Ataboy is Aurora 'Rory' Asperilla-Santiago.
Testimonial for Ling Welcome for Aida Christmas
January 16, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
Luis is scheduled to be sworn
in as Sr. Deputy Executive Secretary today. According to him, he was not
among the 6 candidates for the position but he was the one chosen by the
President. Maghapon daw siyang kinausap prior to the announcement, which
took him by surprise. He would not have been out of the office on forced
leave had he known about the plan. As it was, nakakahiya nga raw because
many people called while he was not around. The way he sees it, the
President would like to show that he is his own person now, and not indebted
anymore to anybody.
I was not expecting any
reunion this month, as we have already scheduled that the next
one will be on Feb 17. (Na-reset na ito to Feb 10.) But Dennis called up
Monday Jan 8 (nagulat nga ako at nandito na pala) to ask me to call up
Luis at bibigyan daw namin ng testimonial dinner. Idea daw ni Pocho.
Kelan, kako. Depende daw ke Luis. Pumili na kako tayo ng date na puede
rin tayo. Sa Biyernes, hindi ako puede sa Huwebes, ang sabi. Di tawag
na ako kay Luis. Aba, nakausap ko agad. Ayaw pa, low profile lang naman
daw siya, kailangan pa raw ba iyon? Sige na, pilit ko, para may excuse
na magkita-kita uli. Sa rason na iyon, payag siya. Saan mo ba gusto, tanong
ko. Kahit daw saan so sige kako, itatawag ko na lang kinabukasan ang venue.
Tawag na uli ako kay Dennis na ayos na kay Luis so naghatian na kami
ng sasabihan, siya sa tropa niya at ako sa mga iba. Siya na rin sa reservation
sa New Ambassador Restaurant, paboritong lugar ng inuman boys for birthday
celebrations. And of course, this is a kkb affair.
Si Ling, Wednesday pa raw
re-report sa DFA. Si Jimmy, padating pa lang that night. Si Ericson, manggagaling
pa sa Cebu at 6:30 on that day, susunod na lang. Si Camilo, strike one
agad this year, di na naman puede sa date na iyon.(Na-hysterectomy daw
ang asawa niya and he had to be with her kaya siya absent dun sa Dec 2
Pearl Anniversary. Very valid reason.) Bahala na si Wilma sa kanyang barkada.
Hindi sigurado si Maria Paz. May pakinabang ba tayo dun, pabirong
tanong. May cocktails ang Metrobank, kaya susunod na lang si Rose. I beeped
Pinky to call me up if she is interested to attend. Tumawag at nagtanong
ng particulars.
Nakausap ko si Ling sa bahay
nila Tuesday evening. Kadarating pa lang niya nung tanghali. Nagkasakit
daw siya nung bakasyon kasi pumunta sila sa London e ang ginaw-ginaw daw.
Tumawag si Jimmy. Ano daw ba
ang telephone number ni Potit sa Las Vegas? 4 days daw sila doon at kakilala
pa ni Potit ang wife niya, sayang at hindi sila nagkita. Hindi ko naman
kako alam na pupunta siya ng Las Vegas. Akala ko sa Canada lang. Otherwise
naibigay ko sana ang number sa secretary niya. Pupunta daw muna siya dun
sa Metrobank cocktails at susunod na lang sa testimonial. Ipinasa ko si
Poochie kay Au. Okay daw si Manny Deus. Sumagot sa beep si Francis pero
si Clifton ay hindi. Caught Felice at home, she’ll pass it on to Andy,
but she has an activity on her cultural calendar. Andy’s secretary left
a message on my machine, may another engagement daw. Emmeline said to call
her again after she had asked Ino, but gave the info that Willie
Tenorio is here. I was able to talk to him pero nasa in-laws kaya hindi
sure. Ano daw ang suot, formal ba? Benjamin did ask the same question when
I informed him about the testimonial dinner.
When I called
Luis to confirm the venue of the dinner, aba tumawag daw sa kanya si Jimmy
at sinabing nabalitaan niya na mag-bo-blow-out si Luis dahil na-promote.
Ganoon ba iyon, tanong niya. Aba, kung ako ang magbo-blowout e hindi na
lang ako pupunta, ang sabi. Ngi! I assured him na hindi, we are honoring
him with the dinner! Tawag agad ako kay Jimmy, kaso nasa meeting, so isinumbong
ko na lang siya kay Dennis, na natawa lang at naisahan na naman ako ng
mga ulol!
Before I left the office for
the dinner, tumawag si Ericson. Akala ko nasa Cebu pa, aba’t nandito na.
Kinuha ang telepono ni Ling, at saka nanghingi ng celfone number na puede
niyang tawagan para malaman kung nassan na raw kami. I got Jimmy’s and
called him right back. By which time nakausap na niya si Ling
at nakakuha rin ng celfone number doon.
I left the office early
to keep my 6:30 appointment with Jimmy’s secretary, na magpapahula sa akin.
Doon ko na pinapunta sa restaurant mismo, anyway wala naman sigurong darating
before 7:00. Aba, hindi dumating ang kausap. Buti at kabibili ko lang ng
Cosmopolitan magazine, nakapagbuklat na ng horoscope. .
Unang dumating si Francis. May
dalang tsismis about the IT scene na di ko pa alam. Lumipat na raw si Carol
Carreon from Megalink to BIR. At higher ang position niya kaysa kay Bert
Pio de Roda. He was surprised na hindi iyon nag-come up sa board meeting
ng Phil Computer Society 2 days before.
