A little something
One of my Dad's friends from high school contacted me recently, asking me to write a brief piece on my Dad's life in the U.S. His classmates were always trying to get him to come out to reunions, but he never felt inclined to go--although judging from the condolence emails I've been getting, a lot of them remember him fondly. Here's what I wrote for their newsletter.
My friend asked me once what my parents did for a living. When I mentioned my Dad was a lawyer, she asked, "What kind of law does he practice?"
Like many children, I only had the vaguest notion what my parents actually did from 9-5 each day--only that they came home tired and sometimes cranky--but I hazarded a guess anyway. "I think mostly personal injury, some real estate and immigration law," I said. "Whatever the Filipino community needs, I guess, because he is in a law firm run by Filipino and Filipino-American lawyers!"
"That's so good of him," my friend remarked. "To be doing something for the community."
For a minute, I was taken aback. I never really thought of my Dad that way, but it was true: as a lawyer, he helped many who were in need. When my sister and I were growing up, we'd always answer phone calls from various relatives and clients who were anxious about their papers and needed to ask my Dad for his advice. And he was always willing to help. One of his bosses liked to say that my Dad had a unique patience for coaching those who were preparing for their citizenship tests.
Although my Dad spent 17 brief years in New York, there is one more thing you should know about him: he lived for his family. He took my sister and me on college trips; he drove us all around the East Coast for many summer vacations. Whenever family members visited, he took time off to personally show them around New York. He did everything he could for us--he was that kind of Dad.
We'll miss him very much.