AFTER ORLANDO

I’m sure you are all trying to fathom the incomprehensible and violent act in Orlando.  With tears and a heavy heart, I read this article from Latina.com published on June 13 with profiles of some of the victims. I can’t imagine how their loved ones around the world are coping, and this especially hits me heard as the majority of victims were Latino and 23 were Puerto Rican.

In April, my family and I traveled to Orlando and Ocala for my daughter’s Spring break. In Orlando, we enjoyed a wonderful evening with my cousin, Carlos and his son, Carlos Jr. Our time at one of the best Puerto Rican restaurants in Orlando, Pal Campo, flew by as we became reacquainted after several decades! Every year at Christmas throughout my childhood, my parents, sisters and I visited Maunabo, Puerto Rico to celebrate my Abuela (grandmother) Chepa’s birthday on Christmas Eve. We had many fiestas at the home of my Tía (Aunt) Lila, Carlos’s mom. My memories are precious of Three Kings Day and parties that lasted until the wee hours of the morning with the heavenly scents of paella and the sounds of maracas and güiros.

That evening in Orlando, Carlos and I told the stories of these family celebrations in Puerto Rico to my husband, Brad, and our respective children, my Elena, 14, and Carlos Junior, who is 36. We spoke with special reverence of our Abuela Chepa, the matriarch of the family and healer, or curandera.

We then traveled 80 miles north to Ocala, to visit my parents. Mom is 80 and Dad is becoming frailer at 90, so they can no longer travel and our visit was long overdue. I also scheduled two book signings at the Ocala Barnes and Noble and the Barnes and Noble at the Villages, the largest retirement community in Florida. The morning of my first signing, an article about the book was published in the Ocala Star Banner and I had a radio interview at WOCA, Ocala Talk radio. When I arrived at the bookstore a few hours later, a small crowd gathered, mainly Puerto Ricans. They read the article and like the movie, Field of Dreams, they came. They showed their support and welcomed me with open arms, and for the few hours I was there, I felt embraced by their community. I know they, like I, are crying.

My heartfelt gratitude also goes out to the brave responders, police, health care workers who treated the victims, and to the countless people and companies who are mobilizing to help: funeral homes, Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando, Jet Blue offering flights to victims’ families. There are countless others and my deepest apologies to those I have not mentioned. This article from the NY Times gives them credit.

I will complete these thoughts with a request. Contact your local representative and demand change; www.contactingthecongress.org can get you started and www.everytown.org shares ways to help end gun violence. The same gun, an illegally modified AR-15, was used in Orlando and San Bernardino. In spite of what you think about gun control, no one should have the right to own a high caliber assault weapon that wiped out the lived of so many people in seconds, young beautiful people on the cusp of their lives at a place they felt safe to be themselves.

New friends in Florida. I'm with Mom to my left and Dad (seated) with Lillian and Joe Piersante. Lillian is from Caugas, not far from Maunabo, where Dad grew up 

MY TRIBUTE TO FATHERS

In 1944 my father, Ramón León, won the lottery. $18,000, a fortune! ($500,000 in today's money.) To say that it changed his life and the lives of others is a gross understatement.

His story has become such family lore that ten years ago, I decided I must tell it. “Why do you want to write about me?” my father asked when I said I was writing a book about him. His response shows his humility. What he accomplished is extraordinary, though he’d never admit it.

Ramón León grew up in the remote seaside town of Maunabo, Puerto Rico. From the age of seven, he carried trays of pastries on his head into the nearby sugar plantation to sell to field hands. He saved every penny he earned. At 19, he had a premonition – a vision. A number flashed across the sky: 14007.  “Guillermo,” he said to his friend, “I need to play that number in the lottery!” He felt it so strongly that for the first time, he bought a full sheet of tickets, something only the very wealthy did. And he won. Going from poor to rich in a heartbeat caused as many problems as it solved. He struggled to use his winnings to stay true to himself, ensure family and community harmony, and fulfill his dream of being a healer.

Years before, a dentist known in his village as “El Humanitario” had cured Ramón's abscessed tooth. Since that day, Ramón dreamed of helping others as he'd been helped. Puerto Rico had few dentists and no dental school in 1944, so, though he knew no English, he attended Michigan State University. Although it was far from easy, his winnings allowed him to live his dream and ultimately return to Puerto Rico to carry on the work of his beloved mentor, “El Humanitario”. 

