Blogs from Jupiter

I still have this hangover from my US trip a month ago. I am so looking forward to going back there, hopefully, before the year ends or sometime January or February next year where its not airline peak season so I get to buy cheap tickets. I am saving enough money, and this time, I plan to spend more time with my half sister’s family in California. Only a few people know about my Ate Grace. Not that we are hiding her but it’s primarily because she is in the US since her early teens. This is no family secret.

Ate Grace was my Dad’s love child. According to stories, my lawyer Dad had a mainland Chinese girlfriend, a client I think for Filipino citizenship. The relationship did not work, the girl’s application for Filipino citizenship went kaput, the girl got pregnant and bore my Ate Grace, and she went back to China because she was an illegal immigrant leaving my Ate Grace to my Dad. My Aunt Pat, Dad’s sister, adopted my Ate Grace from my Dad. If I’m not mistaken, Ate Grace is now in her late 30s, married to a Japanese-American, Kuya Wayne, and with two lovely toddler daughters, Kellie and Kaitlyn. 

My Aunt Pat migrated to the US in the late 1970s, and sometime the mid 1980s, Ate Grace followed her. She lived with us in our house in Quezon City for a couple of years before she flew to the US. Since my Dad was starting a family with my Mom, Papa and his siblings decided to have Ate Grace stay in my Uncle July’s place in Novaliches, while she was waiting for her petition. Ate Grace grew up not knowing her real mom but knowing too many parents: her biological late Dad, which was also my Dad; her adoptive parents my Aunt Pat and her late hubby Uncle Mike, and Uncle Art, her second late hubby (passed away just a few weeks ago); my biological Mom, which is somewhat her surrogate mom as well; and my Uncle July and Aunt Cherry, who were her guardians since she was a kid. She had a very complicated childhood and growing up not knowing who you really are, and being passed on from one relative to another, was not okay. Mom would love to have her stay with us and treat her like a real daughter but Mom is the type who doesn’t meddle with Dad’s family affairs. Because of her complicated childhood she developed nervous attacks.

Ate Grace would often visit us here in Manila, at least once every two years. She was also able to bring my late Papa to the US several times. She’s quite established in terms of work, with her family, and financially. She never fails to send us those stateside goodies at least twice a year; our cupboards and kitchen cabinets would be filled year round with corned beef, spam, ham, meatloaf, etc.; most of our toiletries and bath stuff would come from her too. She hasn’t brought Kuya Wayne and her two daughters here in the Philippines because Kellie and Kaitlyn are still small kids. We only get to see them in pictures.

Finally, I was able to see and spend time with Ate Grace’s family especially my lovely nieces when I visited them in Torrance last month. It was just a short visit, a side trip from my US training in Florida. Ate Grace was the happiest seeing me in the US for the first time. I just couldn’t explain her reaction. For the first time, a brother from the Philippines visited her. It’s usually her visiting us here in Manila.

I never got to go around LA County as my trip was really brief. As both Ate Grace and Kuya Wayne were busy with work, it was my Aunt Pat who gave me a running tour of LA, Torrance, Carson City and Long Beach. Just saw the sights and more on bonding with Aunt Pat who is also undergoing treatment for her leukemia. Never had the chance to meet Dad’s other siblings. Met two of my cousins, another niece and a nephew but that was it. Nevertheless, I am overjoyed by the fact that I finally met my nieces.

I am really looking forward to going back to California soon.