FROM THE TIME WE BROUGHT CINDY HOME FROM THE
HOSPITAL, IT WAS APPARENT THAT BOTH ME AND JOEY
HAD A NEW SPECIAL FRIEND. SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE
INVOLVED IN HER BROTHERS' ADVENTURES AND WAS
THE HAPPIEST OF LITTLE GIRLS, PLAYING WITH OUR TWO
DOGS, BAMBI AND SPUNKY, PLAYING ON THE TRAIL WE
BUILT NEXT TO THE HOUSE. OH, HOW SHE LOVED
CATERPILLARS! SHE WOULD COLLECT THEM AND BUILD
THEM HOMES.. TOGETHER WE WERE ALWAYS READY FOR
A BIG ADVENTURE.. WE FORMED "THE EXPLORER'S
CLUB" AND "THE SPY CLUB" AND OUR DAD BUILT US A
FORT IN THE WOODS TO HOLD OUR SECRET MEETINGS.
WE'LL NEVER FORGET CINDY'S STUFFED ANIMAL
COLLECTION, WHICH MUST HAVE NUMBERED IN THE
HUNDREDS. I ALWAYS CONVINCED HER THAT THE
STUFFED ANIMAL WOULD BE SAD AND LONELY IF SHE
DIDN'T BUY IT. "TAKE ME HOME" HE'D SQUEAK AS SHE
WALKED BY THE FUZZY DOG. SHE JUST MELTED AND
BEGGED HER MOTHER TO BUY IT.
IT WASN'T ALL FUN AND GAMES; ME AND MY BROTHER
JOEY LOVED TO TEASE OUR BABY SISTER. A FAVORITE
PRANK OF OURS WAS TO MAKE HER DOLLS MOVE BY
PULLING STRINGS THAT WE SECRETLY ATTACHED TO
THEM. ONE TIME I CONVINCED HER THAT THE MOON
PEOPLE LIVED IN THE HALLWAY CLOSET. THEN THERE
WERE "THE TIGGERS." WE BOTH HAD A DUPLICATE
STUFFED ANIMAL TIGGER 1 AND TIGGER 2 ". MY TIGGER
WAS IN PERFECT CONDITION, WHICH I LIKED TO BRAG
ABOUT. CINDY'S TIGGER WAS REALLY IN SAD SHAPE,
BECAUSE I LOVED TO TORTURE HER TIGGER, HANGING IT
FROM THE TREES AND THREATENING ALL SORTS OF
HORRIBLE THINGS.
AS SHE GREW TO BE A TEENAGER, AND WHEN WE MOVED
TO PENNSYLVANIA, SHE WAS NO LONGER EASILY
INTIMIDATED, BY ANYONE. NOW IT WAS "GET EVEN
TIME". SHE WOULD PRETEND I WAS ONCE AGAIN
TEASING HER, THOUGH I WAS NOT. SHE WOULD SCREAM
TO ME, "OUCH, OUCH, DADDY..RICHIE KEEPS HITTING
ME." OF COURSE MY DAD DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO
BELIEVE, BUT AT THIS TIME, SHE WAS CONVINCING. IT
WAS ALSO AT THIS TIME THAT SHE AND ALL OF HER
GIRLFRIENDS DECIIDED TO ACT LIKE THE TEENAGERS
THEY WERE AND SEE HOW MUCH FUN YOU COULD PACK IN
TO EACH AND EVERY DAY. NOW I STOPPED THE TEASING
AND BEGAN THE WORRYING. I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO
DEAL WITH THE NOTION OF GUYS AND PARTIES, AND
SKIPPING CLASS.
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT CINDY SANG THE LINE, "GIRLS
JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN," ON HER WAY TO SCHOOL. BUT
AS WE ARE ALL AWARE, HER DEFINITION OF FUN ALSO
INVOLVED A PASSION FOR LEARNING. FROM AN EARLY
AGE SHE WAS PLACED INTO GIFTED CLASSES. USUALLY
BORED WITH MOST REGULAR ACADEMIC STUDIES, SHE
HAD TO BE RIGOROUSLY INVENTIVE TO APPEASE HER
APPETITE FOR KNOWLEDGE, CENTERED AROUND
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AND LATER A MATH/SCIENCE
DEGREE. SHE ATTENDED THREE COLLEGES IN THIS
PURSUIT, WHILE WORKING THE ENTIRE TIME. HOW MANY
OF HER FRIENDS WOULD SAY THAT THEY NEVER
UNDERSTOOD HOW SHE SCORED SO WELL ON ALL OF HER
TESTS, YET NEVER HAD TO STUDY. I BELIEVE THERE
WASN'T A MOMENT FROM HER LIFE, IN WHICH SHE
WASN'T TAKING NOTES IN HER HEAD. ALL OF HER LIFE
EXPERIENCE WAS A LABORATORY EXPERIMENT WHERE
SHE LOVED TO BE. SIMPLY PUT, SHE LOVED LIFE AND
WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT.
RICHIE NEVER STOPPED WORRYING ABOUT HIS FEARLESS
SISTER, BUT HE GREW TO RESPECT HER CONFIDENCE,
SOMETHING SHE HAD A LOT OF. SHE OPENED HIS EYES TO
HIS OWN POTENTIAL, WHERE THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR
HIS NEGATIVITY. SHE COULD HEAL ANY WOUND,
COMFORT ANY STRESS, AND MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU
WERE INVINCIBLE. SHE INTRODUCED RICHIE TO THE
LOVE OF HIS LIFE, SOMETHING THAT CHANGED HIM
FOREVER. AS A FAMILY, WE ADMIRED HER ABILITY TO
THRIVE UNDER ANY CONDITIONS. HER MOTHER ALSO
LOVED WHEN SHE HAD TO COME TO HER WITH
QUESTIONS LIKE, "MOM, DO YOU HAVE A GOOD MEAT
LOAF RECIPE, OR HOW LONG SHOULD FISH FILLETS
COOK. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE BEEF
STROGANOFF?" BUT EVEN HER MOTHER
ACKNOWLEDGES CINDY WAS THE MATRIARCH, WISE
BEYOND HER YEARS, BUT NEVER LOSING TOUCH WITH
THAT LITTLE GIRL INSIDE HER. THE FRIENDSHIPS SHE
FORGED AS A TEENAGER ONLY GREW STRONGER WITH
THE YEARS. HER HUSBAND TOMAS, PUT IT BEST WHEN HE
WROTE: WE WERE REALLY HAPPY AND I LOVE CINDY
MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD. SHE WAS
WONDERFUL. THERE ARE NO WORDS TO EXPLAIN WHAT
KIND OF PERSON SHE WAS. SHE WAS EVERYTHING FOR
ME. SHE WAS A WIFE, A GIRLFRIEND, A FRIEND, A
PARTNER, A TEACHER? ANYTHING YOU COULD IMAGINE.
Richard A. Deuel
New York, NY