Sabay na dumating si Cesar Cifra at Maripaz.
Kayo na ba ngayon? tanong ni Francis. He, he, he! Nagkasabay lang sa pag-park.
Hindi ko na hinintay si Dennis,anya ni Cesar. Order na kami ng drinks.
Eto na si Pocho. Happy New Year handshakes all around. O ano, puwede ka
na bang pa-promote na Chief Justice? Kailangan munang mapunta sa
Supreme Court. Si Maripaz pala ay 4 years nagtrabaho sa Supreme Court right
after law school. Sawang-sawa na raw siya sa pag-pen ng decision. I showed
them Debbie’s card which also said that she is donating an amount for the
Foundation.
Kumakaway ang secretary
ni Jimmy from the door. Nahihiyang pumasok. Nag-apologize sa pag-indian,
pero andon pa raw si Jimmy, may kausap pa sa phone, kaya di siya
makaalis. Nalaman na nila na dala ko ang cards.
Eto na si Pat, Ruth at Ella.
Sa Rustan’s daw nag -kill ng time. Dito muna tayo sa isang round table,
mamaya na lang mag-disperse. Magkasabay dumating sina Dennis at Vergel.
May supot ng kastanyas na umikot. Iyon daw ang dinner till the honoree
arrives. Dumating na si Bejamin, Noel, Freddie, Wilma. Pinagdikit na ang
dalawang round tables. Bumaba ang dalawa nina Vergel at Francis,
pagbalik ay may dalawang supot ng kastanyas. Hindi na sa inyo
ito, announced Vergel as he put aside the smaller supot. May corkage per
nut, sabi ng isa. The waiter assured na wala. Nakalat na ang pinagbalatan
sa immaculate white tablecloth. Nag-imis na si Ella.
Napag-tsismisan nang husto si
Felix. Nag-ho-honeymoon daw sa Dakak. Aba, at Director daw ng Dakak
Board ang Felix. Resolution: Kalimutan na ang pagpunta sa Enchanted Kingdom.
Dakak tayo sa summer. Pero huwag na lang kayong mag-two piece, biro ni
Freddie.
May phone call for Luis
Liwanag from Clifton. Wala pa.Sagutin mo, sabi nila sa akin. Di naman ako
si Luis Liwanag, I protested. I did take his message of congratulations.
Hindi na raw tatawag uli at may pupuntahan pa. (May natanggap na rin palang
congrats si Luis sa office niya galing kay Clifton.)
Si Dennis, malaki
raw ang naging gastos sa pag-mo-motel while vacationing in Canada. Wala
raw lock ang pinto ng bedroom nila, and the daughters very freely barge
in , so walang privacy. At nagkasakit rin daw doon.
Nang dumating si
Joemelo, nagka-kantiyawan sila ni Wilma to the point na inako na ni Joemelo
ang half of the bill for the night. (Sabi ni Wilma sa akin later, bakit
pala daw siya nagbayad ng share kay Dennis, e siya nga lang
ang inililibre ni Joemelo nung una?)
Kahit nagugutom na kami, ayaw
magpa-serve ni Dennis kahit soup. Wala pa daw ang honoree. Talaga bang
kastanyas na lang ang dinner natin? Mabubusog na kayo diyan, sabi ni Vergel.
Palakpakan ang lahat nang dumating
si Luis! A round of beso-beso at handshakes. Doon siya pinaupo sa head
of the joined round tables, between Francis and Vergel. Tanungan
ng juicy chismis. Mag-re-resign nga ba si _________? Nag-protest nga ba
si _________? I think Luis levelled with us on most of it. And the least
we can do is keep most of it among ourselves so his position is not compromised.
Eto na si Eric. Binigyan ng
space to sit beside Luis. Tinawagan daw niya sa celfone si Jimmy,
sabi daw ay nasa apartelle pa. Naunahan pa niyang dumating ang tatanungan
sana kung ano na ang ginagawa ng grupo.
Nang dumating si Franklin, hindi
siya sa tabi ni Pat pinaupo. Pinaghiwalay ang joined round tables so he
would have space on the same table and facing Luis. Para daw ma-promote
na Admiral, dapat ay nasa line of sight, he, he, he!
Nang dumating si Jimmy,
nagka-space sa tabi ni Ling dahil pina-isod sila, at marunong naman
daw sila mag-take ng hint, sabi ni Vergel at Eric. Hindi ko kayo pina-isod,
ha! , was Ling’s vehement denial.
Maraming pockets of discussion
habang nagkakainan. Panay ang hagalpakan dun sa grupo nin Dennis
sa kabilang table. May green joke na di ko maintindihan dahil related
sa haba o igsi ng dila ang area ng ulo na kalbo. Wala namang ibig mag-explain.
Nangahihiya din.
O, magsasara ang restaurant
at 10:00 p.m. Program na, somebody demanded. Hindi kayo nagpa-prepare sa
akin ng script, sabi ni Wilma.Kainan lang ito, sabi ni Dennis, pero
sige, magsalita ka na Ling, on behalf of all of us, tapos response from
Luis, he ordered. Ops, tongue-tied naman si Ambassador. Ano’ng sasabihin
ko, patulong na tanong niya. Sumingit si Benjamin. Naaalala mo ba Luis,
nung 1962, nag-attend tayo ng party kina Ling, magkasabay tayong umuwi,
may dala tayong balloons sa jeep. Yung gagong katabi mo, pinutok ng sigarilyo
yung balloon. Hindi nga ako kumibo, sabi ni Luis. Ano kaya kung ipahanap
mo ngayon yung gagong iyon, ano kaya ang masasabi niya?, suggested Benjamin..
