By Mary Murray
NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT
CARDENAS, Cuba, Jan. 12 — NBC correspondent
Mary Murray interviewed Raquel Rodriquez,
Elian’s maternal grandmother, on Wednesday.
Raquel Rodriquez demanded the 6-year-old
boy’s return. Here is a transcript of the
interview.
Tell me what kind of boy your grandson Elian is.
He’s an active kid, like all children. He loves to play.
He likes school because he’s very bright. He’s a picky
eater. ... He loves to play. He loves cartoons. The boy is
always on the go.
Ever since he was very little?
He’s always been like this. Active and really happy.
His eyes say it all. He’s very alert.
What kind of relationship did he have with his
mother, Elizabet?
They were really close. He called her “Mi Mamita
Linda” (My beautiful Mommy). He wouldn’t go to bed until
she was also ready. If she was doing something, he waited
for her. He’d ask her, “Mommy, are you almost done?” He
was really close to her. She was his “Mamita Linda.”
Whenever she scolded him, he’d say “Oh, Mi Mamita
Linda, I won’t do it again.”
How does Elian seem to you? Is he the same little
boy who left?
His eyes are really sad. He’s withdrawn, as if he’s
trying to be invisible. His eyes are so very, very sad. He’s
not the little boy with the sparkling eyes who lived here.
He’s so sad. He’s seems to be frightened by all the
cameras, the lights, the microphones.
How does he seem when you speak with him by
phone?
He seems to be normal; then you realize someone is
standing over him, telling him what to say. And he answers
just “yes” or “no,” depending on what they’re signaling him.
Does he speak to you about his mother?
No. Not with me. And I don’t mention her either. He
has with his dad, though.
What did he say?
He described everything he saw. About his mother.
How she drowned.
But he still hasn’t mentioned her to you?
No. Not to me.
This is very difficult for you?
It seems that, as young as he is, he understands because
he used to ask my daughter what I was to her. And she would
tell him that I’m her mother. And he would ask the same about
his grandfather. And she would say that he’s her father. Kids
ask about everything at his age.
How have you been coping these last six weeks?
You’ve lost your daughter and are separated from
your grandson.
It’s really sad. It’s really painful. I’m the one suffering
the most. I’ve lost my only daughter, and he’s my only
grandson. I’m very affected by this.
Do you think that Elian’s return will help you
recover from the loss of your daughter?
Yes. It’ll be different with him here. The concerns will
be different. I’ll worry about him at school. What he’s
doing. What he wants for lunch. Who’s going to pick him
up at school? Life will take on a different rhythm.
Are you very worried about him? He’s seems to
be OK, well cared for. Living with relatives.
But it’s not the same. He only met those people once
before. They came here last year for two weeks. There’s no
family ties with them. He’s with them but he’s lost his
mother and has to depend on somebody. And that
somebody is them. So whatever they tell him to do, he has
to do. He has no one else there. He doesn’t have us. His
father isn’t there. He’ll never see his mother again.
How would you describe Elian’s relationship with
his dad?
They have a great relationship. They’re very close.
Juan Miguel would spend his days off from work with Elian.
He’d take him to school, pick him up at lunchtime and bring
him back for the afternoon session. He’d pick him up again
at the end of the day and take him back to his house to
spend the night. Elian wouldn’t take a bath unless his dad
was with him. He wouldn’t get his haircut unless his dad
was with him. He is very close to his dad.
It’s almost an obsession — he with his dad, and his
dad with him.
What was the relationship like between Juan
Miguel and Elizabet?
It was very good.
Even after the divorce?
The divorce didn’t really affect their relationship. They
got along like sister and brother. They continued to talk.
They understood each other very well. When their son got
sick, they would decide who would take him to the doctor.
They got along great, like brother and sister. He loved her
like a sister and she respected him as the father of her child.
Their feelings for each other came from the fact that they
were childhood sweethearts since they were 14. When you
know someone that long, they become part of your family.
They were childhood sweethearts.
Yes, since they were teen-agers.
