PURSUING

A BETTER TOMORROW 

Blanca De La Rosa 

First edition: July 2019
© Copyright of the work: Blanca De La Rosa
© Copyright of the edition: Angels Fortune Editions  

ISBN: 978-84-120617-4-1 

Depósito legal: B-18730-2019
Literary Correction: Blanca De La Rosa
Cover Design: Celia Valero
Layout: Celia Valero
Editing by Ma Isabel Montes Ramírez
© Angels Fortune Editions www.angelsfortuneditions.com  

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CONTENTS

Dedication 

Preface 

Part I An Adventurous Life on the Move 

Chapter 1: The Dilemma 

Chapter 2: The Reality of Military Service 

Chapter 3: Galicia, Spain 

Chapter 4: An Agonizing Decision 

Chapter 5: The Voyage 

Chapter 6: A Life of Reckless Abandon 

Chapter 7: Home Sweet Home  

Part II A Woman Ahead of Her Time 

Chapter 8: A Hypocritical Society  

Chapter 9: A Woman Ahead of Her Time 

Chapter 10: Embracing New Beginnings 

Chapter 11: The Gouging of Her Soul 

Chapter 12: A Martyr of Life 

Part III A Life of False Dichotomy 

Chapter 13: Daddy’s Little Girl 

Chapter 14: The Betrayal 

Chapter 15: Unmasking the Witch 

Chapter 16: Humble Beginnings 

Chapter 17: Fleeing an Unstable Political Environment 

Chapter 18: Adapting to Life in New York City 

Chapter 19: Coming Full Circle 

Chapter 20: The End of a Long Journey 

Chapter 21: Gone with the Wind 

Part IV A Life of Untold Blessings and Opportunities  

Chapter 22: New York City: The Early Years 

Chapter 23: The Concrete Jungle  

Chapter 24: Too Young to Marry 

Chapter 25: Major Decisions and Points of Inflexion 

Chapter 26: The Joys of Parenthood 

Chapter 27: Reclaiming My Identity 

Chapter 28: Spiritual Awakening 

From the Projects Blossomed a White Rose 

Chapter 29: Taking the Girl Out of the Projects 

Chapter 30: From the Projects Blossomed a White Rose 

Chapter 31: A Near-Miss Experience 

Chapter 32: Positive Disintegration 

Epilogue  

Chapter 33: In Pursuit of a Better Tomorrow 

Bibliography 

About the Author 

This book contains excerpts  

from Empower Yourself for an Amazing Career;  

Published by Balboa Press, a division of Hay House Publishing. 

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to my children and grandchildren so that they will know a portion of our history. I encourage them to reach out for a better tomorrow confidently, knowing that I will always be there inspiring them to find the courage, strength, and inspiration to forge ahead.  

I also dedicate to my husband, who is my best friend and my most ardent supporter; who taught me so much about love and relationships and helped me accomplish my educational and career goals.   

To immigrant children who find it difficult to see success in their futures, as they are so engrossed in the learning of a new language, acclimating to a new environment, and feeling the weight of what appear to be insurmountable obstacles to overcome.  

To children growing up in poverty and dealing with circumstances that no child should have to experience;  

For each of them . . . I am hoping that my story and my words can be a beacon of light and inspiration. 

Preface

I often wonder what life would have been like for me had my family not emigrated to the US from the Dominican Republic, where many of its citizens live below the poverty level.  

Like many other Dominicans, my family emigrated to the US in the early 1960s in search of a safe environment, economic improvement, and stable government. Despite the lack of a supportive Latino community to help in the transition, we were able to overcome the challenges we faced as immigrants.  

Although my story contains excerpts of other people’s lives, it’s portrayed from the perspective of my reality—how I perceived and experienced life at the time. Even when we share experiences, we will each have a perceived reality of the situation. Each of us sees the world through the lens of our unique perspective. My experiences led to my reality, and the experiences of my family, friends, and coworkers led to theirs. My story, experiences, and perspective, as relayed in this book, have absolutely nothing to do with those referenced therein. It is about me, my reality, and how I perceived specific events.  

