Enclosed you will find some photos Millie found among Mommy’s possessions. They had been packed in boxes in her room which Millie opened as we made renovations in preparation for Malaya’s graduation party. Of course I know that it is of some concern to you that we have to clear some of these possessions in order to build a new guest room. This room has been an important remembrance of her final sad months, but we have saved some possessions for you. We found your boys’ photos among them and thought you might wish to keep them.

Though I have not looked through all of them, I had occasion to notice some photos of Gabe and Tomas as little boys. It brought back memories of the trips we took to Los Angeles in ’85 and ’91 and also of the earlier trip you made to Manila in (’83?). In Manila they were such well-dressed, quiet children. Perhaps they seemed a bit shy, but I was impressed by how attached they were to their mommy. Gabe was always by your side, and though initially Tomas also seemed not to want to stray, I recall that eventually he gained the courage to play with his Filipino cousins. Tomas in particular was quite handsome. As I recall, he took to the animals such as the parrots and carabao and wished to start an import business to ship them to Los Angeles. Such ambitious ideas for a nine-year-old! With their mestizo looks they would have been very successful with the girls, no doubt, which perhaps can give quiet boys confidence that will leave them with a serenity allowing greater application to their studies. It is a shame you will not send your boys to live with me in Manila. I could teach them the values of education, work, discipline, and respect for their elders and Asian and Spanish heritage.

I can understand why it might be difficult for you to send your boys away. Parting could be very difficult. But may I suggest that it is not too late for you to return as well. I have been told by Lola Cunching, upon her returning from the States last month, that you made a great insistence of the fact that you have lived in America longer than the Philippines. Almost as if there were something wrong with being Filipino! This fetish you seem to have for being an American seems to me quite disconcerting. Filipinos have their problems, of course, many problems, but I can assure you that in fact we have virtues as well. Perhaps some people in other countries may have a low estimation of Filipinos; may I suggest that this is inaccurate, a misperception based on seeing the many poor, uneducated domestic laborers and bar girls who must live abroad to earn money, as you yourself should well know.