Mateo Rafael Brisuela - bio
Mateo is the youngest of three brothers; he also has two younger sisters. His father, Guillermo was a builder and his mother, Andrea was a housewife. Born in Tonala, Mexico on 29th October 1854, he travelled north to Texas at the tender age of 13 to work with his brothers on ranches in the state. He was working as a ranch hand along with his brothers in 1869 when he met Clarence and Jeremiah. Speaking no English, Mateo instantly bonded with Jeremiah and the two became close. Clarenceâs Spanish was at a good enough level that he also began to interact with the older of the two and developed a crush on him as they worked through the summer.
Mateo has never made an effort to hide his sexuality and when he was caught in the bedroom of Marcus Morgan, the son of the owner of the ranch; he was sentenced to be whipped. The owner, John Morgan was a homophobic man and took pleasure in beating anyone who violated his code of heterosexuality on the ranch. Clarence was informed about Mateoâs scheduled whipping, by his brothers, and came in and attempted to dissuade John, to no avail. Mateo had been whipped several times before Clarence snapped and drew his gun, shooting John three times in the chest before grabbing Mateo and running.
Mateo followed the pair ever since, with Jem tending to his wounds and helping him stave off infection in their dusty covered wagon. Clarence taught him to read and write English and because of this, Mateoâs pattern of speech is similar to Clarenceâs.
They travelled together for 10 years before Mateo decided that he wanted to find places by himself, or wanted to go to places that Clarence or Jeremiah had no desire to go. They would meet up sporadically until Clarence went to battle.
Mateo is entirely comfortable with his sexuality, when he was younger, would often dress as a woman to get cheaper rates at inns. He had a brief career as a prostitute after he left Clarence and Jeremiahâs side to travel solo; something which Clarence has actively ignored.
Mateo can barely sit still long enough to settle down and grow roots. His wanderlust far surpasses Clarenceâs, and even Clarence struggles to keep up with him sometimes. He is very similar to Clarence and as a result, the two can often be found in a heated disagreement or passionate tiff. The two make up quickly though. Jeremiah is much more of an older brother to Mateo; something that suits them both. Jeremiah always wanted to be a big brother and Mateo has always seen him as a mothering figure. He is incredibly loyal, almost to a fault and will do exactly what his partner will ask of him.
In modern times, he started a relationship with Phillip Byquist, the two had somewhat of a whirlwind romance and live together in a penthouse outside of Detroit. After WWII, he worked as a nursing assistant, at a local hospital, enjoying the caring aspect of the job. He is a very charismatic individual and enjoys other peopleâs company. Currently, he is an executive of his partnerâs company. Â
His favourite food is anything that Jeremiah makes him, as it reminds him of being at home. He is a skilled haggler and has been responsible for getting Clarenceâs books published for 80 years. A gifted musician, Mateo plays the guitar and piano.