.
Richie loved school, he was learning a lot and had many play mates. He loved participating in any events. I recall his first participation as a "pastorcito" in the Nativity play at Colegio San Agustin in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He also danced to the plena. He quickly learned his ABC's, began writing his name, and was even adding and subtracting. There was no doubt in our minds that he would be good in math... and he was. Although he liked school, he never liked homework and always tried to find a way out of it. But even so, he passed on to first grade with very satisfactory grades.
Elementary school was good for him also. It was just his nature, his being friendly and never getting in trouble nor was he a bully. I recall us teaching him that he should never hit anyone, but if he ever was hit by another child, he should immediately let a teacher know, and he did just that until it was apparent that this approach was not working. One day, as I waited with him for the bell to ring another child punched Richie. I did not see what happened but was immediately approached by a couple of little boys letting me know that my son had been hit by a bully. So, I walked up to Richie and asked him what happened and he explained. Even though I did not agree with the violence, I did know that "letting the teacher know" was not working, so I told him, "hit him back." Richie and his friends all looked up at me in shock as I repeated, "hit him back." And Richie went over to the bully with no fear, probably because mom was there, but he punched the little bully back. That was all it took to get some respect, he was never bullied or hit again by anyone. He felt so proud that he told everyone. Funny how things happen, they later turned out to be best of friends while in elementary school.
Richie began wearing eyeglasses while in second grade, he was seven-years-old. He was not too happy about it but quickly realized how much better he could see by wearing them. Being that he was so sociable, he was voted as "Rey Jibaro" in another school event. He was so excited at the idea of him being the king in the school parade.
At home, Richie was a great help. Since he was so curious he always volunteered to do things. We knew it was more curiousity than anything else, but we let him experiment - like the day he wanted to wash the cups in the sink and used the entire bottle of soap. Whew, those were a heck of clean cups, as well as, the counter and the floor.
At age eight, he participated as a pirate, in a school parade and, as always and in all parades, he was always at the head of the parade - how did he manage to get the best parts, his charm and grace, I would say. We moved to Florida when he was nine-years-old, and even though he didn't know the English language, he quickly picked up on it. Yet we made sure that him and his siblings spoke Spanish at home, so that they would not forget it. I am proud to say, he never forgot it, he was able to speak, read, and write it. He was a proud Boricua.
He enjoyed so many TV programs that he would actually tell you what was on, who starred in it, what channel, etc. and it was mostly more than one program! It got to a point where would call him a walking TV guide. If we wanted to know what time a certain program would be showing all we did was call him to the family room and ask, he would give us a rundown of what was on. He was the same way regarding streets and short cuts. Richie knew how to get everywhere. I recall one day being at a doctors office on Sandlake Road and wanting to get to my mom's home in Kissimmee. I was thinking out loud, "What is the shortest route from here to mom's house?" To which Richie responded giving me a route I had not even thought of, mind you, he was only 12 years old. Him being smart and "averiguao, presentao', y entrometido" actually helped him. So he was also called a "walking map," if you wanted to know how to get somewhere, you would just ask Richie, he knew every corner and their intersections.
If there was one thing Richie loved, it was family get-togethers. He was accustomed to them and he looked forward to them. He was crazy about his uncle Manny, he really looked up to him, as well as with John, my cousin Wendy's husband, and my cousin Glen. When the get-togethers were at home, most of the men, including his uncle Michael, cousin Michael Elliott, and cousin Randalh, would all gather in Richie's bedroom to play with Richie's playstation. It just amazed me how he dragged all the men in our get-togethers to his room to play. He was so lovable and friendly that he won all these men's/kids hearts. That was Richie, he had a heart of gold. I never heard anyone complain or accuse him of disrespectful, he was dearly loved by every person he knew.
Richie was an extrovert young fellow. He would make friends very fast. When he was 10, Richie and his siblings took Tae Kwon Do lessons. His teacher saw the potential in Richie for participation in the Tae Kwon Do tournaments and asked us if it were okay for them to train him for this purpose. We were delighted, but because of his dad's job relocation we moved from Miami to Orlando where he then lost interest in Tae Kwon Do.
Richie was a go-getter, when he wanted something he would go for it. I remember when the Nintendo 64 came out. He wanted one so badly and asked us if he could have one. Richie was an average student in school - he only brought home C's. But when he asked for the Nintendo 64, we told him that if he pushed his grades up to "A" we would reward him with it. We didn't really think he would do it. Richie hated studying and books. He never did his homework, nor even picked up a book, but somehow he managed to increase ALL his grades from "D" to "A's." And of course, he got his Nintendo 64.
Richie, like all boys, loved cars. My kids had tons of hot wheels or matchbox cars and I remember when they would play with those cars for hours on the grass where they would actually tear the grass out to make a road for the cars. Yes, even Jacqui played - being raised among two boys, it's a miracle she's a girly-girl and not a tomb-boy.
I worked a part-time and when my kids were out of school, I would take them to work with me. They would pack the Nintendo 64 and take it along so that they could entertain themselves while I worked. I recall one particular day that my boss came in and all of a sudden disappeared on me. Calls were coming in for him and I would always make an excuse of unavailability for him believing he was in the restroom. But when it seemed like a little bit too long for him to be in the restroom, I got up from my desk and started a "boss hunt." Where did I find my boss? He was playing Nintendo 64 with my three kids. Richie was actually teaching him how to maneuver his vehicle with the Nintendo 64 controls. Richie was very patient, and even though he beat my boss in the game, it wasn't by much because he would always try to help others.
Another day, while at work with me, they went out to the children's playground. While swinging away they began tapping on the steel tubes that held the swing set down and without warning a swarm of bats came flying out. You'd think that they'd be scare, no not Richie, Jacqui, nor Danny, they actually wanted to grab a bat!
Richie was so, so curious that we called him "un averigua, presentao y entrometido." But sometimes being curious pays off, he once searched hi and low through my office and found this small device, kind of like a roller to smooth out wall paper. Among all the things I had to do at work, was the folding of over 300 bulletins on a weekly basis. The kids would sometimes help me with the folding and I remember one day when Richie picked up that roller and just folded away. The creases were even, he folded faster, and it seemed effortless to him, so I asked where did he get that. He said he found it in one of the work room cabinets, 'til this day I have that rolling device and use it every week when I do my bulk folding. And every week I just stare at it when I take it out to do my foldings and remember that my son, Richie, was the one who made my job a little bit easier with this device that isn't even intended to do foldings. As if he knew.
