So after looking at these first two entries, I asked myself "where am I going with this?" So, to be fair to the readers, they need to know a little background of who I am and who this missing brother is. I will also eventually transition this to a very personal message using second person singular 'you' because that is the whole point here; what I will need to or have to tell you to update you, my missing brother, over the course of so many years and after one day returning back home to us.
Born December 24,1959, Jesus Rogelio Realme Cerda was the first and only son of Rogelio Escamilla Cerda and Marina Felan Realme. Our father, being a first generation US citizen and our mom, from Allende, Coahuila, México and now a US citizen, were two struggling parents too proud to ask for a handout but were very happy to be together. Neither had a job yet and honestly dad wasn't very thrilled about mom working, anyway. Dad, also a 1950 Lanier HS graduate, and during the draft he served as a Coast Guard man and served during the Korean war. I remember mom telling me that dad actually got to spend New Year's Eve at Madison Square Garden 1951.
Four years later, and with dad now working for the civil service over at Fort Sam, you welcomed a little sister, Cynthia Realme Cerda, on November 15, 1963. I was just eight days old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was an emotional time for everyone. Mom tells me you really enjoyed having a little playmate around and that would be the reason why you would reach into the crib, take me out and place, put, throw me in the dirty clothes basket and push me around the house. Honestly? I guess you had fun.
Our parents purchased their first home, a new one, over on West Woodlawn street in 1963 right before I was born and that would be where our childhood memories would begin as brother and sister.
Dad totally supported us with the pets thing, having Bozo, the white German Shepherd, Spotty, the Beagle mix and Snoopy, our little 'wiener' Dachshund. I'm not sure if you remember when Bozo chewed up my brand new Mrs. Beasley doll that Christmas morning in 1970 or when my little white rabbit, Pebbles, died from the sudden cold temperatures over night in the little cuartito we had in the porch or the gerbil I accidentally placed to rest because, after washing its little maze of a house and attempting to snap it back together, well, you get the picture, I should have put my gerbil back in after snapping the maze back together, or the countless gold fish that we had to politely flush due to either of us overfeeding or washing the bowl out with soap. I never knew that would kill the little fish. We also enjoyed feeding the big rabbits dad had in a homemade cage in the back yard because he would use their you know what for fertilizer for his plants of tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, onions, etc. Mom use to like to send you outside to pick those pequin peppers just to see you take your time with the little bush and pick them carefully.
To this day I still have your birthday cake topper of The Beatles. I have it saved because it's just so historical, like wow, The Beatles. I don't think anyone has saved one of these before. My birthday cake toppers consisted of ballerinas since mom had me in so many dance classes.
The times we got bored, we use to just throw a ball over the house and play catch. Our house was small enough to do that but it didn't matter what we did, what mattered was that we did it together. Like the time that, right before we went on Easter break from Holy Rosary school, and you were in 6th grade helping out with an Easter egg hunt, you hid a whole bunch just for me and when I ran outside with my class, there you were, standing there trying to look inconspicuous, and I knew that you had something for me. You know I eventually did get into trouble with Sister Maria Elena for cheating in that Easter Egg hunt and I cried uncontrollably. I didn't get to pin the tail on the donkey during our class party because of that incident.
Mom was really into getting us involved during our summer breaks and that is when she enrolled us in a summer program at the Instituto Cultural de México to take reading, history, theater, dance, art, typing and shorthand all in Spanish. This was back in 1972 and 1973. At first we dreaded those early mornings and long days but one of those professors made it fun for us, especially when he would buy us pizza at their food court on the Hemisphere Plaza. We had so much fun there, riding the mono-rail and the different carnival rides they had there. I recall seeing those Indigenous people on a swing riding upside down by their foot. I was totally amazed. We even came out in a theater production where you dressed up as an Indigenous person and we acted out a play called "Aventuras en el tiempo". It was televised on KLRN August 11, 1973.
The snow day was one of my favorite childhood memories because we got a lot of it and we built one big snowman and engaged in many snow ball fights with our neighbors across the street, the kids from the Mireles family and the Martinez family. These kids made our lives very exciting because we played with them a lot. I don't know what became of the Mireles family although I do recall seeing one of their sons, Nick, who now has a business trimming trees. The Maritnezes have kept in touch and mom did attend a wedding anniversary for Mr. and Mrs. Martinez. If you recall, mom and dad are the Godparents of Christopher, their youngest son.
You really enjoyed going to the baseball games at VJ Keefe field at St. Mary's University, either the Brewers or the Rangers, not sure due to so many name changes and you were really into the Globetrotters. too. I remember we drove you over to the Convention center and dropped you off when they came to town in 1974 and you were very excited with the commemorative items you came out with.
I remember to this day your posters, your black light in your room and how this black light made one particular poster stand out, the one with the picture of the earth taken from outer space with the title 'Let it be'. My other favorite poster was the one with the guy with the very large nose and bald and it said "'Keep on truckin'". I regret not saving those, actually I am not sure if mom has them in her cedar chest, the one dad bought her when they got engaged.
My latest memory of you before you disappeared was that of you driving dad's car without his permission. I knew you had your beginner's permit and you were starting to drive and it just really scared me that you were growing up, driving, working at Amigos Food Co. and had a girlfriend. The day you asked mom and dad to go to the coast with Betty, her best friend Ana and her family, was one day I will never forget because I remember mom and dad not wanting you to go, but you insisted so much. Why?
