"A Chuisle mo Chroí," he whispered in Irish.
~just a guilty pleasure story for those who wish to be immersed in the early 60s and feel closer to JFK
The future is uncertain. There are disparate outcomes. You decide.
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#1 in jfk #1 in kennedy #1 i...
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˚ ༘♡ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ
December arrived with Alice barely noticing it. She could not believe how fast the year had gone by and how much she had done in it- a lot of things, for the first time. She had grown and matured a lot more, although she still felt younger than she was, Alice refused to remain a shy child for all of her life. It was not an easy goal for her, but she had so much help she could not refuse, and her heart was filled with gratefulness for it.
1961 would also be the year when she would overcome one of her greatest fears.
The tour of Latin America in the name of the Alliance for Progress finally arrived. They were warmly received in Puerto Rico, where they stayed a night at La Fortaleza, after a dinner organized in honor of the president's visit. She loved everything about it, and it was extremely familiar and homely, since most of the inhabitants were of Spanish- and Canarian- descent as well. But it was in Venezuela where Alice got her shining moment.
President Kennedy had just finished his speech in English, and the young girl applauded him as effusively as ever. But he then turned to face her, motioning with his hand to tell her to stand next to him. Alice only raised an eyebrow and pointed at herself, questioning if he was referring to her or to someone standing behind her. He nodded to let her know that indeed it was her, so Alice walked over, unsure about the whole ordeal.
"This is your project as much as it is mine. You should say some words in Spanish, I want to make sure the message gets across correctly." He beamed a smile, trying to inspire confidence in his apprentice. His hand went to her back, encouraging her to step forward into the microphone. Alice could have had a panic attack, seeing as there was no way out of the situation, yet, his smile and his touch were effective. Alice felt courageous, even comfortable. The expecting crowd looking up toward them awaited for her.
When Alice got in front of the microphone, she looked around and cleared her throat. It took her a minute to gather enough words in her mind that would make sense when she said them out loud.
"Es un honor estar hoy aquí en Caracas presenciando tal extraordinaria alianza. Una alianza que genera esperanza para tantos. Juramos siempre estar de lado de las democracias del continente americano, ya que todos deseamos prosperidad y oportunidades. En el poco tiempo que llevamos organizando este proyecto, ya hemos notado diferencias al verlo con nuestros propios ojos, por eso me alegro de haber venido. Continuaremos mejorando la Alianza para el Progreso a medida que pasa el tiempo. Gracias." [It is an honor to be here today in Caracas witnessing such extraordinary alliance. An alliance that brings hope to so many. We pledge to always be on the side of the democracies of the American continent, as we all wish for prosperity and opportunities. In the short time we have been organizing this project, we have already noticed change seeing it with our own eyes, that is why I am glad for being here. We will continue upgrading the Alliance for Progress as time goes by. Thank you."