Ready na si Ling. You do us proud,
she said, and we would like to believe that we were partly responsible
for making you the person you are now. We are and will be behind you, and
please remember the we are also your family. ( Ano nga kaya daw, imbitahin
kami sa oath taking. Tapos, pagtawag daw ng family ni Luis e tatayo kaming
lahat. And that’s when Luis should give us a blow-out, right
after, he, he, he !)
Luis said
that the position of Sr. Deputy Executive Secretary is a very
powerful position, very close to the President, and he does not know how
to use that power (we will help you use it, comment ng sidelines.) Yes,
he doesn’t know how to use that power, interrupted Wilma. Kanina lang,
she relates, he called me up to ask for keychains na company giveaways.
Had he called my bosses instead, I’m sure he would get a truckload at once.
Alam naman ninyo ako, panay pakiusap lang, sabi ni Luis. At sa mga opisinang
may kaklase ako, sila lang ang tinatawagan ko. At basta kaklase ko, lagi
akong open.
May gusto akong sabihin, singit
ko naman. Akala nila kung anong profound message. Sabi ko lang, sana di
ka magbago.
Nakakatuwa nga ang nangyari.
Walang naging straight response, naging conversation ang testimonial program.
I would like to share
with you some congratulatory messages that I have received
from you, and even from one of your spouses and some selected others,
Luis continued. Here’s one from Secretary Melchor before. Istorya siya.
They pioneered what is now the Presidential Management Staff with
only 6 people at the start. And now how many do they have? 700 people,
he said. (Wala naman palang karapatang mag-reklamo si __________,
dahil may se-senior pa ba sa pioneers?)
This one is from Ana. Hindi
ko na babasahin dahil mahaba. At sorry nga pala at hindi ako naka-attend
sa gathering ninyo with Rory (Hindi naman kami naimbita, tampo ng marami,
the most vocal of whom was Wilma. Yikes, patay kang bata ka! ) Cut si Ericson.
Mahaba ang message ni Ana, pero ang siguradong sinabi sa huli e Huwag mo
naman akong kalilimutan. Tawanan sila.
And you can probably guess the
spouse who wrote this: Being married to a Prepian and being
also in government . . . ( Ako ang nagsulat niyan, angkin ni Dennis.)
Tapos kahapon na hinihingi ko ang text para dito sa report, walang masabi
at wala daw siyang kopya, ipapa-fax na lang pag nagkausap sila ni Lou over
the weekend. Sa totoo lang , magaling daw talaga magsulat ang asawa niya.
Saludo nga raw siya.Ayaw mo bang isulat yung sinabi kong bilang mga taong
pinakamalapit sa kanyang puso, e nararapat lang na tayo ang unang
magbigay ng parangal kay Luis, tanong pa niya. sabi pa
nga niya doon, dapat maunahan natin ang Sigma Rho.
May sasabihin ako, tayo si Rose.
Nasabi ko na ito matagal na kay Ana. Nakita kita minsan sa simbahan, Luis,
at taimtim na taimtim kang nagdarasal. I am sure prayer is a big
factor in your success.
Na sinalo naman ni Benjamin
by asking all of us to stand , and he led a very moving prayer for Luis
and the group.
Sabi sa iyo, magkakaiyakan
na sa pagka-sentimental na mood na nilabasan nitong impromptu
tribute.
At nang magsasara na
talaga ang restaurant and we had to go, feel na feel mong ayaw mag-hiwa-hiwalay.
Maaga pa, let’s go somewhere and eat the left-overs at magpahula daw. Lingering
doon. Finally decided to cross over to the coffee shop of New World Hotel.
Nagsilakad lang patawid. Iniwan
ang cars where parked. Sabi ni Cesar Cifra, pahuhula daw siya. Madidinig
ng iba, okay lang sa iyo? tanong ko. Ayaw naman.
Last announcement ni Ericson,
imbitado ko kayong lahat, including your spouses, on Feb 10. Paano yung
Feb 17 natin? Cancel na lang iyon, kapalit na yung Feb 10, the celebration
of his Feb 8 birthday.
Ginulo po nang husto ang mga cozy intimate arrangements dun sa lobby
lounge. Dahil wala halos umalis, 20 kaming nagpilit magkaroon ng
isang mahabang lugar. Pinauupo nga nila ako para maging tatlo kami nina
Maripaz dun sa loveseat, hindi kako kakasya ang puwit ko doon sa natitirang
space. Anyway, Pat and I ended up seated separately from them, kasi
nagpahula siya ng importanteng bagay. The exchange was worth all the chismis
I missed by being with the bigger group, I think. ( I could hear that they
were having a very lively discussion punctuated by peals of laughter.)
Si Luis nga, panay ang pasada at tanong kay Pat, maganda ba
ang hula? Around 12 midnight, lapit si Freddie. Wala nang bisa iyan, lampas
na sa alas dose, kantiyaw niya. Kung hindi pa uuwi na, kayang-kaya pa
naming mag-usap tungkol sa hula ng another hour siguro.
