Terry, Lito, Benedicto
US businessman Terry Gabriel Tugade called from Santa Maria, California, saying he was passing the phone to Lito de Francia whom I have not seen for many years. They were attending probably a seminar, mostly Filipino participants, in the area. Lito who had a doctorate from the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio, is now "bigtime" in the land of milk and honey along with Terry. Lito said he was going to Mexico for a 10-day seminar and would be dropping by in Menifee, where the bloggers lives. Then he passed the phone to another Ilokano writer Benedicto Tadena, originally from Ilocos Norte like Tito. After the usual amenities, Benedicto, who came to America in the 1990s, said he was working at Zodia Aerospace that makes house parts. He said he did not have the skills for the job--he is a high school graduate in the Philippines--but the company taught him how to make house parts. Then he passed the phone back to Lito who said he was sorry to terminate the conversation. And he bade goodbye .
The conversation with long-lost friends lasted for at least five minutes pho
His FB photo shows Terry a balding old person. The faces of Lito, a smiling individual, and Benedicto exist only in memory. The blogger met Benedicto only once or twice in the home country but he considers him a friend because he is a writer. Lito and Benedicto are much younger than us and have all the time to make the American dream. Terry, also called Tito, a name he hates, has made his dream come true but he is always on the move, travelling from one state to another to make money.
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| Memory: Jewelle Anne Julian and her cousins doing the blogger's laptop at the unfinished third floor of the ancestral home in Laoag City, Philippines |
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| The blogger's collection--magazines, books--some of which were given free to members of an Ilokano writing organization in the Philippines. |
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| A scene from the Sin City the blogger and his family visited some years ago. |
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