What's in a Name?

Esmeralda Pacheco

Esmeralda Pacheco; Puerto Rican ancestry; Esmeralda is the feisty, spirited mother of Daniela and Rafe Nichols, who is known for her spunk, energy, and enthusiasm. She is often described as being a sarcastic and lively person who doesn't take herself or others too seriously, preferring instead to embrace life and its shortcomings with an upbeat, casual attitude. Talkative and tomboyish, she was a headstrong, impulsive, eccentric, and stubborn girl in her childhood years back in her native Puerto Rico, with a tendency towards being superstitious and lashing out on her neighborhood bullies if they angered her. Although shy and apprehensive in early childhood, her life circumstances forced her to quickly toughen up and confront her problems with courage and determination. Having first watched the Olympics back in the summer of 1976, fantasized about becoming a gymnast and representing her country in one of the games, despite her lack of skill at the sport. Certain events in her life made her abandon past fanciful ways of thinking and instead pursue more practical dreams, however. The second youngest of 8 siblings, she was forced to be very independent from a young age due to her mother's inability to provide each of her children with undivided attention at once. She was a very hard-working young woman in her homeland and chose to attend avocational school at an early age to study early childhood education and be trained to work at nursery schools and daycares. Esmeralda had a close friendship with her eventual sister-in-law Aleida and found true companionship in another student named Martha, who supported her once she had an abortion at the young age of 20.

She had several relationships as a working young woman but was not a person who liked commitment or being tied down to just one person, choosing instead to lead a liberal lifestyle while having a few occasional flings. Despite having made a decent income working with children for much of her early life, she always had bigger dreams of moving to America and pursuing a new life there, hearing many good stories of the comfortable lifestyle many fellow Puerto Ricans were experiencing in Florida, which lay hundreds miles northwest of San Juan, the motherland's capital. She eventually abandoned her work as a nursery schoolteacher for some time and worked different jobs that would provide her with the money she needed to sustain herself, including being a maid for a group of high society Spaniards whom were a part the Spanish embassy in Puerto Rico. Always an adventurous spirit, Esmeralda dreamt of traveling to different countries, at one point nearly accepting an offer to travel as a migrant worker to Peru simply to escape the island's inflation. She eventually tired of her life in Puerto Rico however and accepted a deal with another local migrant named Basilio to lie to authorities and pass by together as a "married couple" for the sake of helping a fellow Hispanic step on American soil. She lived with a few of her aunts in Kissimmee for the time being after parting ways with and later met her future husband Tahj Nichols, who was serving in the national guard at the time. Quickly courted by Tahj, he was to be stationed in Panama, but soon decided she instead wanted to marry Tahj after they developed a serious relationship and fell in love, causing her to follow him to Allentown, Pennsylvania to live with some of his African American relatives. 

Esmeralda later fell pregnant in her early 30s with her first-born child, a daughter named Julia, and moved to Long Island with Tahj when Julia was about to turn 3, after which she conceived a second child, a son named Rafael. She has since evolved to become a level-headed and cheerful woman as an adult and mother to her children, with a noticeable sassy side to her. Despite her calm and kind nature, she retained a quick temper from childhood and can occasionally lash out and become very vocal when angered. She is also known to be quick-tongued and a selective hearer, having little patience for those who wallow in self-pity or feel sorry for themselves and instead encouraging her children to develop bright, confident personalities. A noticeable trait of Esmeralda is that she has a dark, twisted sense of humor, often finding amusement in things that others, including her daughter Daniela, would not find funny due to the odd, if morbid nature of what she is laughing at. She is heedless to formality and social standings, addressing certain people with nicknames and is a strong believer in karma, seeking a sense of "poetic justice" for people's wrongdoings. She has an odd habit of popping other people's zits and will frequently fuss over her daughter publicly whenever she feels unable to resist the feeling of releasing puss. She deeply loves her family nevertheless and is not afraid to make sacrifices to help her husband and children. Esmeralda often provides her daughter with sound, yet stern advice and advises her to make good choices in life but can be a bit more overprotective of her son due to his softer personality, believing he needs more guidance than Daniela. She is also a devoted wife to her husband Tahj, a slightly paunchy, balding, middle-aged black man who often has a somber expression in his eyes. 

She is said to be one of the few people who knows how to even out his temper and control his moods due to his struggles with a chronic skin condition. Despite Tahj's serious and unaffectionate personality, she genuinely cares about him and has grown accustomed to his lifestyle over the years. Esmeralda is middle-aged woman whom is slightly below average height at 5 ft. 2 but has a curvy, proportionate build, with short, spiky dark brown hair that is often styled in a pixie cut, deep-set dark brown eyes, thin lips, and a medium light complexion, along with a bulbous nose. She managed to learn a significant amount of English while living in America, despite still speaking it with a heavy accent, and is currently the director of a local bilingual daycare she has managed for over 10 years. Despite not having previously known how to drive due to the lack of resources in Puerto Rico, she eventually learned how to drive and assimilated into American culture. She enjoys watching Spanish-language telenovelas in her living room as a means of relaxing after work, a fact her husband and children find humorous. Esmeralda loves Red Bull and will usually gulp down several cans of the carbonated drink if allowed to throughout the week. When she's not trying to earn quick money through the latest scratch off, she can likewise be found catching up on the latest gossip. She can often be seen with Chiqui, the local Puerto Rican lady, as they share lively exchanges on the front porch. She is also not averse to hosting dinner parties and playing dominos with some of her closest friends, although she is not very good at baking. She will usually treat her house guests to sweets that have already been packaged at the store, although her husband has since taught her to be a better cook. ESTP 7w6