Very reluctant pa rin ang pagkakahiwa-hiwalay
at 1 am. Ibang degree of closeness na naman ang na- further establish
ng gathering na ito. Tumawag nga sa akin si Au the other day, ang tagal
ko siyang kinuwentuhan about the affair. She did not feel well because
of her period pala . Naku, huwag kang maka-complain ng mga ganyang
pakiramdam at sasabihin na namang menopausal ka, I warned. Hinayang na
hinayang siya that she missed it. Ano kaya ang sasabihin ni Felix pagbalik
niya?
Si Manny Deus, nag-iwan
ng message sa akin na may pinagpuyatan silang project at noon pa
lang sila matutulog kaya di na siya nakarating. Ang mga messages
of congratulations and good wishes from Jojo and Mila were also relayed
to Luis during the dinner.
That’ about all!
P.S.
Here’s the congratulatory
message from Lulu Morales:
Is there no end to what U. P. Prep Class ‘65 can achieve?
Being married to a U. P. Prepian Class ‘65 has kept me in close watch and anything good which happens to a U. P. Prepian Class ‘65 is always something to get excited about.
And being in government, seeing a UP Prep Sixty-Fiver rise to a most senior position in the Ramos government creates and generates respect and credibility for government among UP Prepians Class ‘65, which are for all of us to feel good about.
Performance and ability have
gotten you there--congratulations!
And here’s the bonus letter from Pat dated January 16,
1996
Today they will formally appoint you Senior Deputy Executive
Secretary of the President of the Philippines. What a daunting position,
one might say, but to us who know you well enough, it is a position
you are so worthy of, it will just be one of the important things you do
in your life day in and day out.
Yes, Ling said it well enough-- you do us all proud! I am especially blessed to have known you not only in school but also in our quest for spiritual development and upliftment so early on in our lives. Even then I could see that you had a special look of hope and optimism. You were always so confident that things would turn out right not only for you but for the world around you. You shone in your own quiet and sometimes "boisterous" way during high school. That special look on your face never left as I continue to see it even now amidst all your successes and joys.
You have worked so hard to get to where you are and you deserve every accolade and every trust that your superiors have given you. You serve as our inspiration especially for those of us who are still struggling in all aspects of our lives. You should also be the role model of those who have succeeded and yet have lost their desire to be within people’s reach, especially the ones they grew up with, and successful people who do not find their families worthy of their time anymore.
You are blessed because you are not only hardworking and trustworthy but more probably because you are a quiet, humble man who still knows how to love and be loved by his family and the people around him. May you continue to stay humble and loving. I need not remind you to work hard and be trustworthy-- you are our Luis after all and you are the epitome of that and so many other things. Thank you fro touching our lives, my friend. Now go and show them just what a Prep 65 is really made of !!!Congratulations!! Frank and I will always be behind you no matter what and like Eric said "with no strings attached." Just let us know when, where and how you need us.
February 15, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
If you happen to have an e-mail
address, give it to me so I can e-mail you. Otherwise, I am very sorry
pero hindi ikaw ang unang makakakuha ng latest chismis.
I mailed you a snail mail handwritten
letter last Monday. Marami nang updates since then.
Dexter Doria came over here
at the office at lunchtime. Kailangan daw kasing makapagpahula before Valentines’
Day. I asked permission from the boss to use the conference room for that
purpose. She was punctual, and really low profile- no make-up, in maong
pants, and in a cab. Nakilala rin ng mga tao dito sa office namin. Tinanong
ako ng sekretarya ni boss, at ng isang data controller, kung si Dexter
nga iyon. And I found out just today na pati pala yung mga guwardiya sa
lobby ay nagkagulo at yung mga employees daw sa canteen ay medyo nagtambay
din sa lobby and waited for her to come out. He, he, he. Buti na lang pala
at we ended the session at 1:30 kaya nang ihatid ko siya sa labas e konti
lang ang miron. I had to introduce her to the boss para okay lang kahit
extended ang hulaan.
May bago akong pangalan-Ana
B. Urbini ang tawag niya sa akin. May Italian influence kasi.
Kilig ang hulaan, kaya mabuti at we had privacy at the
conference room. And or course I maintain the confidentiality of the hula.
Yesterday I was in Makati for
the First I.T. Professionals’ Congress at the Pen. Guest namin si President
Ramos. Bitbit niya si Luis. Nasa stage sila, at nasa front table
ako with the PCS Board, nang magbatian kami sa tingin lang. Nang mag-recessional
sila, saka pa lang kami nag-beso-beso. Tanong ni Luis, O am I still doing
you proud? Oo naman ang sagot ko.
As we have agreed upon last
Monday when Vergel called to say that Mila has e-mail chismis, I went to
Land Bank right after the Congress. And I also had on diskette a 3-page
letter about Ericson’s birthday, na for e-mail naman.
Binasa ko muna ang sulat ni
Mila on the monitor, tapos we sent the new letter. Then I viewed the homepage
of the Phil. Reporter. And I also sent e-mail to my friend in New York.
How exciting! It was my first time to surf the Internet! Sabi ko nga kay
Vergel, naku, bagay sa akin ang Internet. Ang bilis mag-chismis!
