By Lida Prypchan
Humility, a great personality, kindness, intelligence, discretion, people skills, spirit of sacrifice and study describe Danilo Aponte Borras.
Indeed, this is very little to describe someone as special as he. And in these days in which we mourn his absence, I passed sadly through the corners of my house counting the beautiful moments that my sister, his widow, as well as I, lived by his side.
Despite the immense grief, I remember with a special joy when twelve years ago he became involved with my sister Cristina. I also remember what my sister told me about him; the admiration she had for him and on which she based her great love for him. A love that both built over the years, those nine years of love filled with happiness, lovely stimulating words to be better people every day. I remember the day they had been together for two years, when Danilo had a card drawn that read: Cristina, do you know what I have liked most about you in these two years of happiness? And on the next page he answered her: EVERYTHING.
And I, who was a spectator of that happiness, I cannot grasp his passing!
I cannot grasp his passing because I’ve seen how difficult it is to triumph in love and they, who seemed to have been born for one another, were separated in an instant, a tragic instant marked by fate, luck, who knows what else?
Now, as for me, I would like to acknowledge the great admiration that I felt for my brother-in-law Danilo. In him I found a role model. I deeply admired his personality: the way he behaved, the way he spoke, his silences full of fruitful thoughts, his clear criteria, his power of concentration in study, his enthusiasm to improve and stand out, all of which he did in his short life.
Despite the fact that in the past few months he traveled a lot, when he arrived at my house I used to look for him and show him some unpublished article of mine and ask for his opinion. At the end of my semesters of Medicine, I told him what had impressed me. I showed him the books I bought on philosophy and I asked him to leaf through them. It caused me deep pleasure to tell him my plans for the future, who I wished to become, and what I thought that I should do in this life. I believe that it mattered too much to me what he thought of me. It mattered too much and for that reason I looked to him to simply do what he did: listen to me.
And I, who always kept my plans, my thoughts, and my dreams to myself, I willingly opened my soul to him because I knew that his attitude, always the listener, had a base full of sensitivity, tenderness, intelligence, and humility.
And I who lived by his side with all the words that I said to him, I have to survive his death, his death that I do not accept.
But there is something that you can be pleased with, my dear Danilo. You will always be for me the role model, the virtuous man, the intelligent man, the humble man, and the man that I will most admire in my life while I live.
