TELVE FINGERS AND TWELVE TOES

“Where is my padrino?” she asks me when we arrive with a new group of volunteers and I greet her with my usual “Hola Chica”. She is always one of the first kids to show up when we arrive. Looking at me as if she is saying: “Remember me?”

She must be about 13 and is starting to look like quite an attractive teenager. I have taken a liking to her. She stands out from the rest of the kids with her freckles and her cute short haircut.

 “Your padrino? I answer. “I don’t know who your padrino is. This is a different group of volunteers. He must have gone home, he is not here”.

But she insists. “No, he is always here when you are here; He wears glasses.” Is she talking about Ramiro? Why would she think he is her padrino?

As I turn away, I think about her question. It is indeed Ramiro who always talks to her and who took a picture of her hands, when we realized, that she has six fingers on each hand and six toes on her feet. She always hides her hands and at the shoe fitting during the Christmas Fiesta week, she refused to take her shoes of.

“If you want new shoes, you must take your shoes off and try on your new shoes", Ramiro told her, when one of our volunteers asked him to translate what Adriana was saying. I thought he was a bit harsh to her, but then I realized she was ashamed of her disfigured hands and feet.

After Ramiro had taken the pictures of her hands, he told me that he thought there must be a way for this girl to get help and live like a normal teenager.

Considering that she lives in a shack in the migrant camp, I did not see how she could get help. Who would pay for that? How would they get her to the hospital? But Ramiro decides to talk to Jorge, Project Amigo’s director of student services. “Leave it with me; I will look into it” Jorge suggests. 

Time goes by and we have not heard anything. Then Ramiro meets Dr. Connie a former Project Amigo Scholar, who works at the hospital. Connie will also look into any possibilities. But again, time goes by and no news about Adriana and a possible surgery. 

We see her again, several times as a matter of fact, and try not to think of what may or may not happen. We’ll be leaving for Canada soon and may have to forget about it.   

Then one morning Jorge came to me and said: “Elly, I have a secret to tell you, promise me you won’t tell Ramiro”. I promise and Jorge suggests that on Tuesday we go to Queseria migrant camp to see Adriana. “We’ll tell Ramiro that he is needed there to talk with the family”.

I have difficulty not telling Ramiro the secret and make up excuses to keep Tuesday free. Luckily, we have a staff meeting in the morning at which time Jorge asks Ramiro if he is able to come to Queseria.

Ramiro guesses. “Perhaps the parents don’t want her to have surgery and I have to convince them”. Nice guess Ramiro.

I pack a small gift bag with a few girly items and hide it in my bag. “May I come along with you guys”, I ask. “I need to get out of my office for a while”. We hop in Jorge’s car and when we enter the camp, Jorge asks one of the kids where the family lives. “By the trees” the boy tells Jorge, as he points to a small row of shacks across the field from the kindergarten. We walk up to the shack and wait outside, while Jorge calls for attention. 

A young woman in her early twenties appears through the doorless opening that leads to a dark area filled with smoke. The walls are made partially of block, cardboard, wooden planks and pieces of corrugated metal. Jorge asks if we may come in and we follow the young women inside. Once my eyes are adjusted to the darkness, along the wall on the dirt floor, I see a long wooden bench. In the corner is a cooking area, built up with plastic crates and rocks, supporting a metal plate under which a fire is heating a large pot.

The woman does not talk much, she seems to be somewhat retarded. “This is Adriana’s oldest sister” Jorge explains, after he asks for Adriana. 

I look into another doorless room, the actual house, which is a windowless concrete space with a dirt floor. “How many are in your family” Jorge asks. “Five plus my parents” the young woman replies. “Seven people” I think out loud, I wonder where everyone sleeps.

Along the wall in the middle of the room, I see a straw mat on the floor, with some bundled up clothing that must serve as a pillow. No sign of a bed, table or chairs. As I hesitate to step further into room, Adriana appears, dressed in a light blue party dress, I remember seeing at one of our used clothing distributions. Over it she wear an animal print jacket, also from the donated items. She obvious made an effort to look her best for her guests. She sits down on the long wooden bench with her head down.

Her hands are wrapped in dirty rags, which are to protect her hands from getting her incisions dirty. She wears thongs on her feet, with socks to keep her feet from getting dirty.

“Do you know who this is?” Jorge asks as he points to Ramiro.

“My padrino” she replies without looking up. We look at each other and smile. Ramiro does not know what to say, and even if he did, he would not be able to utter a word. He is speechless and his eyes are filled with tears as he sees Adriana’s hands and feet.

“Adriana” Jorge starts. “This is the man who has made it possible for you to get your operation, so your hands and feet will be just like any other young girl of your age, with each hand five  fingers and each foot five toes”. 

 

Adriana smiles. We talk a bit about the surgery, which she had one week ago. Does she have pain? How much longer does she need to wear her protection? How soon will she be able to go back to school? We have lots of questions.

Adriana gets up and goes back into the other room. When she returns she holds a large sheet of paper, fold as an envelope. She gives it to Ramiro. On the back flap it reads: To: Ramiro. A red heart seals the flap.

Inside the card, is a drawing of a one-room house, with sun, moon, stars and flowers: and on the side is written. “Hola Ramiro,Thank you very much for helping me getting my operation. I will never forget.  With love Adriana”.

She has difficulty reading the text. Jorge explains that she has not been in school all that long. After all, the Primary school was only built a year ago here in the camp. She is just starting to learn to read and write.

Ramiro makes her promise that next year when he returns, she will be able to read better. 

As we say goodbye, we know that one young girl's life may be better because she now has ten fingers and ten toes, instead of twelve.

Ramiro, whether you want to or not, you are her Padrino.