Name: She's called Dr. (Amara) Perez or Mary at NYU Langone Health, where she is one of the three full-time forensic Pathologists in Manhattan (there are only two other locations in NYC, one in Queens and one in Brooklyn). Heading north on the 4/5/6 her name changes to Dr. Pérez or simply Mari. Heading into 124 E 102nd St #6 her name changes further to Mami or Marita or, if her mother's exasperated, Amara Elisa Pérez García!

Physical Description: Mari is a pretty, lithe woman of 33 years. Her wavy, dark brown hair is usually tied in a pony tail when working or exercising, or left loose at other times. Her matching brown eyes and ever-present smile stand out on her slightly long face. ***

Persona:

History: During the summer of 1959 the Pérez family, consisting of Matías, Guillerma, and their four-year-old son Sebastián, fled Cuba in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution. They left a former life of wealth behind to end up in Spanish Harlem with nothing but some government assistance as refugees. They spent several years getting settled, with Matías establishing a bodega. After things began to stablize they gave birth to Diego on April 14, 1965, and finally Amara on August 31, 1966.

Amara and Diego grew up as buddies. Notably younger than Sebastián, born as American citizens, and having the same background of growing up bilingual in Spanish Harlem, they had a lot in common with each other and were notably separated from Sebastián. On top of that, they shared one of the three bedrooms with each other, while their parents had one and Sebastián had the other, until Sebastián moved to his own tiny apartment just before Amara turned seven. They still gave Sebastián respect as the oldest sibling, but they weren't tight with him like with each other. Meanwhile, Amara and Diego were only one year apart in school, and Amara was quite bright. So they ended up among many of the same peers in school and even in a number of classes with each other.

During high school their trajectories diverged, but that didn't keep Amara and Diego from being buddies. Diego started his apprenticeship as a plumber well before graduating and stuck with it. Amara baby sat for Sebastián's son and daughter while preparing for college. While Diego hung out close to E 102nd St., Amara started going to salsa clubs, where she had a little more access than she should have for her age due to her appearance. Despite their different paths, they remained each others' confidants and support. When Amara got into Columbia on a partial scholarship she kept living at home, keeping them close. At Columbia Amara double-majored in Spanish and Biology while completing her pre-med courses. She started to become known as a regular at the Latin clubs during her college years as well. Amara graduated from Columbia in 1987, at which point Diego had already finished his apprenticeship and had become a licensed plumber, working for the same boss toward becoming a master plumber.

Amara proceeded from Columbia to Mount Sinai School of Medicine, which allowed her to continue living at home, though she had to spend long days at school with cadavers and much of her other time studying. As she could walk just a few blocks to get home, her commute was actually shorter than those of all of her classmates, the reverse of how it had been at Columbia. ***

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