Graciela F. Beecher
Looking Abroad on Foreign Lands is a collection of 75 short stories and anecdotes from Cuba, Mexico and Spain. For the most part, the stories depict life as it was in the first half of the 20th century, including the difficult years of the Depression Era. Some stories are funny, such as 'A Hearty Lunch,' or 'An Even Exchange.' Others are sad such as the ones dealing with the last years of Batista's dictatorship and the beginning of the Castro regime. Nevertheless, the constant denomination in all the stories is the power of love, courage, kindness, faith and goodness to light up our lives and refresh our souls.
Dr. Graciela F. Beecher came to the United States in 1961 after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. She established her residence in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she worked first as a College Professor of Language and Literature, and later as the Executive Director of the Educational Agency she founded.
Semi-retired, she now works as Spanish Correspondent for Today's Catholic, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, and is also a feature writer for several magazines and newspapers in New York, Maryland and Indiana.
She was quite active in politics and in women's issues. She was for many years the President of the National Association of Cuban-American Women, the Cuban-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Federation of Cuban-American Republican Women. She can be contacted via e-mail at Gbeel 172271@aol.com.
The teacher was young and enthusiastic. It was her first year of teaching. The school she was assigned to, was in one of the poorest towns in the province of Havana. Water was scarce. Most of it came from wells located on one side of town. She saw the people around the school carrying buckets of water every day for use in their houses. The children were always clean no matter how old, tattered, or patched their clothing was.
The teacher's favorite pupil was a nine-year old girl with brown hair and expressive eyes. She smiled all the time. She was always tidy and her hair well combed. Her dress was washed and ironed, but her shoes were almost gone. The teacher did not believe much more could be done for them. By the beginning of the second semester, it could be said, the little girl's shoes were rags wrapped around her feet. That weekend the teacher bought a brand new pair of shoes for the little girl. They were made of genuine leather and had a bow on top. They looked lovely on the girl's feet.
At the end of the school year the teacher was successful in her bid to transfer to the city of Havana, to a school where most children came from a better background, and after more than thirty years of teaching, she retired and began devoting her time to reading and writing.
One day she was taken to a small private clinic with double pneumonia. She had been paying her membership quota at the clinic for years, but had never used it. She was surprised at the good services and attention she was receiving from the clinic's personnel. It seemed as if doctors and nurses were going out of their way to please her. One day she told another patient how satisfied she was with the care she was receiving at the place.
'You can certainly say so,' the other woman said. 'I wish it were the same for the rest of us.'
'What are you trying to imply?' The teacher asked. 'I'm nobody important, and I don't know anyone here. Why would they give me more attention? You are trying to be nasty.'
'Well, ask if you don't believe me.'
That evening, when her favorite nurse came to see her, the teacher asked, 'Is it true that I have been given special attention here?'
'Yes, it is, the nurse answered. The Director, Dr. Mendez, asked us to take good care of you.' Mendez was a very common name and the teacher did not remember anyone in particular with that name. Anyway, upon dismissal, she decided to thank Dr. Mendez personally. She knocked at her door.
'Come in,' a voice said.
Upon entering, the teacher saw an attractive woman in her forties, who smiled at her.
'Dr. Mendez, I came to thank you for ordering your staff to take care of me in such a wonderful way. How can I repay you?'
'You repay me?' The Director said. 'I'm the one trying to repay you.'
'I don't understand. I don't remember having met you before.'
'Oh, but you have, my dear You were my inspiration, my role model, how would I say it? You were the motor which propelled me to strive for a better future. You gave me the desire to improve myself and my lot. I owe you everything I'm and I have achieved in life.'
'But, I don't see how...'
'You don't remember me, do you? I'm that poor girl for whom, one day, you bought a brand new pair of shoes, the most precious leather shoes in the whole wide world.'
