A Novel by Story Weavers: Eloisa, Filipina, RN Part 2

The world-wide lockdown brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the mushrooming of virtual chat rooms of family and friends in order to keep in touch with each other. 

Two friends, one from Beijing and the other from New York, decided to create a chat room in order to continue being in touch with their close friends. To make things worthwhile, they decided to weave a story, asking each one in the chat room to write one episode each to build on what is now titled Eloisa, Filipina, RN. 

Eloisa is a nurse from the southern province of Surigao in the Philippines. She comes to New York to work at Elmhurst Hospital at the time when the Big Apple was the epicenter of the coronavirus in the US. 

Each episode turned out to be exciting, mind-boggling, and yes, funny. 

The friend from Beijing is Cristina DC Pastor and the friend from New York is Marivir Montebon. Together with Ann Constantino Beck, DJ Chinita, Elizabeth Cueva, Grace Labaguis, Joyce Andes-David, Lara Gregory,  Laura Garcia, Mona Kuker, Muriel Iturralde, Nieva Quezon-Burdick, Vanette Colmenares, and Vivian Talambiras-Cruz, they wove the story of the Filipino nurse, Eloisa. 

Part 2

By DJ Chinita and Elizabeth Cueva

DJ Chinita. Eloisa is eyeing for the long table, to make her plan happen. She realizes she got nothing to eat yet for dinner tonight.  Picks up her phone from her pocket, oh! Not in her, maybe in my purse, opss not? This couldn’t be happening. Did I lose my phone? How can I find my way home? 

It’s Eloisa’s few weeks of her life in the Big Apple, she doesn’t know the city.

She sits down, blubbering with her two hands catching her head with eyes closed slightly sliding from her forehead until the tip of her hair. She suddenly lifts her head up!  At her surprise George is standing right in front of her. 

George says, Is everything all right? Silence for five seconds…

Eloisa has no words for a few seconds, she composes herself and explains the story to George. 

George asks where Eloisa is staying at. To their surprise, they are staying in the same building. 

OMG!  Eloisa can’t explain if she will get excited or what. Off they go, George takes Eloisa to his favourite farmers market. 

Every morning, Eloisa is excited to get off to work, and she knows George will be there. And she never experienced being homesick. Days passed, Eloisa and George became good friends. 

Elizabeth Cueva. Crystal was soon to lose her job as the French Coffee Shop announced that they will not be operating since the announcement of the Covid19 lockdown. It was the last day they were allowed to come in to serve coffee. So many concerns were playing in her mind, but she had to keep her focus so that she may be able to mix the myriad concoctions that she has to prepare as a barista.

“One Affogato!” she heard the cashier announce. “Hm, it’s been a while since someone ordered that sweet espresso and ice cream mix,” she thought. Crystal exclaimed, “an Affogato at this time?!” chuckling underneath her breath. Then she heard, “Excuse me, Miss! May I ask if…Oh my gosh, is that you, Crystal?” Then, at the corner of her eye she saw a familiar face. “No freaking way! OMG! Eloisa! How’s everything?” Crystal wanted to embrace Eloisa, her childhood friend from Surigao, but could not do so because of the corona pandemic warning.

Who would have thought she would see her again after all these years after graduation. Eloisa always had a sweet tooth, she remembered. “I miss you, Eloisa.” “I miss you, too, my friend.” They had a swift exchange because the line for the orders was getting longer. They exchanged their numbers. “Oh my, a lifeline!”

Crystal thought of her dear friend, Eloisa. Then, at the corner of her eye, she saw Eloisa saw her meet an extremely handsome man at the coffee shop. They were looking for a place to sit where they can observe the 6 ft. distance. “Oh oh,” Crystal thought. She always saw this man having coffee there with a different lady all the time. He likes sultry-looking women of color. Crystal wanted to warn her friend Eloisa, but since they had just met, she did not want to intrude. She had more pressing needs like losing her job in this alarming situation.

(To be continued. 2 of 9 parts)