The day I had to accompany one of my Brothers to the immigration office in Lima to apply for his residential permit turned out to be a nightmare. Two weeks earlier I had gone to apply for mine and in less than ten minutes I was in and out. But not this time. The appointment was for 1.30 pm and since we had arrived early, we decided to attend the midday Mass at the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in downtown Lima. Thirty minutes later we were in the midst of two or three hundred people waiting in three different lines. We were assigned to the middle row—lo and behold the longest one. I was not prepared for such an “endeavour”—I did not even carry a book or my water bottle with me. Three full hours in the midday Peruvian scorching sun! And to top it all, when the turn arrived for my Brother to enter the office building, I was not allowed in to act as his interpreter since he spoke no Spanish. So, I had to wait outside.
This time, not being constrained to standing in the long queue, I found a shady spot, bought a bottle of cold water and sat down on the doorstep of a building. And that’s when the miracle happened. Next to me sat a young woman carrying a small child. As soon as the small boy saw me, he started smiling and was trying to touch me. Eight-month old Daniel Tadeo had a beautiful trigueño -wheat-coloured skin, with typical Andean almond shaped eyes.
I must admit that I am never very popular with babies. I can still recall my two-year old cousin Clare’s screams as soon as she saw my face and heard my deep voice! But not with Daniel Tadeo. He seemed to be such a happy baby, radiating pure joy. One could sense that he was loved. I just cherished that present moment, talking to this young mother and her adorable baby. And that’s how my Brother found me when he came out of the office after more than an hour.
Br Carmel Duca MC
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