Me and my Tia Martha, Miami 1977
BY DAVY V.
My Tia Martha was so much more than my aunt.
She was like my second mother.
And she was like a second grandmother to my children.
She was a good and generous person, who always loved helping others.
Especially her family.
My Tia Martha was also a political prisoner.
In 1959, when Fidel Castro took control of the beautiful island of Cuba, and turned it into a communist police state, my Tia Martha hit the streets protesting and denouncing Castro.
She was thrown in one of Cuba's worst prisons for 2 years.
I remember the stories she would always tell me, including about the conditions of the prison.
The dirt floor.
The continuous dripping water from the rusty pipes which doubled as both drinking water and water to bathe herself with.
But there's one story that has stuck with me the most over the years
It shows just how cruel and inhumane Fidel Castro's prisons were.
My Tia would say that when it came to women's monthly menstrual cycle, the prison would not even provide any kind of women's products like tampons, pads, etc.
In fact, there were no hygiene products at all, other than a bar of soap and a roll of toilet paper that she would use to make pads with.
In 1951 she was released from prison.
The next day, with only a suitcase containing some clothes and family photos, she boarded a plane heading for Miami.
She was able to get a great job in Miami's Freedom Tower, where she worked for the State of Florida processing other Cuban refugees, including other political prisoners.
My Tia Martha spent the next 7 years sending money to my parents in Cuba, and helping them.
In 1968, when my parents and my brother Mano, who was only 6 years old, were finally able to leave Cuba, my Tia Martha was there to greet them at Miami International Airport.
She also helped them get situated in Miami.
That was my Tia.
A strong, caring and generous woman who enjoyed helped others.
My Tia Martha was also a very independent woman, in a time where many women were expected to stay at home.
She never married and she didn't take shit from anyone.
She was a beautiful woman and was constantly subjected to sexual harassment, at a time when it was very common, especially in the workplace.
But she was a strong woman.
She absolutely adored my children and loved when we would surprise her when we would drive to Miami for summer vacation.
The look of excitement on her face to see us was priceless!
Some of my best childhood memories were with my Tia Martha.
My Tia would pick me up on Friday afternoons after she got out of work, and I would spend the weekends with her.
I miss those sleepovers.
I miss her taking me to eat Cuban sandwiches, media noche sandwiches, bistec y congris, platanos maduros, and flan.
I miss going shopping with her.
I even miss hating when she would always drench me in a mix of cologne and perfumes from sample bottles at J. Byron stores in Miami!
I miss watching herSpanish novelas with her on TV, as well as my favorite Spanish TV shows Chespirito and El Chapulin Colorado.
I miss her cutting my nails and filing them.
And I especially miss going to Miami Beach with my Tia Martha and collecting seashells.
I realize now, that in many ways, I was the son that my Tia never had.
Today is 10 years since my Tia Martha passed.
And I miss her so much.
As do my children.
I only wish she could see what great, and respectable young men my boys have become.
Maybe she can.
I also wish she would have gotten to spend more time with my daughter, as my daughter was only 7 when Tia Martha passed.
Here's something else I wish.
I wish I would have spent more time with her.
Sumner vacations weren't enough.
But life happens, and it's so easy to lose track of time, and before you know it, it passes.
And eventually, so do your loved ones.
And a day comes when you regret not spending more time with someone.
So if you're reading this, and you still have your loved ones, especially older folks, please understand what a blessing that is, and how truly fortunate you are to still have them.
And please do not ever, for a second take that for granted.
DO NOT WAIT.
Spend as much time as you can with them.
WE LOVE YOU TIA MARTHA AND WE MISS YOU.
