I have so many happy memories of the childhood years Ili and I shared in our home and other favorite places in Cuba.
We lived on the bottom floor of a duplex designed and built by our father, Victor, and his father, Serafín. It was about a block from the Malecón in Havana. Our paternal grandparents lived upstairs, respecting the wishes of our grandmother, Helene, not to be on the ground floor. The staircase was fully enclosed within the house, and had two doors, one to our foyer and the other to the front porch where we spent many enjoyable afternoons and early evenings. Our front doors were often left wide open to take advantage of the ocean breeze.
I mention the staircase because, as soon as she figured out how to do it, on all fours, Ili was climbing up the stairs to visit two of her favorite people! As an adult, Ili reminisced about the meaningful times she had spent with our grandfather, talking and looking out at the ocean from the rooftop terrace on the back of the house, and with our grandmother, learning as she helped with small tasks in the kitchen. I remember our grandparents being very loving and spending time with each of us, individually. They were totally devoted to Nana and Vivi, as we were affectionately called.
The earliest photo I have of Ili was taken during May of 1954. As I look at us, sitting side by side, I notice Ili's beautiful expressive eyes, the traditional tiny earrings, the pretty lace of her dress. I'm impressed by how engaged she looks at the tender age of 6 months. I imagine she's looking with joy and love at our father behind the camera.
Our mother always loved to tell the story of how, once she was a little older, Ili would greet our father at the door as he came home from work each day, holding a toy, saying "Nana rompe! Papi aregla!" (Nana breaks! Daddy fixes!) A life-like baby doll that little hands could pull apart but not put back together was one of the many "broken" toys that she offered our father for his special repairs. I think our father delighted in Ili, and in his daily task!
Knowing that a young Ili and I had been thrilled to visit El Encanto in Havana, and that we were both fascinated by the elevator, our father turned the closet that was under the stairs to our grandparents' home into a magical space. He installed shelves, floor to ceiling, and filled the small room with all our dolls and toys. He put in an expansion gate behind the closet door, just like in the elevator. Ili and I would pretend that the closet was the department store, and take turns being the shopper or the shop owner. When our father came home from work, Ili and I would both be owners as he came to shop. "I'd like to buy a doll for my little girls" he would say, and we'd bring out one doll at a time for him to consider. What fun!
The family home in Miramar, where our maternal grandparents raised their four daughters, was a place that Ili loved. I like the many photos taken there, including one of Ili and me in matching dresses, holding hands. We had such great family times there!
** Playing hide-and-seek, having been given free rein over the house. Yes, you could climb into your grandmother's antique armoire and hide behind her dresses! Or squeeze yourself between the wall and one of the large planters that held beautiful palms. Or lose yourself among the huge leaves of the banana plants in the garden out back. Being the seeker required a lot of hard work!
** Going on camping adventures on the terrace sheltered in a U-shape by the three sides of the house. Tents made by tying sheets tautly to the top spindles of chairs. Large pillows for our pretend sleeping bags. And treats galore as we were allowed to have our merienda (afternoon snack) in our tents.
** Celebrating special events, including birthdays and First Holy Communions, with all the family there.
Ili's love for the beach was undoubtedly born at a very early age, as time spent near the ocean in Cuba was special to all of our family. We would go to nearby beaches, often with our cousins, and spend the day. A favorite activity was building sand castles, especially on the weekends, when our father was there to help us. All the children who were around would join in, using cups and pails of different sizes and shapes to make a structure as large and fancy as possible. Our father showed us how to dig a deep moat around the castle so that, at least for a time, it would resist the effects of the incoming tide. The two photos of Ili and me at the beach bring back happy memories. I'm glad our father is in one of the photos with his castle-building team.
It's wonderful to know that, in retirement, Ili and Dan were able to realize Ili's dream of living at the beach. The photos of Ili and Charlie having fun along the shore in Lewes say it all. What Joy!
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