02 Apr Ronaldo: Long Time Coming

Yesterday was Ronaldo’s birthday and although at first, he was a student in my classes, over the last twenty years he became a friend.  He immigrated to the U.S. via our southern route, sponsored by funds from his deceased father’s brother, a US resident. Nestor’s school diagnostics to be placed in appropriate classes showed a student of high intelligence academically, although his English was almost non-existent, a type of English learner who wants all the words perfect before they begin speaking.  The same uncle who had paid dearly to have him cross the border fought his decision to continue his schooling for the next three years. And critically in his last year with graduation in sight, the uncle insisted that he work for three weeks in another part of the state before school personnel encouraged him to return to school. Teachers who learned the truth of his absences forgave him for the missed work based on the grades and attitude that he had displayed over the first half of the school year.

His last year was ironic when speaking of his age.  Just months before graduation he met the woman he would eventually marry and avoided telling her he was still in high school.  She was in her mid-twenties and he let her think that they were fully peers age-wise. In school, he warned the administrator that he was very sensitive about his real age, and wanted his classmates to think he was 18.  (State regulations stipulate that an English Language Learner can remain in school until 22 when there is a high probability that all requirements will be met for graduation.) So during the week, he was acting 18, weekends he was 26.  In reality, he was 22, fulfilling the age maximum with about 7 weeks to spare.

After graduation, he continued to excel in electrical construction.  He was a natural leader and was promoted regularly. Ronaldo started his own business on the side and many of his clients came from work and social contacts.  People liked him, liked his work and his honesty. He had countless jobs from men friends he met at a local tennis club. He had learned to play tennis very well, quickly transferring his athletic talent from soccer and basketball to tennis.  One summer he won an amateur adult championship on the local level that featured many talented players who had played all their lives.

His undocumented status always haunted him and restricted how far he could go in electrical jobs.  His wife and he spent thousands of dollars on immigration lawyers for many years to no avail. His record was clean, he had a high school degree from the U.S. and had paid taxes throughout his work career.  However the tide changed a few years ago, and a call from a lawyer who knew them well by now said that the stars were aligned and if he would go to Ciudad Juarez for a while to arrange several tests and court appearances, he could legally get a green card.  Ciudad Juarez would not have been his choice of a city to spend time waiting for legal papers but he confessed later that he spent a lot of hours watching TV in a Holiday Inn very close to the courthouse. A few years after obtaining the green card, he was up for an interview and citizenship.  The telling is fast; the facts are this process took almost all of the last twenty years.

Now with his mother able to travel for visits, he has a secure and well-paid job with a county government as a Licensed Master Electrician.  He had once remarked that thinking about his spiritual life, he felt he had left Jesus in Mexico but a few months ago Ronaldo and his wife re-consecrated their marriage vows in a church ceremony where the priest told them afterward that it was the first Spanish ceremony he (previously an English-only speaker) had performed.  After many long years, Ronaldo had became a citizen of his chosen country and had found Jesus.