Yesterday I found a letter from Uncle Betino with post stamps from Manila. It was on my mother’s makeup drawer and I could tell from its crinkles that she had read it many times.

Dear Ika,

I was heartened to discuss with you that you wish finally to send your son(s) to Manila, as I have been encouraging you to do for some time. Of course I was disturbed to hear that Gabe has lost his admission to Westward due to falling grades, but perhaps he needs the discipline of a Filipino Catholic school and another culture away from the unfortunate influences he now is experiencing in Los Angeles. Immediately I have called Father Reyoso who is well acquainted with the fathers at Ateneo to see about their application. Unfortunately, due to the lateness of this inquiry it will not be possible to send Gabe there now. It may be possible to send him in the spring if he can keep his grades from falling further and out of disciplinary problems, as you have been worrying he will encounter lately.

In fact, I do not think that Tomas could gain admittance to attend even in the spring. There are of course other schools we can look into, and I will make inquiries through Father Reyoso, but I think it will perhaps be best if I secure for him a tutor and keep him at Forbes Park under my personal supervision. If it will be possible to discipline him myself, I will. With Gabe I think it may still be possible to instill in him some of the Asian virtues of our family heritage, of discipline and education and respect for elders and history, as well as some of the European virtues of our Spanish and German heritage, of culture and learning imbued to our mother from the German nuns at Saint Scholastica. However, with Tomas, I fear you have waited too long and not listened to me, and that it is too late. He has become a gangster and is in my mind no longer a Filipino or a Laurel.