Amazed din daw siya nung unang mag-surf. I gave him some publications which
have come my way that discussed home pages and other Internet info. Meron
na nga ditong dalawang Internet cafes, nabasa ko sa Computerworld. You
can have something to eat and drink while surfing the net for a fee, I
suppose. Should try it one of these days.
Siempre kuwentuhan. May dumating
na bisita, so aalis na sana ako pero maghintay lang daw muna ako sa labas
at kakausapin lang niya sandali.
. . .
Just called up Dennis
to tell him about Delay’s schedule to be here next week. Aba, alam na niya
agad na nagkita kami ni Luis kahapon sa Pen. Si Luis daw mismo ang nagsabi
sa kanya, dahil nandoon naman sila ni Pres Ramos sa ABS-CBN kagabi. Ang
bilis ng tsismis! I’ll just call him next week kung kelan with Delay,
but offhand, e smaller group lang daw siguro ito.
. . .
Sincerely,
Urbs
P.S. 2/16/96
I got the card for Ericson
last night and I have already mailed it to him this morning. I will call
him later so he will know it is coming.
_________________________________________________________________________________
February 20, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
Delay is here, an excuse for
a small reunion.
Got a call from Rose early yesterday.
Natawagan na raw siya ni Delay, at tawagan ko raw dahil busy ang mga lines
namin. I did. We decided on who will be included in the dinner at Nandau
Greenbelt tomorrow. He,he,he! She has this impression that all we ever
do around here is party, judging daw from all the accounts of the reunions.
You’d be surprised at just how small the reunions consume out of
all my total time, sagot ko. How do you do it daw? Hindi ko rin alam.
I started calling people. Si
Maria Paz, na kaklase din pala ni Delay nung Grade 3 daw,oo kahit malayo
sa kanya ang Makati. Ayos na rin si Ling. Reluctant susunod na lang si
Au. (Binawi pa ang oo kanina.) Si retired Sengga ay tatawagan na lang ako
later tomorrow. Si Tessie ay hindi pa alam kung kaya uli niyang magpuyat.
Ang tagal niya raw binawi yung puyat nung Valentine party, kasi talagang
maaga siyang matulog.
Okay si Dennis kahit kkb.Felix
confirmed availability tomorrow through his secretary, Divine. Josie said
she has informed Luis, but as usual, he can’t tell yet with his busy schedule.
Pocho will try to follow after an engagement in QC. Jimmy will follow after
his dinner somewhere nearby. Eric can’t make it, may couples for Christ
appointment daw sila, Ash Wednesday. Joemelo and Blay have a board meeting
until God knows what time. Francis didn’t reply to my beep.Cesar Cifra
was requesting for Dexter Doria, wala daw problema ang hatid. Hindi kako
close si Delay kay Dexter. Pagbigyan ko naman daw sila. Ang ulol!Si Tessie
pa nga ang ni-request ni Delay! Kaibigan natin iyon, di ba?, tanong niya.
I called Delay today to update
her on the composition of her dinner party. Hindi na raw maliit na
group iyon. Puede raw bang ihatid siya ni Rose pauwi galing sa dinner?
Wala naman sigurong problema iyon. Kung gusto kako niyang mag-shopping
pa before the dinner, puwede kaming magtawagan bukas. Iniisip ko
ngang mag-absent na bukas para makatulog nang sagad bago mapuyat uli. Masamang-masama
ang loob kong gumising before 7 a.m. with the cool morning weather we’re
having lately.
I called Rose for Delay’s request
sa paghatid, but also told her we could try if Vergel would be willing
to take Delay home, mas on his way ang San Andres kaysa kay Rose.
Called Vergel. Sinu-sino na
ang nag-confirm, tanong niya. I enumerated. I asked the favor, taking Delay
home. No problem. And he suggested that it is better if a reservation
is made at Nandau, para siguradong may place pagdating.
Called Dennis to ask if I can
use his name in the reservation. I assured him that it won’t mean he is
paying. Maganda lang kako ang tunog ng may Atty. na, ABS-CBN pa.
Called Delay again to inform
her na si Vergel ang maghahatid sa kanya. Bakit daw ba ipiniprisinta
namin yung tao? Payag daw ba? Aba, tinanong ko na, sabi ko naman. And we
finally decided that we’ll roam around Makati from lunchtime.
February 22, 1996
Delay and I met at the Ayala
Museum noontime, and had lunch of sinigang na baboy, dinuguan and ginisang
ampalaya at Casa Ilongga. We sat in one quiet corner of the Glorietta while
I updated her on the latest and showed her our pictures. Then we went to
National Bookstore where she got Ron a Philippine cookbook. Walked to SM
to buy sampaloc candies for Danny, puruntong shorts for her father,
papaya and dayap soaps for her.(sabon papunta, sabon pa rin pabalik)
Gusto mo ng halo-halo? Enthusiastic
yes! So we went down to SM Food Plaza for Digman halo-halo, with sandosenang
halo. Chismisan na naman. Giniginaw ako, sabi niya. Inaabutan ko ng vest.
Hindi, sa loob daw ng tiyan ang ginaw. Aba, mamaya nang konti, ako
rin ay gininaw na sa loob ng tiyan. Pero ang sarap talaga ng halo-halo!
