Reminiscence

Arranguez Jr. J.R.

Description

Reminiscence is a historical, multi-cultural novel inspired by actual events and based on the true story of a Filipina nurse who lost her father in the Vietnam War before she was born. She comes to America and works in a nursing home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she gets romantically involved with the grandson of a resident. Their romance unexpectedly leads the way to her finding her father, alive and well, and living in a suburb close to the nursing home with another family.

Sujets

• Historical romance
• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 septembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645364368
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Reminiscence
Memories Are Beyond Forgetting, No Matter How Bitter They Are
J. R. Arranguez Jr.
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-09-30
Reminiscence About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgment To My Readers Preface Chapter 1 In the Sanctity of a Name Chapter 2 The Fate of My Father Chapter 3 The Family Zaragoza Chapter 4 My Countrymen Chapter 5 My Mother’s Woes Chapter 6 The Town Fiesta Chapter 7 The Guests from the City Chapter 8 A Psychic Came to Town Chapter 9 The Eve of All Souls Day Chapter 10 The Psychic’s Clients Chapter 11 Sundays in Sacandaya Chapter 12 The Boat People Chapter 13 The Search for a Sanctuary Chapter 14 The Stormy Season Chapter 15 Death at Heaven’s Gate Chapter 16 In God’s Will Chapter 17 On His Last Farewell Chapter 18 Life Without a Father Chapter 19 The Banishing Chapter 20 There’s No Place Like Home Chapter 21 The Transition Chapter 22 Across the Dark Chapter 23 The Bloodless Revolution Chapter 24 All About Vernon Chapter 25 Little Silly Thoughts Chapter 26 The Joy of Loving Chapter 27 The Pain in Parting Chapter 28 The Psalm 139:9–10 Chapter 29 The Lady in the Plane Chapter 30 Memoirs of My Grandmother Chapter 31 In the Middle of Nowhere Chapter 32 Life Is Worth Living Chapter 33 Letters from Home Chapter 34 Impressions Chapter 35 Sizing Up Bandy Moor Chapter 36 The Apple of Discord Chapter 37 The Collision Chapter 38 Returning Home Chapter 39 A Sunset in Sacandaya Chapter 40 Forgiving Is Sublime Chapter 41 To Have Loved and Lost Chapter 42 When Luck Comes Along Chapter 43 The Loves of Elizabeth Chapter 44 It Happened One Summer Chapter 45 Tomorrow When I’m Gone With One More Breath to Breathe Chapter 46 A Day with the Fullers Chapter 47 Strange Encounters Chapter 48 The Prodigal Returned Chapter 49 Loving Is Learning Chapter 50 In the Realm of Decency Chapter 51 To Love Again Chapter 52 An Enchanted Evening Chapter 53 The Unexpected Guest Chapter 54 The Unholy Trinity Chapter 55 Warren’s Whereabouts Chapter 56 The Cycle of Life Chapter 57 Afterthoughts Chapter 58 That Tragic Tuesday Chapter 59 The Reunion Chapter 60 The Grace of Life Chapter 61 The Other Wife Chapter 62 He Called Himself Hiroshi Chapter 63 Sins of My Grandfather Chapter 64 The Last Chapter Postscript Glossary
About the Author
J. R. Arranguez Jr. comes from the Philippines. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of the Visayas in the city of Cebu. After graduation, he worked as a media production specialist in the Department of Agriculture Central Visayas Region and worked as chief editor for its in-house publications. He published news and feature stories in local and national magazines, wrote scripts related to agriculture, and produced documentary films for public consumption.
The tenth in the brood of twelve, ‘Jun,’ or ‘Dodong’ to his family or friends, is a native of Daanbantayan, the northernmost town in the province of Cebu. In 1994, he migrated to the USA and settled with his family in the town of Holly Springs, North Carolina.
Jun worked as an information-processing technician in NCDOR, Raleigh, until October 2014, when he was subjected to harassment and discrimination. He quit his state job and has been into writing fiction since then. He had previously published The Boy Who Hated Numbers , a children’s book, and is presently working on another one for the kids.
Dedication
To my spouse, Edna; my daughter, Gypsy Rose; and my sons, Jiffy Jon and Rez Robby. In one way or another, my family helped me realize Reminiscence .
I address this book to all Filipinos working abroad and to all the children in the world who are growing up without a father.
Copyright Information ©
J. R. Arranguez Jr. (2019)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.
Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Ordering Information:
Quantity sales: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data
Arranguez Jr., J. R.
Reminiscence
Memories Are Beyond Forgetting, No Matter How Bitter They Are
ISBN 9781641824798 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781641824804 (Hardback)
ISBN 9781645364368 (ePub e-book)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019939466
The main category of the book — FICTION / Historical
www.austinmacauley.com/us
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers LLC
