Doña Felicitas

Knock. Knock. Knock. Silence.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Still no response.

I called the number my mother gave me. From the other side of the door, I could hear the phone ringing.

Hello?

Hello, Tita Feli. It’s Krizzel.

Hi, Krizzel! Where are you?

I’m outside your door.

Oh, really? Okay.

Click. The door finally opens, and a familiar face greets me with a warm smile. It was my grandmother’s eldest sister, Feli.

Whoa, you’re taller than me now?

She asks the same question almost every time I see her.

I’ve been taller than you.

I’m 5’4. How tall are you?

5’5 – almost 5’6.

Oh, wow. 

I smiled, and I stepped inside.

Her apartment was a mess. Stacks of papers were all over the place – on the table, on the floor, on the couch. Even without glancing at the TV, I knew that it would be tuned to NY1. The room was stuffy, and the fan certainly did not help.

I was reading an article before you came.

Oh, yeah? What about?

Alzheimer’s.

In my head, I thought about whether or not she has finally accepted her illness. But I did not dare to ask.

So what are you doing here?

I need to interview you for a school assignment.

What’s it about?

Your immigration story.

Wow, it’s a long story.

Don’t worry. I have time.

I knew that she loved to talk, and so she began.

I had two uncles in Hawaii. After I earned my biochemistry degree in the Philippines, I went there as a student. You know, I have three degrees. I have a Masters in Management and the other…I don’t know now. I can’t remember. First, I went to the University of Hawaii. Then, I went to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Wait, you went to UMich!? I never knew that!

Yeah, I only went there for a semester. I got sick of it. It was too cold.

So what did you do there?

I worked in the chemistry department. But then I went back to the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. There were a lot of Filipinos. I became a research assistant for Dr. Standal as a nutritional biochemist. I earned $250 a month WITHOUT taxes. Oh, I was so happy because I could help my sisters back home. Every month, I sent $150 to support them, and kept only $100 for myself.

What happened next?

I needed a green card, so I applied. There was an assistant professor in UHawaii who came from a private college – high class – called Bennett College. It was in Greensboro, North Carolina. All girls school. He read in a newspaper that they were looking for a chemistry teacher. I got the job, so I moved there. In 6 months, I got my green card. After the end of the school year, I left Bennett.

Where did you go after?

I wanted to get married! I don’t want to get married to an old man! There were a lot of them in Hawaii. I moved to New York because my friend told me to. Met her at UMich – Delia. She told me to stay with Phoebe who was also from UMich.

Did you know Phoebe?

No, but she owned a huge apartment. There were two other people already living with her. One of them was Lloyda. She was a dietician. I got a job at Columbia University Medical Center as a research assistant professor. Then me and Lloyda found an apartment in Washington, Heights near the medical center. 

Didn’t you work at Rutgers, too?

Oh, yes! The professor I was working for in Columbia was offered a chair position in the Department of Neurology at Rutgers Medical School. He liked me very much, so he wanted me to also come work for him at Rutgers.

So you left Columbia…did you already meet Elias [her husband]?

Yes, I met Elias in Columbia. He had a PhD in biochemistry. I wanted him to also get his MD. So he went back to Buenos Aires to get it. He was there for three years, but every year he came back for me. He passed his board exam and was offered a job at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. He asked me, ‘Want to come with me?’ I answered, ‘Unless we get married, I won’t go with you.’ So we got married.

What happened to your work at Rutgers?

I didn’t want to quit my job because I still needed to help my family. My goal is to help them come to America. I had responsibilities. But I didn’t tell Elias about them. I have a pride. Every two weeks, I went to see him in Jacksonville. He was a family physician at the University of Florida hospital. When I was visiting, some lady in Florida told me, ‘If you don’t follow your husband, you will lose him. There are many women looking for a husband.’ I was scared, so I quit my job and moved to Florida.

Did you ever tell Elias what the lady said?

No, never. He bought a house for us – worth $300K. When I moved to Florida, I had no job. My full time job was a housewife. We loved to read together. He had a library in our house. He had so many books. Our whole house was filled with books and papers – everywhere. He called me Doña – Doña Felicitas. Everybody else started calling me Doña because of him. Almost everywhere he went, including his meetings, he told me, “Come, Doña.” I miss him so much.  

What made you come back to New York?

When Elias got sick, we decided to move back and find an apartment. A friend of mine suggested the Lincoln Towers because it’s in a nice neighborhood.

So you bought this apartment? I’ve always thought it was rented.

No, no. It’s fully bought. It costs more than our house. Half a million.

Half a million!? But it’s so small and you’re only living on the 8^th floor. How much does the upper floors cost?

Oh, I don’t know. Probably millions of dollars.

Wow.

I checked the time. 3:00.

Do you have somewhere to be?

Yeah, I have class at 5:30.

Then let’s go eat!

Where?

Somewhere near.

I was skeptical of the nearness of the restaurant because her idea of “near” can sometimes mean that the place is 30 blocks away. This has happened before.

…Okay.

Before locking the door, she turned to face me.

I would be very unhappy if I’m the only one educated.

Well, are you happy?

Yes.

We both smiled.