The novel spans more than one hundred years in the lives of three generations of my maternal lineage. The story begins with my maternal grandfather in Spain and culminates with my life in the US. Along the way, I document our humble beginnings and, in some cases, our struggles to survive in a foreign land. It details some of the hardships of immigration, the sense of displacement, and the confusion of identity suffered by immigrants as they struggle to assimilate.  

The text consists of four interconnected short stories, each of which focuses on one of the main characters of the era. The novel's major themes include immigration, acculturation, coming of age, and the self-discovery of the characters’ psychological and moral growth. 

In compiling the history of our family, I traced my maternal grandfather’s journey from late nineteenth-century Spain, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic to the twenty-first century in the US, unfolding in a story of aspirations and humble beginnings, where the characters dare to dream of a better tomorrow. 

Both of my grandmothers died before I was born. Although both of my grandfathers lived to be in their eighties, they lived in the Dominican Republic, and I had no interaction with them as I was growing up in New York City. I learned about the lives of my maternal grandparents through the researching and writing of the stories of their lives.  

As I embarked on the journey of researching, I was transported to a world and time long forgotten. In my virtual journey I travelled to a time in rural Galicia where the primary focus of each day was meal preparation and consumption—to a time in the Dominican Republic at the height of machismo, the cultural indoctrination that allowed the males to play a dominant role within the family, a practice encouraged by their society.  

 I did not expect the intense emotional connection and relationship that I developed with my grandparents, even if it was on paper and in my mind. I was able to see their lives with the benefit of hindsight. I felt their pain, joy, and disappointments. It was the most rewarding and enlightening experience.  

In tracing my maternal grandfather’s footsteps from Spain to the Caribbean, I traveled to Galicia, Spain. I visited his childhood family home in the village of Nocedo, where the family home’s external structure still stands. The inside of the house has deteriorated to the point where the floor of the second level has completely disintegrated. I interviewed a neighbor who was able to give a glimpse into the Fernandez family life. I also met and interviewed my Galician cousins who still live in Galicia.  

Regrettably, my in-depth research started in 2017, long after many of the subjects had died. However, through interviews and a great-uncle’s diary, I was able to find more than sufficient information to document the stories of their lives. There was a lot of back-and-forth in the quest to reconcile everyone’s memories. My Galician cousins were generous with their time and patient with my questions. 

My primary source of information about the life of my grandparents came from my mother’s recollection of her childhood and oral history relayed by her father as she had been growing up in Santo Domingo. 

As I researched and wrote about the lives of my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents, I struggled with the accuracy of the portrayal of their lives and conversations. Where I included dialogue, it has been constructed based on the general knowledge of those interviewed and logical inference of what may have transpired. It’s not intended to be verbatim but merely to help the story flow. 

I have used pseudonyms for those family members, friends, and coworkers who are still living, and I have used actual names for those who have long passed away. In some cases, names and identifying details may have changed. Some characters are composites which have passed through the characters’ lives. Time and events were compressed to keep the story moving. 

In researching my personal family history, I found myself wanting to understand the how and why of our blended cultural genetics. Recalling the history of the Spanish Empire and its impact on the shaping of the Western Hemisphere gave me a clear understanding of my Hispanic roots. 

Interspersed within the narrative is a readable historical overview of the Taíno, the conquistadors, early settlers, the Spanish Empire, and the Dominican Republic, which unfold through the perspective of the character of the era.   

In detailing my story, I hope that immigrant children, the children from the projects, and other children who are doubting that there is success in their futures can believe that it’s possible to dream and reach for the stars. 

Children constantly look to those around them to serve as role models. I want to be a role model to that child who looks around for someone to emulate. It’s my sincere hope and desire that my words will help and inspire others to believe in their abilities, dare to dream, and reach for the stars because achieving the American dream is possible. 

Destination: The American dream  

Passport: Education  

Travel Partners: Hard work, dedication, and stick-to-it-ivity.  

Blanca M. De La Rosa, Fairfax, Virginia  

PART I

José Fernández Carnero  

1900–1983 

An Adventurous Life  

on the Move 

Chapter 1

The Dilemma 

Damn the Spanish government for putting him and his family in this position. His resentment of the Spanish government was a tangible force that dominated his every thought. He fiercely opposed this invasion and violation of his rights and freedom of speech.  