Let me ask you something that might be hard to
answer. With that kind of relationship, how could
Elizabet have taken the child without telling him?
It wasn’t like that. I think something else was going on.
I think she was tricked. I think she didn’t even know she
was going. She was tricked. There was no reason for her to
leave. She never ever talked about leaving.
She never mentioned it?
Never. In fact she was a chambermaid and kept
meeting foreigners who’d ask her if she would like to visit
their countries sometime. And she always said she couldn’t
stand being away from home even for a week. or two.
Did she complain about anything?
What do you mean?
About life.
About nothing. She worked. She was an average
person. She lived fine. She had everything she needed. She
had her child and her parents. What else could she possibly
ask for?
Did she make enough money to cover her
expenses?
She had a good salary. She was paid well.
Well, actually, your house has pretty much
everything. So, what do you think happened to
Elizabet?
I think what I just told you. I think she was tricked. He
tricked her. He told her they were going somewhere else.
What do I know? Camping or something. I don’t know
what he told her, but I can’t imagine Elizabet getting on
some rickety boat and actually taking the boy with her. It’s
not possible.
But it happened. They left. She got on the boat. It
had motor problems. They came back to port and left
again. They actually left twice.
That’s true but I insist that she was tricked. And apart
from being tricked, she was pressured.
What kind of a person was her boyfriend?
It’s really hard to talk about him. It’s so distasteful. I
don’t even want to talk about that man.
Did you have problems with him even before this
happened?
I never liked him. I don’t want to talk about him.
They took a big risk, especially with a small child
such as Elian.
That was because he put a lot of pressure on her. I’m
convinced of it. I know her well. I knew very well what she
was and wasn’t capable of.
But are you saying she was weak? People are
describing her as someone with a strong personality.
Yes. She was a withdrawn person, not very
expressive. She was very decent.
What did she want for Elian?
In what way? By leaving with him?
Exactly. Why did she want to leave? Why did she
leave with him? Do you, as her mother, have some
insight into why she left in the end?
I can’t imagine what she was thinking of. I don’t know
what was going on in her head at that moment. Especially
considering the condition people say the boat was in. Over
there the politicians and senators are saying that the boy
should stay because that was his mother’s wish. What wish?
What do they know about what she wanted? I’m the one
who knows. I’m her mother. I was the one who carried her
for nine months in my womb! I raised her! I brought her up!
Who are they to say they know what my daughter wanted!
They don’t respect her wishes!
Because what she would want now, after her death, is
that her child come back to us — not be over there with
them. They are harming him. What good are they doing?
They don’t respect what she wanted. And she won’t be
able to rest in peace until her child is returned to us! Her
soul won’t ever be at rest if the child is not returned. Did
they know her? Do they know under what conditions she
got on that boat? Nobody knows. Just the child who’s only
6 and can hardly speak about it. And the other two
survivors won’t talk, and someone’s paying them to keep
silent. They know the whole story or part of it. People are
making a big deal about my daughter, talking about her last
wish and parading my grandson around with a picture of
her. A photo that was taken from this room. Every journalist
whose come here has wanted to see Elian’s bedroom. And
I had this photo of his mother leaning against the dresser
mirror. They photographed the picture. Then they
reproduced it in the shape of a heart, stuck it on a placard
and had the child hold it to symbolize her dying wish. What
dying wish? They don’t respect anything!
And that family over there. They’ve offended and
insulted me. What good could they want for the child? If
they were at all interested in his needs, that boy would
already be home — considering everything he’s been
through and is going through. I’m the only one who can
speak for my daughter. I’m the one who knew her.”
Who was she?
She was a normal decent person. A simple person,
modest in the way she dressed and in everything she did.
Elizabet never once thought about leaving home. She was
tricked and pressured. I’m absolutely sure of that.
A good mother?
A really good mother. A good daughter. A good
person. She treated people well. And her family too.
Didn’t she ever talk about wanting more things?
A better house. A car. A swimming pool. The kinds of
things people dream about.