Balik sa Glorietta. Got
a beautiful silk shawl for her mother-in-law at a shop named THINGS.Looked
at smart career outfits at a shop named WOMAN. They have nice suits,
pero ayaw naman ni Delay . Then to Rustan’s for dresses. She tried on things
at Larry Silva but it seems she’s in between sizes 6 and 8. Sayang, they
really have nice outfits.
Someone was playing really nice
piano music at Rustan’s so we sat at the shoe dept, put our feet up (there
were few shoppers), and enjoyed the instant concert. Ikot pa sa ibang dress
booths-Criselda, etc. He,he,he! Shopping is really the most leisurely activity
known to woman!
On our way out, Bon Appetit
looked inviting, so we had aromatic coffee and shared an apple pie. Patawarin
nawa ng Diyos, it was Ash Wednesday and a time for fasting and abstinence!
Coffee was conducive to talk,
so we set aside our original plan to see a Tagalog movie at baka ma-late
pa sa dinner e nakakahiya naman. She updated me on her family. Kaibigan
ko ang mga anak niya, playmates ko ang mga iyon when I visit them at Northampton.
23 years na pala siya sa States, one half of her life na. And to think
that for her first 6 months in the USA, she was frequently crying
because of homesickness kahit 6 silang magkakasama dun sa Missouri, and
her mother kept telling her to just go home, she need not stay there. After
6 months, she was okay. She met her husband Ron when she was already okay
and had been in the States for a year.
Shopping pa rin after getting
revived by the coffee. Landmark for camera film, plus flowers for Rose,
who celebrates her birthday today.
Agnes just called.She
called me up yesterday, and Delay, too, but we were both already out of
our houses. Sayang, she could have joined us for the lunch lakwatsa sana.I
gave her fresh chismis of what happened last night.
We were at Nandau shortly before
7. Vergel was first to arrive. Kayo na kako ang magkuwentuhan, dahil kaninang
lunch pa kami magkasama. Wala ka bang planong mag-travel, tanong ni Delay.Sa
next life na lang, sagot ni Vergel.
Eto na si Maria Paz. Na-recall
pa nila ang pigtails nung elementary, saka yung headband nung high
school, at yung makapal na buhok. Lawyer na lawyer ang look mo,sabi ni
Delay.
Maaga si Ling. Naka-eyeglasses.
Na-recommend na raw siyang chief of mission nung Monday. Naks! Reason to
rejoice.
Freddie arrived clad in a long-sleeved
barong. Kanino ang flowers, ang tanong. Ibinisto na si Rose, who arrived
next.Todo sabon, at banlaw pa, ang inabot ni Freddie sa amin pa lang.
Nangagutom, so finally
decided to order the appetizers. Napagkamalan ni Vergel na waiter si Freddie,
tinawag para order-an. Hagalpakan kami nang tawa. Honest mistake talaga.
Pabalik kasi siya sa table after nag-restroom yata. Sige, bawi na ang mga
kasalanan mo last time, we conceded. Quits na tayo.
Eto na si Luis, naka-kana. Di
nagtagal, sinasabi na niya, "Dapat nasa kuwarto tayo. Pigil na pigil ang
tawa ko dito." Pagdating ni Dennis, ipinakabit na ang isa pang table sa
dalawang magkadikit na. Sina Dennis, Vergel at Felix ang napunta sa table
na iyon.
Matagal pang nga kuwentuhan
bago naka-order ng pagkain. Magulo, talagang nalilimutang nasa public place.
Round of congratulations for Ling. Sipsip kay Luis. Gawin mo kaming commissioners
ng SEC, pleaded Dennis and Felix. Done. Ako ang sagot sa testimonial ni
Dennis, volunteered Felix. Kantiyaw kay Dennis na i-foot ang bill for the
dinner. No way. He has to be commissioner first.
What is so desirable about SEC?
Doon daw ang mga initial public offerings ng stocks, siguradong kayamanan.
Sipsipan naman kay Dennis. Ako ang lawyer mo, sabi ni Maria Paz. Me utang
ka pa sa akin, anya ni Rose. Ako ang manghuhula mo, dagdag ko rin. Naku,
nagbibilang na ng sisiw, di pa napipisa ang itlog.
Maraming chismis about
marriage annulments. Marami ring consultations with Maria Paz about the
limits of the law. We were enlightened about the loss of property of guilty
spouses as a cost. Ling had a memorable quote about this.She claimed, "It
is worth the happiness." The quote was repeated for the benefit of Jimmy
who was last to arrive. Which prompted a suggestion to Maria Paz to revise
her calling card to include some slogan for bringing happiness to the client’s
life.
We had a feast. Nag-abstain
from fasting, iyan ang ginawa. We had crispy crablets and kinilaw
for appetizers. Ordered 3 kinds of soup-sinigang na hipon, sinigang na
isda sa miso, and halaan sa gata. Dalawang putahe ng pusit, kare-kare,
pinakbet, adobong kangkong, fish fillet, baboy-ramo, tig-isang palayok
ng plain rice at nag-dessert pa ng suman at ice cream on buco in the coconut
shell. Yung di naubos, ipinabalot.
Nang magbabayad na, ginamit
ni Dennis ang card niya, pero sisingilin daw kami. Mahirap mag-divide by
11, biro ni Vergel. By 10 lang, hindi natin isasali si Delay, maagap na
sagot ni Dennis. Tig P370 kayo, he declared. Bayad kami lahat, pati si
Jimmy na tapos nang mag-dinner somewhere else.
