Alonzo was always so funny....so talented and intelligent. How do you go through a lifetime of memories in a single day? He meant so much to us, to his family, to his friends, to his beautiful children. I know one should live each day to its fullest, but you never really grasp the meaning of that until something like this happens. One thing Alonzo always loved was all of God's creatures, good and bad. I don't like scorpions; Alonzo could pick up any number of scorpions and they would never bite him. He would release them to their freedom if he found them in the house.
When he was about 11 years old, he and Lee Roy scrambled into the back seat of my car, giggling and looking like they were hiding something. I asked them what they had up their sleeves and they howled with laughter, saying they had nothing. They clammed up and giggled all the way to HEB. At the store, they scrambled around in the back seat, as if looking for something and I asked them to tell me once again, what they were hiding. They assured me that they had nothing.
A couple of days later, the car smelled funny. In fact, it smelled bad. I complained about it, puzzled, but as the days went by, the stench became unbearable. The Texas heat was oppresive and the odor in the car kept me from using the air conditioner. I finally got a confession out of Alonzo and Lee Roy: they had caught a big lizard and it had escaped in the car the day they had been giggling! I had to take the car in to the dealership and Mike had to take the car apart to find and remove the poor dead animal's remains!!! After that, I was sure to follow up on any suspicious giggling Alonzo and Lee Roy did in the back seat of my car!!!!
There are other memories, and I will treasure them.....like the way he used to love to dress up in different outfits as a kid....as a cowboy, knight in shining armor, firefighter.....and in his big brother's football clothing!
Alonzo, you brought so much laughter and love to all of us. I am heartbroken that your life and your future has been torn away from your family and friends. I love you, mihijito....I hope to see you on the other side.