By MICHELLE HISKEY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/19/07
Three years ago, Yunel Escobar left Cuba on a small, crowded boat to
play pro baseball in America and never told his mother goodbye.
As Braves rookie Yunel Escobar comes to the plate at Turner Field, he is
cheered on by (from left) his mother, Mariluz Almenares, sister Yunay
and wife Minerva.
As the infielder thrilled spectators and earned playing time, privately
he worried.
His father and sister had followed him here this spring. His mother was
the final family member left in Cuba. Because Escobar had left the
communist country without permission, he feared authorities might keep
her there.
"I'm always thinking about her," he said through a translator in May. "I
will feel much better once she's made it here safely. I'm hoping she'll
be the spark I need to take my game to the next level."
Last week, his yearning ended. His mom finally arrived here after an
arduous journey of her own. And Monday night, her presence inspired
another memorable performance from him at Turner Field.
Almenares, 48, beamed in her seat overlooking home plate.
"This is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you," she said in
Spanish to her son's wife, Minerva Escobar, who translated. "I still
can't believe I am talking to him again [in person]. He's not the same
boy who left Cuba three years ago."
Their reunion was still fresh last Thursday, during baseball's All-Star
break. For this family, the last waiting turned out to be the hardest.
Play to make her proud
In mid-June, Almenares had finally gotten government permission to leave
Cuba. She flew to Mexico City. She didn't know anyone there. For 16
days, she lingered.
"It was desperate," her daughter-in-law said.
Finally Almenares got a bus ticket. She rode 20 hours to the border near
McAllen, Texas.
As a Cuban, she could enter the United States to seek political asylum.
But first she had to spend a night at the immigration facility.
Thursday night, the eve of this Braves' homestand, her final flight
landed in Atlanta.
"I thought he was going to cry in the airport, but he hugged her,"
Minerva Escobar recalled. "Then in the parking lot, he started to cry
like a baby."
"He has changed," said Escobar's lookalike sister Yunay, 10. "His eyes
shine now. He is very happy."
In Cuba, his mother had cheered for him through her tears. He had left
one night in 2004, and was smuggled aboard a boat roughly 25 feet
across. Of the 36 passengers, six were baseball hopefuls.
"I was very scared," he recalled. "Just imagine two days at sea, not
knowing exactly where you are going. I knew I was going to the United
States. Outside of that, I didn't really know.... And I couldn't tell my
parents where I was going until I got here."
Back in Havana, as her family dwindled, his mother was scared, too.
"I was very sad by myself there," said Almenares, who worked as a
supermarket manager. "I was a little afraid. The most beautiful things
in my life are Yunel and Yunay. I thought I might never see them again."
There, news came late from neighbors who had the Internet. She was
drinking coffee in May when they told her Yunel was called up to the
major leagues.
"Then I was crying and screaming," she said. "Because that was one of
his dreams. He risked his life to get it, and he finally achieved it."
She spoke Monday while watching the fourth Braves game of her life, one
a day since Friday.
She now sees in person what she has only heard secondhand: that her son
has sought to make her proud through his new nation's pastime.
This night, he started at second base then moved to shortstop, serving
as the Braves' leadoff hitter. She heard fans chant "Yu! Yu! Yu!" during
his five times at the plate.
Single.
Single.
Single.
Strikeout.
Single.
He said he has always played to make her and the rest of the family
proud. Even in this dismal 10-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Escobar shone.
It's why his name comes up as the July 31 trade deadline nears. He could
be worth even more to the Braves on the market as they contend for the
National League East title.
'My life complete'
Escobar, they say, plays like a veteran. But his life here is still so
new to his mom.
Monday night, she was learning the tomahawk chop and trying out some
words to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."
Tuesday, Almenares planned to drive to Miami with her daughter-in-law.
There, she will reunite with her husband, Mariano Escobar.
Father and daughter came to the United States in January "not through
political or government connections, but through connections I had,"
Yunel Escobar said. "My mother came through different connections. They
are all here, and that's all I want to talk about."
The player has a house in Miami, and his parents plan to live there.
They may return to Atlanta for a future weekend homestand.
In November, Yunel and Minerva Escobar, who were married in a
courthouse, will have a wedding that's been on hold for two years.
They've been waiting for his family's reunion, and the major leagues'
offseason.
"I feel that I've realized a dream," Escobar said. "Getting my family
here, making my life complete."
No comments:
Post a Comment