Weeks before my novel inspired by his story was released, one of my dad’s old patients read my story, A Lucky Man (2006). She posted it on our town’s Facebook page. Testimonials from Dad’s former patients poured in, 25 years after he'd retired. “Best dentist I ever had.”  “One of a kind!” One patient told how Dad saw him on a Sunday after a terrible car accident. Recognizing the serious nature of the young man's injuries, Dad referred him to the nearest hospital. Dad made house calls, and if someone couldn’t pay, he bartered for services.

My father showed respect to everyone without question, and in turn, earned it. These lessons and values shaped the person I am today in my work as a physical therapist and author. In sharing intimate details of his life as I wrote Luck is Just the Beginning, he revealed a humble heroism.

Life has come full circle. His dream came true and, with the publication of my novel, so has mine. Readers have told me how the book inspired them, how they rejoiced during the good parts and cried during the bad. 

I share this story in honor of Father’s Day. From selling pastries on sugar plantations to a career as an acclaimed dentist and healer, with a big boost from the Puerto Rican lottery, my father's story is truly amazing.  Happy Father's Day to dads, mentors, teachers, and friends!

Three generations: Celeste (age 50), Ramón (age 90), Elena (14!)

A GREAT INTERVIEW

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the talented Cubana author and radio host Teresa Dovalpage. Teresa has published eight novels and three short story collections in Spanish and English and is the delightful radio host for KNCE True Taos Radio. We had a lively and candid discussion which she translated into Spanish. The only caveat was her co-host had to unexpectedly run out of the station so the interview wasn’t taped. Yet the upside, we had such a nice rapport that we’ll do another live interview in which I'll read an excerpt from my book—so stay tuned!

Read below for a synopsis:

1. What motivated you to write Luck is Just the Beginning?

I’ve been fascinated with my dad’s story since I was a child, how he literally saw a number. So for the first time in his life, he spent everything he had saved since he was a child and bought a full sheet of lottery tickets in his village in Puerto Rico and won! It was an incredible stroke of luck, almost too good to believe, and rather than squander it, he used the money to achieve his dream of becoming a dentist, and follow in the footsteps of his village’s “humanitario”, the old dentist who helped my father and so many others.

Then ten years ago, I read The Color of Water by James McBride. The book is an autobiography, but is interwoven with the story of the author’s mother, who emigrated from Poland. It reminded me of my dad’s story, who came here amidst tremendous hardship from Puerto Rico. James McBride was one of 12 children and my father was the last of 15! (Sadly, the first eight died in infancy in early 1900s; my dad was born in 1925.) So I thought, “I want to tell Dad’s story…” and I started writing. I took a creative writing class online and attended writers’ conferences, including Squaw Valley Community of Writers and classes at my nearby community college and university (University of Nevada, Reno). I joined an amazing critique group of seven women, and thus began a project that unbeknownst to me, would take ten years to complete! It’s been life changing!

2. Did you interview your father “formally” for the book?

Yes, and when I first approached him to do a book project, he said, “Why do you want to write about me?” It shows how kind and humble he is, and his patience through the years was unwavering. Since he lives in Florida, most of our interviews were over the phone—I have notebooks full of stories. I also did an interview with a cassette recorder and my mom participated. I will have their voices for years to come, which I will treasure! In the acknowledgements for my book, I thank my father for sharing the intimate details of his life with me so honestly. When I read that sentence, I still get misty-eyed.

3. What was your writing process like? Did you write every day?

I did most of my writing on my days off from my job as a physical therapist with a break midday to walk or exercise, especially when I was stuck on a scene I needed to process before getting back to. I work part time and would often sneak in some writing on my lunch break and weekends. I carried around a note pad (and still do!) to record ideas when they came to me to add to the manuscript later. Twice monthly, I attended my critique group to keep me motivated. I’m lucky to have a supportive husband and daughter, a wonderful balance of career, family and creativity. I still write daily, mainly blog posts, interviews and articles and recently published one in my local independent newspaper about the book’s evolution: http://moonshineink.com/mountain-life/sharing-luck

4. What was your favorite scene? And your most difficult?

This is a novel, or fiction based on a true story and very close to the events as my father told them to me. One favorite scene was when my uncle, Isidro, returned home from France after his tour of duty in World War II as part of Puerto Rico’s famous 65^th Infantry. My father went to pick him up in Ponce and his memories of that day are vivid. The scene shows the love and admiration between two brothers separated by war. I hope it resonates with people who lived through the war and since the book is considered historical fiction, I tried to paint a picture for younger readers, including my generation, of what the war was like.

For the most difficult scenes, I can’t give away too much of the plot, but there were several scenes where the protagonist, Ramón, behaves in ways he later regrets. This is all part of his growth, however, and in the end, his actions are selfless.