Not her. She never had those fantasies. She was
content with what she had. She even said this house was
too big for us with its three bedrooms. I can guarantee you
that she didn’t lack anything.
People are saying that she was looking for
freedom.
What freedom? What persecution? Who was
persecuting her? Ask anyone on the block. Ask anyone at
her job. Who was persecuting her? Nobody. Who was
persecuting the child? Nobody. Nobody here was ever
persecuting either of them. Freedom of what? It’s all a big
lie.
Why are they lying?
Because they’re liars. Because they lie. Nobody ever
persecuted her. She never got in any trouble. She never
went to jail. Who would do that to her? No one’s ever
bothered us.
So why is the family there saying those things?
Because they want to keep Elian, to get rich at the
child’s cost. That’s what they’re up to. That’s why they
won’t give us back the child. That’s why they claim the
mother was seeking freedom, that it was her last wish. What
freedom? Did they know her? They never met her. They
never talked to her. They never even saw her. But they talk
about her seeking freedom.
Did you know that yesterday a camera apparently
caught Eliancito shouting to a plane flying overhead,
“Take me back to Cuba”?
No.
Does that surprise you?
No. I’m not surprised. I spoke to him yesterday, last
night. We called him from here. His father. Mariela, his
other grandmother. We asked him, “Elian, how are you
feeling?” because he had a bad cough. “No, grandma. I’m
okay.” Then I told him that Nina was sad. He asked,
“What’s wrong with Nina?”
Who is Nina?
His dog. I told him, “Nina isn’t drinking her milk. She’s
refusing to eat.” “Grandma, why?”
“Because she misses you. She wants you to come
home. To play with you. Like before. To lie down with you.
To play on the floor with you. To chase you around.” Then
his father told him his room was ready. His bed and bike
were there. He asked if he wanted anything else in his room.
The boy said he wanted a desk and chair to do his
homework. His dad asked him if he wanted to come back
and he said “yes.” He wanted to see his dad. Then his father
asked him if he wanted to hug him, “I like the way you do
it.” And he said “yes” and he told his father that he’s been
dreaming about him.
What hopes do you have for Eliancito?
That he’s back here with us so we can help him forget
everything he’s been through. That horrible tragedy. With
the help of his father and all his grandparents he can put it
behind him, including everything he’s going through now. So
he’ll be a kid like any other one. Just a normal kid who’ll
study and one day have a profession. It’s what every
parent, every grandparent wants. The best for their children.
And that he lives here with us. Because I promise: His
mother will not rest in peace until he’s back in Cuba. When
she knows he’s back in Cuba with me, his grandfather, his
dad and his other grandparents, that’s when she’ll finally be
at peace.
What do you think the outcome will be?
I hope it’ll be over quickly. They can’t drag it out much
more. The boy is suppose to be back on the 14th. That
decision was already made. He’s to be back on the 14th
and be handed over to his father.
Do you think the family there will hand him over?
Is that the impression you’ve gotten when you’ve
talked to them?
I don’t know because they’ve done so many things
already. They’ve stooped so low that they’re now grasping
at what supposed to have been the mother’s last wish. And
that’s why they’re keeping the boy there.
Have you discussed this with them?
I’m not talking to them anymore because, once when I
was talking to the child, the uncle got on the phone and
insulted me. He tried to humiliate me and I’m not going to
subject myself to that kind of treatment. I’ll only talk to the
child.
He insulted you on the phone?
Yes.
What happened?
No. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not what
concerns me now. I only what the child brought home.
And you think that’s really what would have been
his mother’s last wish?
Clearly. If she knew what was going to happen, she
would have wanted her son back here with us. Not to be
with strangers. He’s suffering and she won’t rest in peace as
long as she sees her son suffering.
One last question: Why do you still have your
Christmas tree up?
I’m not taking it down until he comes home. I have
hope and faith in his returning by the 14th. And when he’s
here I’ll take it down after we have our own Christmas.
Because we haven’t been able to celebrate it yet. What
greater joy could I have than the child coming home? It’ll be
Christmas for the whole family, not just for the child.
Because we’re a very close-knit family.