Published: May 10, 2008 11:13 pm         

Mother and child reunion

Logansport woman sees mother for first time in 15 years

Sonia Requeno and Maria Pineda-Bonilla sit side-by-side on a couch in Sonia’s living room.

The two have been inseparable since Maria arrived in Logansport from El Salvador the week before.

This is the first time the mother and daughter have seen each other in 15 years.

The 37-year-old Sonia left El Salvador on Mother’s Day, May 10, 1993, and had not seen her 59-year-old mother, Maria, since.

Sonia’s immigration situation had not allowed her to visit her home country since moving to America.

“It is a long process,” said Natalie Pineda, Maria’s granddaughter. “You have to prove that you live here for so long.”

In El Salvador, Maria had spent the past 15 years applying for a visa to come to America to see her daughter. She also has four other children living in Logansport, but her time spent away from Sonia has been the longest.

Every year for five years, Maria applied for a visa, but was denied.

This year, Sonia’s husband, Manuel, sent her money to apply again, and on April 22, her visa was approved, and she began packing her bags.

After a 10-hour flight, she arrived at Indianapolis International Airport on May 2. Her five children and 11 grandchildren were all waiting at the airport for her.

Many tears and hugs of happiness were exchanged between Maria and Sonia, as well as the rest of her children — 34-year-old Vilma, 29-year-old Rafael, 41-year-old Francisco and 31-year-old Rutilia.

Natalie said Sonia had been nervous about the reunion.

“She was shaking and was very emotional,” she recalled.

Maria plans on staying in Logansport until May 29.

During their time together, the mother and daughter have been “catching up” and doing a lot of cooking.

For the past 15 years, Sonia said Maria have talked on the phone at least once a week.

Maria missed Sonia’s wedding and the birth of her four children, but three of Sonia’s children have been able to travel to El Salvador to spend time with their grandmother.

Four years ago, Maria fell ill and thought she wouldn’t live to see Sonia again.

Maria also hasn’t seen Rutilia in nine years, Rafael in seven and Vilma in three. Francisco, Natalie’s dad, goes to El Salvador every year to visit his mother.

Maria is spending time getting acquainted with her family members during her stay.

Natalie says Maria doesn’t know what to do with herself because her family is taking care of all the cooking and chores during her visit. Maria is from the coast of El Salvador — San Luis de la Herradura — where she and her husband raise chickens and pigs on a farm.

Natalie said her grandmother, who has six children living in El Salvador, isn’t used to sitting down so much.

“We don’t let her do anything,” she laughed.

For Mother’s Day, the family will have a large gathering with all of Maria’s family members. The family will cook food together and share stories.

Natalie said she had learned about her father’s childhood from her grandmother, and also had learned the significant value of family and religion.

Maria plans to return to Logansport in six months to a year with her husband. Sonia hopes to get permission from the government to go back to El Salvador next year.

Francisco to see his sister and mother reunited.

“Fifteen years is a long time,” he said.

Melissa Soria may be reached at (574) 732-5143 or via e-mail at melissa.soria@pharostribune.com