The Story of a Letter When my brother Berto as thirccen he ran away from home and went to Manila. We did nat heat fram hie unuil eighe years later, and he was by that time working in a litele cown in California, He wrote a letter in English, but we could not read it. Father eatried it in his pocket all summer, hoping the priest in our Village would seas it for Kim, “The summer ended gloriously and our work on the farm was done We gathered firewood and cut grass on the hillsides for our animals. “The heavy rains came when we were patching up the walls of our house. Father and { iose palm overcoats and worked in che aud, cubbing Vinegar on our foreheads and throwing it around us to keep the lightning away. The rains ceased suddenly, bur the muddy water came down from the mountains and Nlooded the Fiver. We nade a bamboo raft and floated slowly along the waver. Father sat sn the center of the raft and took the letter from his pocket. He looked acic for a long time, as though he were committing it to memory. Wher! we reached the village church it was midnight, bur chere were sany people in the yard. We tied our raft to the riverbank and dried our Clothes on the grass. "A woman came and told us that he priest had died of overeating ata wedding, Father took out clothes aff the grass and we pur them on. We dintied our rafe and rowed against the slow currents back to our house. Father was compelled to carsy the letter for another year, waiting for the time when my brother Nicasio woo'd come home from school, He was the only one in our family who could read and write ‘When the students returned from the cities, Father and I went 10 own with a sack of peanuts. We stood under the arbor tree in the sation ged watched every bus that stopped. He heated a pile of dry sand with puming stones and roasted peanuts. AC night we satin the coffee shop and talked with the loafers and gamblers. Then the last students 69 On Becoming Filipino svcd, but my brother Nicasio was na with chest. We gave up waiting, gpa went back co the village sven summer came again we plowed the land and planted corn. phen we were informed hat my brother Nast thad gone w America. Father was grcatty sisappoiaced. He tok the Tewcer of my brother Berto Fra his pocket and locked i in small box. We Pur our minds on our Frank and afer two years the letter Was forgDsten se pward the end of my ninth yeas 2 tubercutis Young ma appeared jp out village, He wanted co scare school fr ehe children and the men sree enthusiastic. The drummes went around the village and an- etyeed the good news. The farmers gathered in 2 Van Yor m0 fa from the cemetery and started building schoojhause They shouted at ror ther with oy and laughed aloud. The wind carried thelr laughter through the village. eae sthem at night Tifting the grass root om shes shoulders Uran scrum the lds and stood by the well watching them Place the rafrers| aethe long bamboo posts. The men were sipped fo the W#SE and their cron users were rolled up to their cigs, ThE women SAT swith Seem surthen avs and hauled ocinking water, pausing in che clear snoanlighe co watch the men with secret joy “Thea the schoolhouse was finished. T heard the bell ring joyfuny in he village, Iran tothe window and saw boys and gils SINE 9 school. L aoe rather on ear exaba, riding of foward our house. T cook my saw hac off che wall and rushed to che gate. Peers vent down and reached for my hands. 1 sated him on he tare back ef the animal, The children shouced ancl slapped their bellies: When we eeached che school yard the carabao stopped without wach 0G Pony fellco the ground and rolled into he well, creaming tloud when te touched the water. [grabbed the animal's tail and fang on so ciltit roffed on its back in the dust Te che to she well and fowered the wonden Ducket. I ed the TOPE Bsc pon end shomecd Pr cl Fates elused slowly BSS TEP ane eepxof the well Te bigger boys eame dawn and helped me pull ae ana He aroad jn the su and shook the water off his body: He told ene vo go into the schoolhouse with the other children, Sern sed forthe teacher to come, Father followed ane inside and st Stories 61 ary ao ‘on a bench behind me. When the teacher atrived we stood as one petson and waited for him to be seated. Father came to my bench and sat quietly fora long time. The teacher started talking in our dialect, but he talked so fas we could hardly understand him, When he disteibured some litle Spanish books, Father gor up and asked what language we would fearn. The teacher told us that ie was Spanish. Father asked him if he knew English. He said he knew only Spanish and our dialect. Father took my hand and we went out af the schoolhouse. We rode the carabao back £0 our house. Father was disappointed. He had been carrying my brother's lewer for almost three years now. It was still un¢ead. The suspense was hurting him and me, too, Ie was the only letter he had received im all the years that I had known him, except some