All Those Years Ago

All Those Years Ago – Yet it Seems Like Yesterday

Somewhere way back in time-

I extended to you my heart and my hand.

Miraculously you put yours in mine.

Ever so slowly our love turned from seed,

into a budding tree.

Oh yes, that’s it, I remember

it was 1993.

Over the years our journey has taken us so many places,

opened so many doors.

Miracles abundant,

I count them at least 4.

From the backseats of open trucks, exhausted.

Stacked on frozen chicken we rode to Mother Theresa’s…

Washing feet in the foot hills.

Burning busses near City Soleil,

it’s been our adventure all the way.

Playa Grande, Ricardo, fried fish and tostones, empenadas with the Presidente.

Hogar Luby, Chucho, guaguas, La Sierna, Nacional, and so many, so many more.

The Dominican Republic and Haiti were most generous to us.

Everyday a dream come true,

I could never forget all the places we went.

But there is one story, one journey that stands out the most.  Maybe it is because it was the very beginning of our new adventure.  But I think it is a perfect story that illustrates everything that I love about you.

We had just spent New Year’s Eve in Batey Libertad, it was an explosive night to say the least.  As we sat in the iglesia neither one of us knew what an amazing year we had ahead of us.  I was just worried about making it through the night.  But make it we did.

New Years Day we ventured into Santiago to continue our journey, this time our aim was Cadillo.  Except after we waited for what seemed to be hours, we learned that there weren’t any guaguas running to Juncalito that day.

It was still early and we decided that it was best that we go back to the North coast to maximize our remaining time.  After all, we had made a good effort, a really good effort to try and get to see Fella, but it just didn’t work out.

Back up North we went, we were lucky enough to catch the only guagua that was going to breakdown along the way.  But we finally made our way back to Cabarete and to Tedy’s place.  In the midst of paradise we went for dinner, except, for you paradise was incomplete.  Paradise doesn’t come so neatly packaged for you, it never has.  We couldn’t miss the chance to see Fella.

Back up early the next morning, back to Sosua…  Caribe tours (yes it does). Back to Santiago, back to the guagua station.  This time it seemed we were going to meet the same fate, no guaguas running.  Except we found one, after a wait…  Somehow this is what more closely approximates your paradise, running all about the country, no sure bets, no map, just the kindness of the country and its people.

Up in the mountains of Juncalito, wondering how crazy we are.  By we I mean (you).

We started the long, uphill walk.  Did I mention it was all uphill?

With one bottle of water we set off (it was like you were drinking for two people).

We three walked (only we didn’t know we were three).

A quarter mile in, our water gone, and you were done.  You were ready to turn around, now we’d made the appropriate effort.  Now we could re-trace our steps.

Except we didn’t, we just took one more, one more and then the next.

For my part I got two bags to carry. 

Mind you this was a walk that campesinos would laugh at us for struggling with.

Onward we went; we only knew we were getting closer when we ran into Negro.  Who was kind enough to tell us that Fella had gone to Santiago.

What?  Did he just tell us that the person we’d come all this way to see, was in the place we just came from?  Of course, only in La Republica.

Of course it doesn’t matter.  It will all work out, it always does.

Christian was kind enough to welcome us.  It was a good thing we brought dinner.

Dotti – Mami is coming back home, Christian kindly told us.  As always things work out.

Soon Willy and Fella were home, of course we ate again.

As we pulled the brand new covers up that night, after passing on a night cap.

I couldn’t help but know in my soul, this is the definition of adventure and I am the luckiest man to have ever lived to share it with you.