40 Wall Street, 28th Floor
New York, NY 10005
USA
[e-mail]
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Acknowledgment
I’m thankful to those people, who, in one way or another, helped make this publication possible. Foremost of all are my sisters, namely: Zenaida Arranguez Onggue of Perth, Western Australia; Josefina Arranguez Etulle of Cerritos, CA; Mel Rosell Arranguez of Cebu City, Philippines; Judith Arranguez Rago and Nancy Arranguez Jaboni, both of Long Beach, CA.
For their literary wisdom, thanks to Faye and Ekron Chelson Crow III of Raleigh, NC, to Sr. Mary Kelly (St. Joseph Order), chaplain of Wisteria Hospice in Long Beach, CA, and to the late Sor Maria Begona Divinagracia, (O.P.) of Corpus Christi, TX.
I wouldn’t have known what happened during the Fall of Saigon if not for Binh and Bich van Nguyen of Raleigh, NC. I got in touch with them through their daughter, Linda.
I heard more heartbreaking stories from the pastor of St. Mary Magdalene parish in Apex, NC. Rev. Fr. Donald F. Staib was in Bataan, Philippines, on a mission when there was the heavy influx of Vietnamese refugees.
Thanks to Brian Bubach of Fargo, ND, for the Spanish translations, to Tony Van Phan of Holly Springs, NC, for the Vietnamese, and to Ichiru Ishigoshi for the Japanese.
Thanks to Michael J. Young of NCSU, Raleigh, for helping me create the character of Brendan Cameron; ditto to Mitchell Bowden for Helga Schwartz. From Sheila Dionson Arroyo of Chicago, IL, I got the idea of rewriting Reminiscence , my short story, into a novel.
Some friends have read some chapters while this novel was in progress. Thanks to Jean Arocho, Brenda Cameron, Mary Grady, Dot Mclelland, Phyllis Parks, Vivian Rainey, Ernestine Savage, Grace Viglione, Khushman Surti, and Erlinda Yatta for their wonderful compliments. Thanks to Susan Sullivan of Middlesex, NC, my former team leader in NCDOR, for loving my style of writing.
I’m grateful to Kim Sabol, DPPD’s former director, to Debbie Wall, Diana Salmon, Patty Chylinski, and most particularly Wilma Hopkins, a great true friend, for being there for me during my desperate moments. Lou Marotta, you are a very sincere friend.
I got promoted to the Central Collections Unit where I met wonderful people like Eloisa Chaika, Shannon Jones, Helen Faulcon, Ellen Johnson, Cynthia Oates, and Theresa Hunter. Unfortunately, it was also in CCU where I met co-workers who subjected me to discrimination and harassments. Their unkindness eventually made me quit my job.
As forgiving is sublime, I bear no hatred towards those who were unreasonably unkind to me, however, give them my thanks, for their rudeness had given me the idea on how to define well the villains in my novel.
Dear Jesus, after letting me walk across a wide field of sorrow, you’re giving me this footpath of joy. Thanks. It’s the best thing yet to ever happen in my life.
To My Readers
Some characters in my story are imaginary; some are real, whose names have been changed to protect their identity. Some places and events are fictional, but some are factual. The Raleigh Assisted Living Community and the Saint Jude Nursing Care, as well as the Middletown are all as fictitious as the nightclub called Yuki No Hana.
Sacandaya is Daanbantayan, the northernmost town of Cebu Province in the Philippines, where I was born and raised. My ancestors lived and died in this town. Some of my maternal relatives, the Rosell clan, are still living here.
The residents of Daanbantayan are deeply religious, generally friendly, and extremely hospitable. They still observe old traditions, practice the same old culture, and generally believe in superstitions as depicted in this book.
Villa Zaragoza in the story is a fictional manor, but the centuries-old church of Santa Rosa de Lima is real and still exists.
Visit the historic town of Daanbantayan. Feast your eyes on its breathtaking sceneries that have been attracting tourist foreigners. Breathe in its breeze, soothing and fresh from the southern seas, and see the sunset that I used to watch in my childhood; it’s still as fascinating as it had been.

To all my readers, “Daghang salamat.”
In memory of my beloved parents:
Jose M. Arranguez, Sr. (1905–1976)
Federica Rosell Arranguez (1907–1990)
Their parental love, their guidance, the
moral and financial support they extended that
made us, their children, achieve our dignity to live.
Preface
I used to watch my mother gazing at the eastern skies where, she believed, Vietnam lay beyond. In many times, she told me that my father was living there and that he’d be coming home someday. She’d been waiting long for that someday to come. And so did I.
When my country sent more volunteers to the Vietnam War in October 1968 per America’s request, my father was one of them. He left my mother an address where to write him; he left home with a promise that he’d be back as soon as he had the chance; he left when my life was about to creep inside my mother’s womb.
My mother discovered her pregnancy days after my father had gone. She wrote him abou