THE PROMISE

Today, Tino and I got together with Jaime Cueva, a longtime friend, and colleague. We were UB students during the 60s, involved in trying to make things right and just in the world. We talked about our community involvement, we talked about our work in the migrant camps in North Collins, Hamburg, and Dunkirk, and how PODER was able to convince some to pursue an education. Tino remembered the days he worked at the Bethlehem  Plant before he got the opportunity to attend UB.

He talked about WBFO-FM and the 4 hours of Spanish programming which disappeared without anyone putting up a protest.

We gossiped about Pucho Olivencia Sr., Carmen Rodriguez, Raul González, Ramon Gallardo, Esaias González, Confessor Cruz, and Carlos Olivencia, especially how he confronted PODER (Alberto O. Cappas) to make sure that we also advocated for and recruited Buffalo Puerto Rican students.

We talked about many things, we covered the difference between politics on the East Side and the Lower West Side. We talked about the mindset of yesterday in comparison to today. We concluded that yesterday’s students were a revolutionary generation. Today, unfortunately, we have a commercialized generation.

The gossip between these old men came to an end. Jaime looked at his watch and said it was time to leave. Jaime and I left a good tip, but Tino thought it was too much. We explained that we like walking into our favorite restaurant and getting a smile the minute that we walk in, and even a complimentary glass of red wine. Jaime and I concluded that Tino must get a lot of angry faces when he walks into his favorite places.

In the end, we all went our separate ways until we save enough money to have our next reunion. Jaime lives in Miami, Florida, Tino in Williamsville, and Alberto on the lower west side.

Uno de Ecuador, el otro de Mexico, y yo de Puerto Rico, bochinchando en Towne Restaurant, en Español, en ingle, y en Spanglish.

 Note: We covered so many topics that we promised to communicate with each other and try to put a book together, to document the hidden history of Buffalo’s Puerto Rican/Latino community. Stay tuned until these old men get together for bochinche part 2.