My Life with Cristina
By Agnes Smith
Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey
Growing up with Cristina was a lot of fun. Being the two youngest siblings, we were always together; and wherever our parents went, we went. We go on vacation every summer at my parents’ hometown of Quezon province, Philippines. We go on weekend trips to parks, resorts, etc. The weekend was family time for the Tolentinos.
I remember when Cristina was four or five years old, we were dressing her up like baby dolls. Rommie and Greg would do her hair like a model’s hairdo, ala Lalaine Bennett (Miss Philippines during the early ‘60’s). Cristina had natural curly hair not unlike Shirley Temple’s. As the youngest sibling, Cristina was pampered by our older brothers.
Cristina had a habit of sucking/biting her lower lip. My brothers would do many things to her to stop this annoying habit. One day, my brother Manuel put hot pepper on Cristina’s lip. It worked! It stopped her habit. Thinking about it now, it may be considered terrible thing to do. But it did the job.
At five years old, Cristina started drinking coffee. Anyway, every morning she had to have her coffee ready with her cup filled up to the rim. Otherwise, mayhem would begin. Cristina would have a crying fit. We believe that her love of coffee started then.
Cristina always wakes me up to accompany her to the bathroom – especially during midnight or early morning. I think she was afraid of the dark. I remembered her green nightgown that we wore all the time. That was a favorite of her.
It always takes time for Cristina to dress up. She has to be perfect when she faces the ‘world.’ It is true on all that she did. Everything that she did is without flaw. Even if she first tried new things like a new recipe, writing a poem, decorating the house and her apartment, the end result was a beautiful masterpiece.
Cristina finds time to write a journal. Her day to day activities were written on a journal, most especially her vacation time. Also, she was consistent in writing “thank you” notes and greeting cards to friends and family and relatives.
Cristina wants family gatherings all the time, especially the last few years of her life. The one thing she disliked the most was Sunday afternoon at home. For Cristina, there is a melancholy atmosphere during this time. Oh, how she dreaded 3PM on Sundays. We had to go out and drive about town to erase the thought.
Her always advise to us: “Be alert, listen first, then you can give you comment.” Cristina was up-to-date with politics and you can discuss to her anything “under the sun.” She will give you her honest opinion and will stick to it when principle calls.
Cristina loves to drive. She was a great driver. One of her passions was singing and she belts a few of her favorite songs during driving trips to Toronto, Chicago or Delaware Water Gap. She loves the beauty of the parks, lakes, oceans, children, old people, etc. She was a lover of our mother earth!
Cristina was a big part of my life. She helped me with my schooling: doing term papers or any project, paying off all my bills and driving me to school if Dad could not pick me up to and from my dorm. As my sister and a best friend, I asked her to be my maid of honor at my wedding. As such, Cristina helped me with all my Wedding plans. She was the perfect maid-of-honor one bride could ask for.
Because of our closeness and since we see each other almost everyday, traveling from my house to her house became a toll. So one day in 1995, Cristina, my husband and I decided to buy a house together. With all the houses we saw, Cristina and I fell in love with the Lake Hiawatha house that we are living as of this writing. For some strange reason, both of us saw and feel a thing that made us decide to buy this house. It was home for Cristina for nine years.
I can’t remember a time when Cristina and I had a fight. Even when we were little. Never! I am also grateful to my husband as he accepted the living arrangement. I’ve heard stories about relatives living with a family that did not work out. Ours was great. With this arrangement, we did a lot of things together. We go on vacation together: Florida, Maine, Virginia, Chicago, Canada, Upstate NY, Lake George, etc. The Tolentinos and the Smiths became one big “happy-ier” family.
Cristina was a big influence to my kids. She was their Idol. She taught them school homework (especially English and Writing). She taught them how to act in public and most of all to be a better person. Not only did Cristina teach my kids, but she taught be a lot of things as well. I learned my cooking from her, including how to dress up properly, baking, applying make up, and most importantly work evaluation. My work evaluation was great partly because of her help (in putting it on paper. Ha! Ha!). There are so many things that Cristina has done for my family and me; thus I call her my other “Wing.”
We were never apart until the last year of her life when (we think) she was preparing to go blind. Cristina decided to leave her Lake Hiawatha home to be with my other sister, Brigett. I knew that she had a purpose of moving out of the house. She wanted a smaller quarter so it would be easy for her to go about if and when she went totally blind.
Cristina and I share many things (jokes, reminiscing the past, questions to the Lord, most of all talking while we are having our tea together (black currant or earl gray are her favorites). I am missing her terribly and I am asking the Lord that she will be in my dreams all the time, so at least, in the dreams we are together. Cristina has so many talents. She is an all around girl: from being sophisticated with the rich folks or with the poorest members of the society; From being a super model to a domesticated girl (Cristina can cook, bake, saw, crochet, drive you around the country with her own touring voice etc. Until her last days she tried her best to tell us her purpose - but all of us knew what her purpose here on earth is – HELP people.
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"Only the educated are free."
-Epictetus
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