Enrique Carcache, our mechanic, died this morning around 4:00. We think he had a heart attack, but he did have pneumonia and a kidney infection. He had only been home a few days sick. It was quite sudden.Enrique - for those of you who have been here - was Maestro's son...from back in the good old days. He and his dad would frequently come fetch us when our trucks died...they would drive by in their jeep with no brakes and stop by slowing down, then Enrique would jump out and put a rock under their tires to aid us. Many years ago, he and Maestro quit working for us and started a shrimp farm with a micro enterprise loan. The farm didn't work out because it was flooded by Hurricane Cesar. After working so hard and losing it all AND...after being in an accident when Maestro broke his back...they came back to work for the Center. Enrique came to work as his father's muscles and he learned his father's expertise with motors.
When Maestro retired
Enrique came on as our only mechanic. He drove our bus for delegations. We would laugh at how if the groups sang too loudly he drove faster to get home. He kept up all the mechanical work including throwing diesel in the carburetor to get the motor to turn over. Enrique would drop everything, come and fetch us where ever we were...like a knight in shining armor...in a run-down truck.Enrique helped with other things as they came up as well....the sewing machinery in the sewing co-op during the early years, the bio-diesel project, pouring cement (including recently a sidewalk for my parents so they would not trip at night), digging holes, and learning about the spinning machinery.
It is hard for us to believe he has died...or it is for me. I just can't believe he won't be back with oil on his jeans crawling under the vehicles or inside the motors. He was patient with me and my non-existent Spanish when it came to sounds vehicles should not be making. He still called me Angelita, a name that I am losing as we hire newer staff. He would come in with the keys and with my questioning look would say to me "esta bien" (it's okay)
"Verdad?" (really?)
A huge smile..."verdad" (really).
Today "no esta bien...verdad." (it is not okay...really.)
-Kathleen
