God creates the human families and grants them the ability to weave stories of their own existence. The Morada Clan of Bicol, therefore, as any family in the world, cannot claim a monopoly on life’s blessings and crucibles. But let me tell our peculiar stories just the same.

We are neither perfect, nor are our stories grandiose, but it’s our imperfections and their simplicity that make our stories more compelling and relatable. Even before the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, we told ourselves that someone had got to narrate them, or they could lapse and fade into insignificance and oblivion. That’s how and why my role came into being.

At work in Texas, they called me Mr. Purple. from an obscure corner of the Third World came this educator with his bio, love affair, work exploits, bittersweet memoir, and family history replete with actual events and genuine people, rolled into one. With the pandemic as standpoint, here is a look-back at the itsy-bitsy events that form the collective tale of my family and me – and my pursuit of the American Dream.