José plunged the pitchfork into a bale of hay as he contemplated his predicament. He fed the animals and worked the fields as if in a trance, unaware of his physical movements. As he wandered through the hilly landscape and open fields, he was lost in a world of his own, contemplating his future. 

His eighteenth birthday was rapidly approaching, and the agonizing thought of having to report to the military for Spain’s compulsory service weighed heavily on his mind. He considered himself a pacifist and anti-militarist. Regardless of his personal feelings, failure to enlist would result in his immediate incarceration.  

Like many others of his time, José was a conscientious objector who claimed the right to refuse to perform military service on the grounds of freedom of expression, conscience, religion, dislike for the government, an unpopular war, or the violation of his rights.  

For over two thousand years, Spain had been militarily involved in battles both at home and in its former and current colonies and territories. Although Spain remained neutral during World War I (1914–1918), it was militarily active elsewhere during the early part of the twentieth century. Since 1909, Spain’s primary war engagements had been related to strengthening its position in North Africa.  

José gathered the firewood for the evening, as he racked his brain, trying to figure out an alternative to enlisting. Could he report to the Spanish government and offer to pay a fee instead of service? Rumors abounded that the rich escaped conscription by paying money to the government. He quickly dismissed this idea, as he recognized that it was unlikely that the son of a peasant farmer would be able to get away with bribing his way out of military service. 

The compulsory enlistment for three years of active duty and then potentially being transferred to reserve forces was so much more than he wanted to commit. He did not want to enlist for even one day.  

José recalled the lively discussions and dilemmas surrounding his older brother’s enlistment. Juan had not wanted to join either. Instead, he had wanted to travel to Cuba, but their father, Salvador, would not hear of it. At the time, José had been ten years old, but he clearly remembered the discussions before Juan had joined the military. He also recalled the heated discussions when Juan had returned on leave a year later.  

Maybe it was Juan’s words and experience that shaped José’s outlook about the military, or perhaps it was his way of rationalizing his desire to escape the stiff, ridged, and stifling environment his father had created with his strict rules and iron grip on the family. Nevertheless, José was adamant about not enlisting in the military. Juan’s experience was sufficient for him to make his decision. 

Chapter 2

The Reality of Military Service 

The dreadful conditions of military life were quite clear to Juan six months into his tour of duty. In 1910 Spain had engaged Morocco in war (the second Rif War), even though the effort was unpopular with the majority of the Spanish population. The Spanish army was ill-equipped and suffered heavy losses to a fierce and skillful enemy equipped with superior weapons. The second Rif War claimed the lives of approximately 2,500 Spanish soldiers. 

After ten months of service, Juan had been defeated and overwhelmed by the heavy burden placed on him and the other Spanish soldiers. He wished his parents had facilitated his trip to Cuba. 

Juan waited, impatiently for his leave. He was anxious to go home and demand that his father help him wake up from the nightmare of war. He didn’t know how his father could be stupid enough to think that joining the military was better than going to Cuba. His father had claimed that serving in the military would afford Juan the glamour of travel. Well, Juan had news for his father—there was nothing glamorous about military life. 

Finally, at the one-year mark, Juan was able to take his leave and travel to his hometown of Orense. He walked through the fields, toward home and the family farm, practicing in his head what he would say to his father.  

Donning his full military garb and the experience of the previous year did not stop him from feeling like a child in his father’s presence. To his astonishment, he was still afraid of his father’s wrath. His father’s reactions were unpredictable, especially when one questioned his authority. Now that Juan was back at the farm, he questioned which was worse—the military or his father’s temper. He even debated whether he should leave without approaching his father. 

It took Juan an additional day to summon up the courage he needed to speak with his father. He would have preferred to speak with his father in private, but given the size of the house and the time of day, both his mother and José were in the kitchen. Nevertheless, he forged ahead, as it was now or never.  