5. Do you plan to promote the book in Puerto Rico? I imagine some of the people who appeared in the book are still alive. Did you use their real names? What kind of reactions do you anticipate?

Yes, I’d love to promote the book in Puerto Rico! I still have cousins there and can’t wait to hear their impressions of the story. I kept many names and changed a few. Most characters are real or based on real people and a few are fictitious whom I added for dramatic license. Who’s real and who’s not? I love a little mystery around the book and invite readers and book clubs to contact me!

Sadly, almost everyone in the story is gone now (hint, a young nephew is still in PR and about 80!). My father was the youngest of his large family all his siblings have passed away, the last at 94. Dad is 90 and frailer now, but doing quite well and living in Florida.

6. Which writers have influenced you the most?

Gabriel Garcia Márquez was one of the finest writers of all time. I also admire Alex Espinoza, Rudolfo Anaya, Désirée Zamorano and Puerto Rican writers Esmeralda Santiago, and Rosaria Ferré. An instructor from a workshop at University of Reno, Nevada, author David Sundstrand was a great influence and tremendous support. Of course, all the women in my writers critique group have been with me since the book’s inception.

7. This is a very inspirational story. Do you have a famous motto or quote you live by?

I love the quote from Maya Angelou on my dedication page: “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” I live by one of the book’s themes, that perseverance and integrity are essential in accomplishing one’s goals. There are a few pieces of wisdom throughout the story, many of  them revealed by the book’s matriarch, my grandmother, Doña Chepa. Two quotes near the end of the book: a friend tells Ramón, the protagonist, “Once your luck gets a little momentum, there’s no telling where it will take you, ay, my friend?” and a jewel that Ramón shares with his brother, “It’s your family, friends and our belief in one another that count most in the end, isn’t it?”

8. Where is your book available and are you working on another book now? 

My book is available on my website, celesteleon.com with a direct link to purchase copies from Amazon, the publisher, Floricanto Press or a signed copy from me. It's also available at my wonderful indie bookstores, The Bookshelf in Truckee and Grassroots Books in Reno, NV.

As for a another book, I have an idea for a young adult nonfiction book, and would love to collaborate with my thirteen-year-old daughter. She’s blossoming as a creative writer—I think the craft comes far more naturally to her than to her mom!

HURACÃN SAN FELIPE

“What was your earliest memory, Dad?”

I posed this question during one of my many hours interviewing my father for my novel, based on his remarkable life.

“Late summer, when I was three,” he began. “Hurricane San Felipe destroyed the island. My father carried me and Lila to the Cadiz house, the only cement house in the village . . . he and Don Cadiz ripped up the floorboards so our families could hide there, in the dirt crawl space underneath the floor. It was moist, the dirt seeped into me. It was hard to breath with all those people, almost fifteen of us huddling in fear. 

“Afterwards, the town was destroyed. Trees uprooted, entire houses gone. The sheep herder never found his flock. We slept without a roof over our heads for weeks. The small grammar school was destroyed, too. There was no money to replace lost supplies. Each student received only one pencil and one writing tablet for the rest of the year . . .”

I was amazed at the accuracy of my father’s memory from only age three. Hurricane San Felipe battered Puerto Rico on September 13, 1928 and is the only cyclone to hit the island at Category 5 intensity, at winds up to 175 MPH. Click on the NOAA Hurricane Scale for an excellent depiction of storms ranging from 1 to 5 and the damage inflicted.

San Felipe is the second deadliest hurricane to impact the U.S. mainland, behind only the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, and the most powerful to strike Puerto Rico. The eye of the hurricane took eight hours to cross the island; 500,000 people were homeless in its aftermath and 312 were killed. San Felipe inflicted 50 million dollars damage in 1928, just in time for the great depression. This is another image Dad remembered, of a ten-foot pine board driven through the trunk of an African palm, from The Hurricane Hunters by Ivan Ray Tannehill (Dodd, Mead and Company, 1960)

Dad also talked about the calm before the storm, how everything was completely silent. No rustles from the leaves of the palm trees. Even the animals didn’t make a sound, the birds stopped singing.

Writing Prompt:

What’s your earliest memory? Who was there? What was the season?

SO…YOU WANT TO WRITE A STORY?

I’m about to turn fifty and if I didn’t interview my dad for my book I never would have known about my uncle, Isidro, and his tour in during World War II in the Puerto Rican 65th infantry, the most famous in the island’s history. On November 9, 1945, my father, Ramón, and his sister, Lila, drove along the southern coast of Puerto Rico to meet Isidro and the surviving members of the 65^th infantry in Ponce. After a tour of duty that took them to Panama, North Africa, Casablanca, Germany, Italy and the Maritime Alps in France, the men were coming home.

