I vividly remember the phrase “right right says Carmen” as it was used by kids when referring to Carmen. Carmen was the youngest son of Fiore and Maria Minucci and was severely retarded.  I remember people saying that when he was born he could “fit in a shoe box” (another way of saying he was premature).  The result was that he was a very difficult child. 

Carmen had a lot of quirky behaviors.   In his room everything had to be in “exactly” the same place.  He would spend hours moving objects until they were “perfectly” in the location he wanted them.  He also would retrace his steps at times.  It looked very strange as he walked backwards and forwards to make sure he was following the right path either outside or in his house.  He would also repeat words over and over until he got it right (that’s where the term “right-right” comes in).  Although his mother had lots of patience for him, that wasn’t the case for his father.  When he was in one of these moods you had to walk around him and just keep your distance because his sense of what was right was in control.  Some people would tease him by moving things or interrupting his movements.  When that happened he would get very upset as he tried to reset his sense of “right”.

Carmen really wanted to learn but his mental age stopped at around 5-7 years old.  I remember trying to help him read but it was beyond his capability.  For most of his life, Carmen was a gentle person and was always around kids (because that was his mental age). He spent most of his days walking around town, talking to people, and settings thing right in his room. I never remember any violent actions directed to anyone except his father.   I do remember him picking up a knife when he was mad at something his father said or did.  In the end, this behavior landed him in the Marlboro mental institution because his father lost his patience with him.  Carmen was probably 20 years old when this happened.  He lasted a very short time in that place and died at a very young age.