Ricardo was about eight years old when I first met him. With a bandana tied around his head and a few fingernails painted black (polish he had stolen from the neighbor girl), he wanted so badly to appear tougher than the rest. He would tag along with the bigger boys, hoping to be noticed. The more they ignored him, the tougher his exterior became as he tried so desperately to be part of their crowd.
It broke my heart to watch him, and one day I couldn't take it anymore. I sidled up next to him with a soccer ball. Surprisingly, he took me up on my offer. Soccer quickly turned to tag around the school, tag turned to swinging wildly on the swingset, swinging turned to chalk art on feeding center sidewalk, and chalk art turned into Ricardo sitting on my lap with an open book. Our friendship was cemented.
Ricardo's tough exterior was nothing but show- because his tiny heart was made of gold. I had the opportunity to watch that little lionhearted boy grow up into nearly a man, his sweet soul growing more evident each year. Ricardo is fifteen this year, and he still makes his way to see me each time I am in town.
This past summer he helped me lead art projects with some kids in the community. One afternoon, he was looking through the books I had brought down to the feeding center. A bright red book caught his attention. "You've read this to me before," he said slowly, trying to place the title. Sitting down, he opened the book and began to read the story in his broken way. It took him nearly 30 minutes to complete it, and when he did, his eyes were misted over. "I remember, " his voice trailed off for a moment. My eyes welled up as he recalled the last time we read it together. "This is me. You told me that I'm your Ferdinand." Ricardo's eyes met mine, both of us holding back building tears. "I still am, you know."
Someone donated the Spanish version of Ferdinand in 2009, hoping it would make its way into the hands of someone who wanted to read a book. I wonder if they realize just how much impact that one book made... on both of us.
