A Story of Love and Citizenship

            Marisela Portes holds her right hand over her heart as she says the pledge of allegiance. This is the first time she has made this pledge as a United States citizen.

            This special ceremony is more sacred for Portes, 64, than for many. Portes’ father, Emilio Portes Gil, was the 41^st President of Mexico. Because of this Portes has great pride and patriotism toward her home country.

            “My Father, Emilio Portes Gil, was president of Mexico from 1928 to 1930,” Portes said.

“I am very fortunate that he was president during a time before Mexican presidents were thought as corrupt.”

But just like in a movie Portes fell in love, in 1963, when she was only 15-years-old to an 18-year-old American exchange student named Gary Manes.

            Everyone in Mexico City knew the president’s daughters first kiss and first boyfriend was an American man. Just like any tragic love story, Portes and Manes were forced to end their romance at the end of his study abroad program. Manes returned home to Hugoton, Kan., and Portes went to Paris, France, to study.

            Portes later returned to Mexico at the age of 20 to be married to a family friend. She went on to have two children, one son and one daughter, and now has five grandchildren.

            Portes and her first husband separated and she reunited with her old friends from childhood. She reminisced to her friends about the days when she and Manes, 67, were together, and wondered what could have been. It became a story everyone close to her knew well.

            One day, Portes got a letter from an old friend in the mail. It was Gary Manes.

            After 43 years and a whole lifetime Manes wrote to Portes telling her he had retired, never married and was looking to reconnect with her.

Portes never though this moment would come. She immediately wrote back to Manes and invited him to come visit her in Mexico City.

Manes flew out to Mexico and shortly after that he returned to his home in Muskogee, Okla., and invited Portes to come visit him for his birthday.

Portes met him in Muskogee where he took her out to a lovely dinner, introduced her to his friends and they discussed the future. Manes and Portes decided they wanted to get married and enjoy their retirement together. They each spoke to lawyers in Mexico City and Muskogee and decided it would be easier to marry in Muskogee instead of Mexico City.

In 2007 Portes returned to Muskogee to marry Hanes. With both their families present they said their “I Dos.”

After five years and two green cards, Portes finally became a United States citizen. Portes closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks as she recited the pledge of allegiance.

“I recited the pledge of allegiance and closed my eyes and cried,” said Portes.

The officer who watched her recite her oath also began crying. Portes said the officer told her it was the most beautiful ceremony she had seen, and the Portes’ emotion had moved her to tears.