Tinanong pala ni Delay earlier
kung anong oras siya makakauwi, dahil ang paalam niya ay 10pm lang. Pinatawag
na siya sa Mama niya na 12 midnight siya ihahatid.
After dinner we strolled to
Shangri-La for coffee at the lounge. Ling offered to put the supot ng ipinabalot
na leftover in her bag as we went in, at wala raw ka-class-class
si Dennnis.. Si Luis ay di na sumama dito. He reports to his office
at 6 am kasi. Imagine that! Jimmy left earlier than us, antok na raw siya.
Tuloy ang discussion about annulments
and the family code. I asked Maria Paz if she enjoys handling such. Mahirap
nga raw, but she has to do it. Sometimes she inhibits herself kung kilala
niya ang parties involved. Pati ang kaso ni Hilda Koronel, napag-chismisan.
Seems the husband carried on with somebody else within the confines of
their residence. Yuck!
About midnight, nagyayaan nang
umuwi. Regular working day kinabukasan. Nalimutan pa ni Rose sa table ang
flowers. Inihabol ng waiter. Nalimutan din ni Ling ang supot sa bag niya,
patakbo pa niyang inihabol kay Dennis. Muntik din naming malimutang i-goodbye
kiss si Delay, ibang parking pala kami. Felix asked his driver to bring
Ling and I home. Earlier, Maria Paz had volunteered to do it, but Felix
said medyo out of the way niya, and besides, his driver lives 5 minutes
away from where I do.
Parang Saturday night ang pakiramdam
ko when we were going home. It felt so good , this midweek lakwatsa.
O sige. Till Ruth’s birthday
on March 8.
Sincerely,
Ana B.
March 9, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
We just had another reunion
last night which lasted till past 1 am this morning. I woke up at
8:30 am and am now here in the office shortly before noon to do my schoolwork
while overtime operations is ongoing.
Last night I had classes till
8:15 (supposedly till 9). The traffic was so heavy because there was a
fire earlier near St. Luke’s Hospital so I hitched a ride with a
classmate and went home first. I was so tempted not to go to Ruth’s birthday
anymore (bed was so inviting after a hectic day), but conscience won, so
after dinner, I took a cab and got there at past 10.
Nagsasayawan na ang mga girls
with the dancing instructors sa lanai, while the boys and Loida
were into an inuman discussion with Ric (Ruth’s husband)
in one of the dining tables set in the garden. Of course I sat with my
barkada.
They were refining Ric’s script
upon Luis Liwanag’s arrival-- to endorse Dennis as Associate Commissioner
of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
And since they traced fraternity
networks, napag-usapan rin ang fraternity initiations. Paano ba naman ako
gaganahang kumain, they mentioned the following hazing activities: paddling,
swallowing powdered cement (if the initiation rites happened to be in a
construction site), putting 2 cockroaches inside a neophyte’s clothes
to crawl on his skin (ngii! ) Mas gusto ko pa yatang magpabugbog na lang,
sabi ni Dennis.
Napag-usapan rin ang kanilang
mga anak. The children of Felix and Pocho passed both the entrance exams
to UP and Ateneo, and both chose to enrol in Ateneo. Si Loida naman
is apprehensive about her child’s chances at making it to the College of
Medicine.Ruth’s college bound daughter is going to La Salle yata.
Lapit si Maria Paz. Bigay ng
dokumento kay Felix. Pang-convince sa mga anak, who opposed the annulment
move thinking wrongly that they will become illegitimate children.
Nag-drop daw ang aluminum prices.
Parang copper din daw. Talked about hedging. Attentive listener lang
ako.
Maya-maya, may separate involved
discussion in another table ang dalawa ni Jimmy at Pocho. Negosyo
pagka mga ganyan, sabi ni Dennis.
Wala pa ang piyanistang si Joemelo
at ang singer na si Blay, kaya walang mingling. Hindi naman kami
pagtitiyagaang isayaw ng mga iyan, eh, sabi ni Ella. Kaya lang nagsipag-sayaw
nung birthday ni Ericson, dahil nandoon sina Dexter at Tessie.
May mga showbiz tsismis from
Dennis. Hindi namin pareho kilala ni Loida ang mga upcoming nymphets they
were talking about.
May gustong magpahula,
wala namang nagpadala ng cards ko kaya bongo. May usapan na kami ni Dennis
na huhulaan niya ako as soon as his new set of Tarot cards arrive.
Dumating si Luis, finally. Sa
tabi ko naupo. Tsismoso ka, banat ko agad. Nag-board meeting kami sa PCS
nung Monday, at may sinasabi sa akin si Dennis Deveza na may alam daw siyang
sikreto ko. Nang sabihin niya kung ano (puedeng-puede ka palang i-promote
sa NFA, ikaw lang ang tumatanggi), alam ko na agad na ikaw ang nakausap!
Naku, di roaring laughter na naman!
Maraming tsismis, kasi
kaka-announce ng mga cabinet changes this week. Sinabi na rin niya sa akin
kung sino ang magiging administrator ng NFA.Pinatabi na sa kanya si Ric,
para ibanat yung ni-rehearse na script earlier. I-submit na ang bio-data,
hamon ni Luis. Puede na raw i-word process nun din, may computer sa itaas,
sabi ni Ric. Sayang, di ko dala ang notebook ko, sabi ni Felix. Sa Lunes,
ipadadala ko sa messenger, pangako ni Dennis. Ano’ng messenger? Ikaw ang
magdadala para maipakilala ka na rin kay Presidente. Sa Martes ang oath-taking,
a-attend kaming lahat. Me tanong ako, kelan ang testimonial? Good question
daw. E di after the oath-taking! Sa Wednesday? Sino’ng host? Sagot ko na,
sabi ni Jimmy.