As he cautiously approached Salvador, Juan appeared calm, but his rapid pulse and sweat-dampened shirt betrayed him. “Papa, I need to speak with you.” 

“Juan, you have been fidgeting and moping around for the last couple of days. What’s on your mind?” 

Juan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and said in a quaky voice, “Papa, I do not want to return to my post. The past year has been a nightmare. Men are maimed and dying daily. Each day, I ask myself whether it will be my last day. I want you to help me travel to Cuba.”  

“I will do no such thing. You committed to the military, and now you must complete your tour of duty. How do you think your desertion will look? It will make you look like a coward.” 

Juan noted that Salvador’s voice was softer than usual. Could it be that his father was feeling sympathetic to his plight? Emboldened by the tone of his father’s voice, Juan responded, “Frankly, I do not care how it will look. Enlisting in the military was the wrong decision. I should have gone to Cuba instead.” 

 “Juan, there is no such thing as a right or wrong decision in life. Life is about choices, options, opportunities, and what people eventually make of them. You must now make the best of your time in the military.” 

If Salvador’s conciliatory tone and words of encouragement were meant to make Juan feel better about his military service, it only served to increase Juan’s agitation. At that precise moment, Juan despised his father more than ever; no longer threatened or afraid.  

The rage that welled in Juan gave him the courage to finally stand up to his father. With arms flailing and a pointed finger, he angrily retorted, “How dare you preach to me about options and choices? You made this decision for me. I wanted to go to Cuba, and you refused to help me, insisting that I enlist in the military. You think you know it all, and everything has to be your way. If you had given me the option to make my own decision about my future, I wouldn’t be here complaining about my military service. But this was your decision, not mine.”  

When he finished candidly saying what was on his mind, he stepped back and braced himself as he waited for his father to lunge at him. To his surprise, his father’s response was a tepid one. Could it be that his father regretted having forced Juan to enlist? Or was he respecting the fact that his mother and José were witnessing the interaction? 

Salvador stood from his chair, chest puffed, and in his sternest tone said, “First and foremost, let this be the last time you speak to me with such disdain and disrespect. Don’t think for a moment that your military uniform will stop me from giving you a good beating. I did what I believed to be in your best interest and that of our family. Notwithstanding that decision, the choices you make from this day forward will dictate the outcome of your military service and the rest of your life. My advice is that you try to make the best of this situation. You can be brave and get honorably discharged. Or you can be a coward and run away from your reality. Juan, running away from your reality is not the solution to a difficult situation. People with true resolve, determination, and strength of character will find a way to resolve any problem when presented with a difficult or unpleasant situation. So, what’s it going to be, Juan?” 

Juan was still seething and did not immediately respond. He had to take some time to compose himself and think about his prospects. His father’s refusal to help him was not what Juan had expected. Juan had naively imagined himself on a beach in Cuba, believing he would not be returning to his post. 

At that specific moment, Juan both hated and respected his father. His father was an uneducated brute and a strict disciplinarian who did not hesitate to use corporal punishment for the slightest infraction. But, at the same time, he was also a wise and ethical man who instilled in his sons the value of keeping their word and commitments.  

Juan was both disappointed and encouraged. He had to go back and make the best of his years in the military. He did not know exactly how, but if he changed his attitude, the remaining time of his military service would be easier to endure. 

“Papa, I understand your reasoning but am extremely disappointed. You did not support my decision to go to Cuba then, and you are not supporting me now. But I urge you to reconsider your position when the time comes for José and Miguel to enlist. I do not want my brothers to live through what I have had to endure.” 

Juan dramatically turned to José and said, “I know that you are only eleven years old and may be too young to understand this right now, but I want you to remember this evening and everything we have discussed here tonight. I want you to understand the reality of life in the military. I do not want anyone else in this family to have to live the horrors of Spain’s senseless, insane, and irrational wars.” 

As the oldest sibling, Juan was protective of his brothers. He wanted to shield them from their father. Their father’s autocratic rule made them feel as if they did not have a life of their own; he always had to have the last word. In Juan’s mind, it was them against their father. Juan vowed to help his brothers should they want to travel instead of enlisting for military service. 

Juan reluctantly returned to his post  