Carmen Castillo

I knew her most of my life. My parents where friends with her and her husband, Augusto. She was born in the same city as my parents, Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula. She was older than my mother but they attended the same school and were trained by the same pianist.

Every year their teacher had a public recital. In the first one my mother participated, she opened the recital as the youngest student and Carmen closed it as the most advanced. She never stopped playing and it was a common occurrence in parties and birthdays that Carmen Castillo "La Nena" would play the piano.

A few years ago I started writing music, and my mother, shared my music with Carmen. In the last few times I went to Mexico CIty I visited her, and we would talk about music, about piano and about life. Carmen was very energetic and until a couple of years ago, well into her eighties, she still went once a week to visit old people and entertain them with her performance. She used to joke that the people she visited were not old, but that had accumulated youth.

Her mind was sharp and witty and the only thing you could do when you talked to her was to love her. And we were very much in love. One of the purest that I will experience since there was no other reason for the love than the liking of each other.

Unfortunately, for me, last Thursday, September 9th, Carmen held so much youth inside her that it was too much. She had to leave and go to that ethereal place were you are young forever and where music is reason enough to be. She left knowing that she was leaving and instructed her children not to prolong her life unnecessarily.

Carmen, te quiero muchisimo. Donde quiera que estes, espero que lo sepas. Descansa en paz Nena.