letters that came from the government once a year asking him to pay his taxes. When the rains ceased, a strong typhoon came from the north and swept away the schoolhouse. The teacher gave up teaching and married a village girl. Then he took up farming and after two years his wife gave birth to ewins. The men in the village never built a schoolhouse again. Lggew up suddenly and the desire to see other places grew. [cmoved ime like a flood. It was impossible to walk a kilometer away from our house without wanting ta run away to the city. I tried to run away a few times, but whenever I re: ched the town, the farm always called me back. | could not leave Father because he was getting old “Then our farm was taken away fiom us. | decided to g0 to town fora While and five with Mother and sny twa little sisters. Father remained in the village. He came to rown once with a sack of wild tomatoes and bananas. Bur the village called him back agin Tefe our town and traveled 10 other places. I went r0 Baguio in the northern part of the Phitippines and worked in the markerplace posing naked for American tourists who seemed to enjoy the shameless nudity of the natives. An American woman, who elaimed that she had come. from Texas, took me to Manila, She was o romantic painter. When we arived in the capital she sented a nice large house where the sun was always shining. There were no children of my axe. There were men and women who never smiled. They spoke through theit noses. The painter from Texas asked me to 62 On Becoming Filipina - morning; she worked industriously. [had never dreamed nt ry cosng ay body soa avangs: Tar experience ade me roar wich laughter for many Years veomentt ae cme, while [was sll inthe woman's ous, remembered Ne wide atch near out house in the village where the fOUnE girls Wee & ies Con in the aude. Avcwusin of mine swske the Rib’ “SES tae eae creamed behind some bushes. The girls ram about Wiel het tre pervcen their legs 1 thought of this incident when YTS si hiding my body with my hands (rom the woman paints ed alitle money Ltook abort for Americ forgot my oilage fora while. When Twent o Houpial ed forevo yess, Isarted to rca! books with hunger. My satnB peed by a nprse who thought {had come ffom China I 160 Xs Tot sea oueehinking of it, but Trold a good Tie, I had no opportuni oH Feat apie che yoy bu the ARsueY 40S SE Tropkal gave ir io me. Ftanguished In bed for mo 26058517 BEE pleasure. [was no longer afraid co five in a strange asking yself WE Thad forgotten to laugh in Americ. + : af ae ‘out into the workd, Thad ‘been confined too long, Thad forgotten fascism in all civilized lands. “To mosc of us, however, it dialect and ths later. [translated it inco our di Twas now better, Phe doctors tald me that to stand by che window for hours War in great cause. closed ™Y T stood at the ate of the hospital, hesitating, Finally, T Siaces aaatee pd walked into the city. Lwandered all over Los Angeles for some cence for my brothers. They had been separated ffom mess childhood. We had had, separately and together, « biter fight for existence. I had heard that my brother Nicasio was in Sanca Barbara, pete he was attending college. Berto, who never stayed in one place for more than three months aca time, was rumored to be ig Bakersfield waiting for the grape season, | Packed my suitease and took a bus to Santa Barbara. I did not find Imy brother there. I went to Bakersfield and wandered in the streets asking for my brother. L went to Chinatown and staod inline for he free The hiring halls were full of men waiting to be shipped to the could aaa gi Alaska. 1 wene to che:dance halls and poolrooms. But I there for three months, I wanted to save money $0 that Leeult have something to spend when I retumed to the mainland. When I came back co the West Coast, I took a bus w Portland, Beyond Tacoma, near the district where Indians used to force the hop Pickers into marriage, 1 looked out the window and saw ne brother Bertoin a beer tavern, I knew it was my brother, although I had not seen {took another bus and went co California. I stopped in Delano, The rape seaso stood in the pooltooms and watched the players. went toa bee, place and satin a booth. lordered several bots and thoughe long and hard of Toward midnight a man in abig overcoat came in and sat beside me, 1 asked him to drink beer with me without looking at fs fave. We Jarred drinking together and then, suddenty, I saw a familiar hee fq the dirty micror on the wall. { almost screamed. He was ne brother 64 On Becoming Filipino Ve went outside and Nicasio—but he had grown old and emaciated. We went out oe F Be esl mean fee Cr SPDR Ly Delano before. I had never given my forwarding, a: ae 1a way from home. I stooe acca a eel pen aieea| it. The note attached to it said that eye came from the government telling that my brot TE ep das L All of nughe sbcklag ah ea people waif Bur ese Cara Gig ou th haha i sentimental Your son—Berta.” Stories 65