My brother with love
May 15, 2020
by Laura Cortez
Since we were young Ruben showed us regularly how big his heart was, we never really comprehended it being so young, but we loved it anyway. Ruben being the youngest would go with our parents on their errands. No matter what dessert or candy they bought him, Ruben always saved a piece for us, we’d get home from school and he would be waiting for us with his treasured dessert and would give it to us with a look of joy, I can still remember it. He was only 4 or 5 years old then.
Another time that really comes to mind on a very personal level, was when I was about 10 years old Ruben was eight. I was obsessed with drawing and tracing pics from books then coloring them. One day I found a gold covered book that had a sheet of tracing paper to protect each picture within the book. I felt I hit the jackpot and proceeded to tear out each page of tracing paper from the book. About a month later our father called us all into the living room lined us up, belt and gold book in hand, and asked “Who tore out the pages of this book, If you tell me you won’t be hit, if you don’t tell me you will all be hit”. We all stood there terrified for what seemed an eternity but was probably only a few minutes. Just when I was about to come forward, Ruben stepped up and confessed to the crime. I was stunned speechless and before I could make amends, my father, going back on his word struck Ruben with the belt, it was awe full. After a while I found Ruben sniffling and wiping away his tears, I asked Ruben why he confessed when he didn’t do it, I told him I had done it. He said “I didn’t want all of us to get hit”, for the following weeks Ruben and I shared everything I was so grateful to him and we never told anyone the truth. That was Ruben.
As many of you know, for years Ruben struggled with diabetes and many other complications. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to spend many many hours reminiscing of those days of playing out doors with our neighbors and our summer vacations in Mexico, with all our amazing cousins. We agreed that we were blessed beyond words to have had such wonderful parents and great childhood memories. We are all so thankful that Linda, Ruben’s love gave him a kidney which gave us so much more time with him. Iknow I have been really blessed in having a loving brother like Ruben, I miss him every day.
Another time that really comes to mind on a very personal level, was when I was about 10 years old Ruben was eight. I was obsessed with drawing and tracing pics from books then coloring them. One day I found a gold covered book that had a sheet of tracing paper to protect each picture within the book. I felt I hit the jackpot and proceeded to tear out each page of tracing paper from the book. About a month later our father called us all into the living room lined us up, belt and gold book in hand, and asked “Who tore out the pages of this book, If you tell me you won’t be hit, if you don’t tell me you will all be hit”. We all stood there terrified for what seemed an eternity but was probably only a few minutes. Just when I was about to come forward, Ruben stepped up and confessed to the crime. I was stunned speechless and before I could make amends, my father, going back on his word struck Ruben with the belt, it was awe full. After a while I found Ruben sniffling and wiping away his tears, I asked Ruben why he confessed when he didn’t do it, I told him I had done it. He said “I didn’t want all of us to get hit”, for the following weeks Ruben and I shared everything I was so grateful to him and we never told anyone the truth. That was Ruben.
As many of you know, for years Ruben struggled with diabetes and many other complications. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to spend many many hours reminiscing of those days of playing out doors with our neighbors and our summer vacations in Mexico, with all our amazing cousins. We agreed that we were blessed beyond words to have had such wonderful parents and great childhood memories. We are all so thankful that Linda, Ruben’s love gave him a kidney which gave us so much more time with him. Iknow I have been really blessed in having a loving brother like Ruben, I miss him every day.