Juanito

It was September of 2008 and it has been a year since my great grandmother passed away, I was sitting in the bottom of my bed watching the TV, while my mother was cooking from morning until noon. The smell of the lasagna awaked my appetite; I could almost taste the cheese in my moth. I walked down stairs and asked my mother if I could have a bit of that wonderful lasagna that she had made. She told me to wait until dinner. I was anxious for night; I love the fact that my parents make specials dinners for the family. My mother asked me if I could go to buy some bread and stuff at the store. The store was 3 blocks from my house as my grandmother house, so obviously I had to pass front the house of my grandmother.

While I was walk to the store, smelling the fresh air and watching the clouds, I notice that the neighbor of my grandmother was outside, watering his flowers, his name was Juanito and doesn’t have his feet. My first impression of him was that he was very sad and he needed some help. I watched him until he turned around, I smiled to him and I said “Good morning”. He stared and said nothing. I walked away and finally I got to the store. I buy everything my mother told me. In my way back I decide not to stare at him, because I felt like I had offended him or something. When I was finally home, I went to my room I wondered how poor guy he was.

The dinner was almost ready and the people were arriving. My cousins and I were playing and watching TV, and I was so anxious for eat my piece of lasagna with extra cheese. While I was eating, I was telling my cousins and friends that my grandmother has a neighbor that doesn’t have his feet, and how sad he looks. I really wanted to be like his friend and being nice with him. When I was telling this one of my neighbors friends told me that he was kind of strange, he used to play really high music and sing with the window open so everyone can hear him.

After a while my grandmother called my mother really scared and the only things that I can hear was my mother screaming and mi father really mad. I really didn’t know what was happening. My father took his car and he go away. My mother was still talking with my mother in the phone saying: “Don’t worry mother Milton is going right there” while she was crying. I got really scared I asked my mother a thousand times what was happening but she was to stress that she doesn’t even answered once. My father came home an hour later and I asked what was happening. Finally I got an answer. My grandmother’s neighbor got really crazy and he start to throw cement blocks and paint buckets. My grandmother was freaking out and she came out and asked him what was going on, and he answered I hate you, stop spying me and stop putting chips in my house.

It was clear to me that that man was crazy. My grandmother was living alone since my great grandmother passed away and for her it was really difficult to being alone. I was really scary; I couldn’t imagine my grandmother all alone with that crazy man throwing to her that kind of stuff. My father told me that he called the police and when they were there they didn’t do anything because he doesn’t have his feet. They only take some test to him and it turns out that he takes drugs so that make him imagine that my grandmother was spying him. My grandmother called his family and told all the problems that he was making. Juanito lives alone because anyone of his family wanted him, so that makes him to take drugs. From that day I notice that you never had to underestimate anyone, even if they doest had feet because we all are the same and sometimes the first impression that we have on people are not how they really are.