City of Angels

I had a family reunion in LA this past weekend; over 100 relatives showed up!

Seafood extravaganza: I had lunch with my aunt and uncle from Hayward at this place on the Redondo Beach wharf area. We ordered: two lobsters, clams, oysters, conch, sea urchin, smoked fish, two loaves of bread, a Corona 40, and shrimp/octopus ceviche. It was awesome.

The reunion was a blast. We danced to campy music all night, one of my uncles disco'ed like there was no tomorrow, and my mom boogied to "It's Electric!" My little sister sang the national anthem of the Philippines, "Bayang Magiliw", and it made my grandmother tear up. Another cousin-in-law is a ballerina and did a dance for my grandma, and she started tearing up doing it. I looked around at my family and felt so proud and so happy to be with these people, and it was such a beautiful evening, and I want all my days to be spent with family close at hand. Although my grandma kept asking me in frustration, "Why Alaska???"

Early Sunday morning, after the party and clubbing with my cousin and before the 5a.m. cab ride to the airport, I was alone on a hotel balcony thinking about this city where I dreaded coming just a few days before. This city and I have a history together. This was the place where I had given up a perfect scripted life for one of failures and pain and yet of small miracles and joy. (the good fight? i fought it. the solution i sought it. mistaking illusion for solid.) I felt like after 5 years, we could now come to closure, so we had a little chat, Los Angeles and I.

"I treated you badly, I know, and I'm sorry for that.""Yeah, it's okay. I said a lot of hurtful things about you for a long time."
"No worries... You're a good person."
"Thanks. You're not such a bad city yourself."
"Well, take care you. Don't go breaking too many hearts."
"You too. Those girls who like you are a fragile lot."

And then we kissed the long day goodbye.