Rodriguez returned to his apartment and was greeted at the door by Bogie who began weaving in and out of his legs. That was Bogie’s signal that he was hungry. “I know you’re hungry, Bogie. Here you go.” While Bogie ate, Rodriguez opened a box of old photos. He looked at the pictures and thought back to his childhood growing up in the Dominican Republic. He was the oldest of two children, his younger sister, a twin, was born with a debilitating rare disease. His father, Santos Rodriguez, was a policeman in the Dominican Republic and his mother was a teacher. They called his father the “Saint.” When he was sixteen, his family moved to the United States. He finished high school in Florida and was awarded a football scholarship to Florida International University. The family settled into life
