Immigration Blues

Immigration Blues Summary | Detailed Summary

"Immigration Blues" is a short story about the lives of Filipino people living in America. Alipio is an aging widower living in San Francisco whose life dramatically changes one day with the arrival of two women with a special request. Alipio looks out his window and sees two women at his door; one woman is very large and the other diminutive one reminds him of his late wife's sister. Alipio remembers all the attempts to bring the sister to this country but she could never make the trip even after Alipio wrote to tell of his wife, Seniang's death.

Finally there is a small knock on the door and Alipio limps toward it thinking it had been only a month ago he still needed crutches to walk. Alipio had been hospitalized almost a year with injuries sustained in an automobile accident and he laments that everything went wrong after Seniang died. The resulting court case has left Alipio with a little bit of money and he lives comfortably but he misses his wife who died from heart problems before she was sixty-years-old.

Alipio focuses back on the present and greets the two women who seem to know him and Alipio invites them in as if they are old friends. The heavyset woman apologizes for the intrusion but Alipio is cordial and they talk of the weather and discover that they are from the same area in the Philippines. The heavyset woman introduces herself as Mrs. Zafra the wife of Carlito Zafra. Alipio knew Carlito when they were both young men. They had achieved their U.S. citizenship together after the end of World War II.

The conversation continues for a short while and Alipio shares his loneliness after the death of his wife and how he relies on the sound of the Pacific Ocean to lull him to sleep at night. Monica is becoming more and more nervous although she does not join in the conversation. Finally Alipio asks Mrs. Zafra if Monica is well because she is so fidgety and so pale.

Alipio offers lunch to the two ladies who follow him to the kitchen where they are amazed to see the stockpile of canned goods containing everything from corned beef to Vienna sausages. Drawers contain more bags of rice and pasta and Alipio decides on sardines, tomato juice, and rice and prepares it in his own way. Mrs. Zafra opts only for coffee but Alipio and Monica share the plate of food and she cleans the table where a few grains of rice had escaped Alipio's mouth as he laughed at one of his own jokes.

Mrs. Zafra talks again about her husband, Carlito and Alipio is surprised that Carlito ever married but Mrs. Zafra reveals that it is she who pursued Carlito. Mrs. Zafra had been in the convent but discovered that religious life was not for her and decided to enter social work but because of her alien status she could not find employment. The immigration officer repeatedly warned Mrs. Zafra of her precarious situation and that she would soon be deported.

In her desperation Mrs. Zafra remembered other Filipino women in similar circumstances who married American men in order to stay in the United States. Although the thought of this was incredibly humiliating Mrs. Zafra reconsidered when the immigration officer told her she had one week before being deported. Mrs. Zafra prayed devoutly in the way she was taught in the convent and finally toward the end of the week Mrs. Zafra understood that God had given her permission to marry in order to stay in this country.

Finding Carlito is a story that is longer than Alipio has time to listen to and Mrs. Zafra declares that she and Carlito were married on the day before she would have been deported. The marriage has been a happy one and neither Carlito nor his wife regrets the decision. Eventually Mrs. Zafra sends for Monica and also sends gifts home to her family still living in the Philippines.

Alipio's marriage to Seniang had been very similar. Seniang had shown up at Alipio's apartment one day offering to take care of him in exchange for marriage. At first Alipio had not been interested but Seniang's tenacity won out and the couple was married and lived happily until Seniang's death.

Monica begins to feel more at ease in the home now and clears the table in preparation of washing the dishes but Alipio stops her by saying he will do the chores after the women have gone. After lunch the trio returns to the living room and Alipio lapses into rambling thoughts about aging and the friends he has known and lost over the years both in the U.S. and in the Philippines. Mrs. Zafra chides Alipio that he must still have some of his youthful zest and Monica chimes in that it is clear that Alipio has many fine qualities and shouldn't be alone in the house.

Finally Alipio asks Monica how long she has been in the United States and Mrs. Zafra quickly responds that it has been one year. Finally it is revealed that Monica is in the U.S. as a temporary visitor and has only two days before she will be deported back to the Philippines. Alipio realizes now that the women have been here for several hours and it has taken them all afternoon to get to the point of their visit.

Mrs. Zafra admits to the reason for their visit this afternoon because she had heard that Alipio is widowed and is a nice man. Monica is overcome with humiliation and wants to leave but Alipio stops her and invites the women to dinner but first they must have some afternoon refreshments. The sisters realize their good fortune at this moment and Mrs. Zafra leaves to find a grocery store. Mrs. Zafra shops leisurely and when she returns to Alipio's house it is apparent he and Monica have become friendly and have agreed to marry. Alipio is in a good mood and watches Monica's legs as she carries a sack of groceries ahead of him into the house.