Puerto Ricans from all over the island came to Ponce to celebrate the infantry’s return. It would be the first time the siblings, Ramón, Isidro and Lila, laid eyes on each other after Isidro's spending years on the battlefield. 

Imagine the electricity in the air as islanders waved Puerto Rican and American flags and cheered and celebrated the end of the war. Music blared from roadside bars and the sangria flowed freely. Joyous pandemonium reigned.

Their reunion is one of the most moving stories my father shared, as he told me of he and his brother embracing after four years. Dad’s voice became hoarse and wistful as he recalled the events from that day, how he held his brother at arms length, how handsome Isidro looked in uniform, yet how different, older than his 26 years.

Isidro was my dad’s only brother never to have a family. And I feel a little part of Isidro in me, as if for only a moment, I’ve brought him back to life. After all, he is an ancestor, and we share DNA. I wish I had a photo of Isidro on that day, but the one below shows Ramón (age three) and Lila (age five) as she was like a little mother to my dad, and shared in this very important memory!

 

This story is for my thirteen-year-old daughter, and my nieces and nephew. Yet I have yet to share with her the reason why I wrote these stories down, turned them into a book she can read her history. Why??

Writing Prompt:

Describe a reunion with someone in your life that stands out to you. Or ask a loved one or a parent to describe a meaningful reunion to you. Share it here. 

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

“So ... why do you want to write about me?” my 80 year old father asked me ten years ago when I began to interview him.  

Why indeed. My father’s humble response shows what kind of man he is.

His story will become a novel, Luck is Just the Beginning, due to be published by Floricanto Press  in the fall. It was inspired by the true story of his remarkable luck. My father won the lottery after a premonition. But what’s more remarkable is what happened after.

What I’d like to do is to give you the story behind the novel, tell you about the real people you’ll read about and the history of Puerto Rico and its rich culture. And help you to do the same if you want. Through writing prompts and suggestions, you can tell your own story, or interview a friend, mentor, parent or grandparent.

Ramón León was born in Puerto Rico in 1925. My grandmother lost her first eight babies shortly after birth. My father was the 15^th child. No one in his family except his sister (the only girl of the 15!) completed high school. They were poor and hardworking and owned a clothing and textile store in the village of Maunabo on the southeast corner of the island. My grandmother, Abuela Chepa, sewed for villagers on special occasions, items such as a shirt or skirt selected from a dog eared Sears-Roebuck catalog.

My father did alterations, too, but at nineteen-years-old he had a dream to become a dentist. The island had few dentists and no dental school at that time. His only chance to attend dental school in the mainland U.S. was to apply for a scholarship, but only five were awarded on the island annually, a tremendous long shot.

What followed was an even wilder long shot.

Ramón León had a vision: a series of numbers came to him. He and his friend, Guillermo, were talking of playing the lottery (Guillermo did, my dad was saving as much as he could for college), and a number came to my dad, all of a sudden. It’s not that far-fetched. Abuela Chepa, who had earned the esteemed title of Doña Chepa, was a curandera, one who healed with herbs and the laying on of hands, a bruja or witch whom villagers sought for advice, cures for their ailments, even to tell their futures.  

“Hey, Guillermo, I think I just thought of the number to play in the lottery!” Dad shouted to his friend. 

I can imagine the look of Guillermo’s face when he believed Dad would finally play. 

And then the lottery salesman had the number Dad saw in his head.  So, for the first time in his life, my father was so sure that it was fate that he bought not only a single ticket, which sold for twenty cents, but the entire sheet of thirty tickets for $6.00. It was all the money he had saved since he was a boy of seven, selling pastries for a penny a piece to the macheteros, the men who wielded their machetes in the sugar cane fields. It was an enormous amount of money at the time in 1944, when most people made a dollar a day working in the cane or coffee fields.

And he won the jackpot: $18,000.

My sisters and I grew up hearing this story, so to me, it’s part of my history (I’ll write more on premonitions later), and it’s inspirational what he accomplished with the money.

He went to Michigan, barely knowing English, and completed college and dental school. After a long career, when he finally retired, many of his patients cried.

It took me nearly ten years and a dozen rewrites to complete my novel, inspired by the story of my father’s life. Luck is Just the Beginning will be in my hands by as soon as the fall. A beautiful tale. A dream come true for me, too.