okay I carried on my daily life while my small business was doing great. At least I didn't make myself bored while waiting for my visa. Its a very long story... To make it short (smile) lets summarize it... November I was really desperate to talk to Alan. I called him twice and his mother told me that it was very early in the morning there in the USA and it was 9 PM in Iloilo City, Philippines. When his mother answered I was so shy. I didn't know what to say. She said Alan was sleeping, he worked at night (at that time he didn't have a permanent job yet). So I wondered where he worked? And again I spoke to him just a bit because it was really expensive; I was paying like 230 pesos in 3 minutes, that was back in 1995. I couldn't complain that he didn't call me either because it was expensive. I didn't want him to call me. Well I made profit in my small business and that was enough for occupy me for awhile, but Alan was sending me money too every month. I did keep it, but once I visited a mall and couldn't stop buying things (smile). I just can't help it. I like to buy clothes with a name brand on it and I love it. Back in Ilo ilo Alan wrote me a letter that said to go to the Mexican Embassy to take my visa because he had a job offer in Mexico and we couldn't wait for the USA visa so I thought this was a better way to solve the problem. To Manila I traveled by boat.

In the boat it was so sad. It was really crowded and that time the weather not that good. But I was desperate to go to Manila to process my Mexican visa. So it didn't occur to me that the weather was bad. Boat! In the middle of the night I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about Alan so I walked out going to the top of the boat and wondering for a while. I saw a couple and the guy was American. I could see myself with Alan, I missed him. I always asked myself if he felt the same way. The boat was really rocking too much, all I did was pray and I was not ready to die yet. Everyone I guess was panicking and worried. Some vomited and some were crying. I did cry and waited for what would happen and I called Alan's name and prayed. Again I was blaming him for not taking me with him, but it wasn't his fault anyway. Early in the morning of November 28, I arrived in Manila. It was really bad weather, and it flooded in Tondo. I went to my cousin's house in Tondo instead of my sister Loreta. I felt comfortable in my cousin's house. So when I got there Marcela asked me if it was really me? I said yes its me. They thought because I was married to an American I would be a snob now (smile). But they were wrong. So early in the morning after I got off the boat I went to the Mexican Embassy right away. There I had no problem. There weren't many people and the woman who worked there was so nice to me. She spoke a bit Tagalog and she greeted me in Spanish. She told me to come back another day.

So after 4 days I went back, but before that I was so sick because one of my cousin's neighbors put something in my food so that I couldn't go to the Mexican Embassy. She was mad at me; she said she is smart and well educated and so she is the one who deserved the guy like Alan. That was her joke. I did cry and talked to her and she was mad at me for accusing her but I knew she did it because one of her friends told everyone and then she never admitted what she did to me. My cousin Marcela has always been a great cousin to me, that's why I like to hangout with her and her sister Bebot. Okay, in the Mexican Embassy it wasn't really crowded like American Embassy so I had no problem at all to take my visa. I was feeling great, finally I could see Alan again. On the morning of December 5, 1995, I still felt ill after one in Tondo Manila. I needed to go home back to Iloilo, so before I did I needed to call Alan in the USA to let him know that I had my Mexican Visa. I needed to call him in a public phone because my cousin doesn't have a phone. So I needed to go to the public phone 3 blocks away from my cousin Marcela's house. We have cousins that had a phone near us but she wont trust us to call. She thought I would cheat her, even the neighbors think that way so I didn't bother anyway. At 10 PM I needed to call Alan; that time in New York was 7 AM.

So I rode a tricycle (motorcycle with added passenger seat for hire) to call Alan. I wasn't really scared even though my cousin warned me that it was not a good idea to go by myself. Its dangerous she said. But I did anyway, I needed to call Alan. I was excited to give him the good news about my visa. He was waiting for my call. He said he called in Iloilo, and he was really scared too because he saw on the news that a boat sank and he thought I was there in that boat. He was happy when he heard from me that time. So we talked but not too long because it was very expensive. I called collect to him. I only called him on public phones and at night time. So After two nights I called him again and I wanted to tell him that I was leaving at night going to Iloilo. The weather was not that bad anymore. I called him at 11 PM in Philippines. I walked home that night. I thought it was the end of my life because there were two men trying to rob me, but there was nothing to rob so they scared me was all. But I ran like the wind after that. When I got back to my cousin's house, I told Marcela everything, and she was so mad. When I spoke with Alan he said he was going to come back to the Philippines. He said he couldn't live any longer without me. Those were great words to hear that he can't live longer without me, I felt the same. So I tried to wait for his coming back on December 31. So I decided to stay instead of going home back to Iloilo. I was so excited, more excited than ever. At that time Xmas was coming. From the day he said he was coming back to the Philippines I couldn't sleep. Waiting for him for me was so long to wait... Okay, this was the greatest Xmas gift from above to meet my husband again. December 31, 1995, I went to the airport really early. Every American came out. Alan came out 30 minutes before midnight. It was so crowded, I ran to hug him I was happy... and it was weird too. I felt shy with him. January 3, we went home to Iloilo. We flew to Iloilo and it was fun because we got there so fast. We arrived at my apartment in Iloilo at 7 PM. At that time the student borders were there. They were amazed how Alan is really good looking man. I was so proud. Alan and I spent a lot of time together. It was like heaven having Alan back with me. It was a great feeling and I felt really happy. It was the beginning of our new life together as a couple. I felt so great and really happy.

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