Maraming mga pulutan ang lumabas
from Ruth’s kitchen-corned beef, vienna sausages, spam, mushrooms. Naglabas
ng second bote, ubos na yung una. Hindi ko kilala ang brand kaya di ko
ininom.
Opps! Warmed up na ang piyanista.
Samahan mo na sa piano, Pocho, encouraged Dennis. Tamang-tama at pagod
na rin sa sayaw ang mga girls. High blood iyan, sabi ni Franklin of Pat,
who was dancing with gusto throughout the evening.
Paano naman daw yung promotion
ni Franklin? Saka yung pagka-commissioner din ni Pocho sa SEC? Isa-isa
lang, mauna na muna ang kay Dennis.
Nang si Dennis na ang kumakanta
at pinapalakpakan na nila (the singing commissioner kuno), gumawi na rin
ako sa piano. Ruth whispered to me, kinanta daw ni Dennis sa asawa niya
ang song na iyon over the phone nung Valentines’ Day. Aba at romantic din
pala.
Napunta sa Tagalog kundimans
ang selections. Lahat kami dito belted out the ff: songs with feeling:
Minamahal,Silayan, Ikaw, Maalaala Mo Kaya,Saan Ka Man Naroroon. Ipina-solo
ni Joemelo kay Dennis ang If Ever I Would Leave You.May nagpapaalam nang
aalis. Kanta na kami ng The Party’s Over. Opps! Nalimutan daw kantahin
ang New York, New York as a good luck wish for Ling. Di binanatan, may
ala-Liza Minelli pang choreography.
Ling and I rode with Felix.
I told them I already have the pictures of Delay’s dinner but I did not
bring them at baka mabuking. Sus, inamin ni Felix na nadulas pala siya
about it kina Wilma. Tampo na naman pala sila, at dalawang beses na raw
nauwi si Delay nang hindi nila nakita.
Nang maihatid na si Ling, I
asked Felix kung bakit sinabi niya earlier na ayaw na niyang ma-promote.
Hindi na raw sulit yung marginal increase in pay sa deterioration ng quality
of life. Gusto na lang daw niya i-accomplish ang objectives he had set
out to do. Kung bagong puesto, di panibagong objectives na naman.
Sincerely,
Ana B.
June 3, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
I just mailed you two letters
yesterday, plus I e-mailed you thru Ned kanina. Pag di ka pa naman lumigaya
niyan sa chismis, ewan ko na.
. . .
Tessie called me up Friday to
inform us about the death of her father that morning. I passed on the info
to Ling, Dennis, Vergel, Ruth, Luis, Jimmy, Wilma, Pat. I had a class Friday
night and the whole of Saturday kaya hinayaan ko na silang mag-plano.
Saturday, we were dismissed
early at 5:30 pm so I decided to go straight to the wake of Tessie’s father.Got
to talk to her, her mother and her son, kasi konti pa lang ang tao. Meron
na tayong flowers, a tasteful arrangement of white anthuriums. Nung dumating
nga raw iyon, UP Prep Class 67 ang nakalagay. Aba, bumata ako, comment
raw ni Tessie. Later ay may bumalik na tao at pinalitan daw ang ribbon
to Class 65.
Naabutan ako doon nina Ling,
who came with Dennis, Ruth who came alone but dismissed her driver once
assured that Dennis will bring her home, and the couples Ino and Emmeline,
and Pat and Franklin who went together.Aba at ako raw na hindi makararating
kuno e nauna pa sa kanila! Sinundo daw nila ako, sabi ni Pat.( Ang dami
nga pala nilang messages sa akin buong maghapon, I found out later when
I got home.) Ang ingay din namin dun sa wake, siempre reunion e. Natahimik
lang siguro nung magdasal. Okay naman din sa family ni Tessie, kasi ayaw
rin nang masyadong malungkot. They were continuously playing classical
music as soothing backgound sound.
At about 10, ako na ang nagyayang
umuwi. Hindi ko na maidilat ang mata ko from exhaustion. Biro mo namang
nag-finals pa kami sa whole day class na iyon. Baliw na nga sa case presentations
kaya maaga nang na-dismiss. Wala nang utak.
Nag-discuss pa sila kung saan
mag-di-dinner. Basta kako i-drop na lang ako sa bahay at bahala na sila.
They went to Trellis, my neighborhood restaurant, and I found out from
Ling that they stayed till midnight,talking about their children. Ako ay
lagpak patay pagdating.
Kahapon tumawag si Ling. Nilalagnat
daw siya, paano na ang lakad sa Zu? Baka naman din daw menopause lang iyon,
we will see. Tumawag uli siya kanina, LBM daw pala iyon because of the
panga that they ate in Trellis. Okay na siya. Nadale din daw si Pat at
Franklin, pero si Dennis ay hindi.
June 4,1996
When I got home last night,
there was a message from Ruth to call her as soon as I get home. Kaya pala,
binago ang plano for tonight. Dad’s at 6:30, tapos flexible na kung anong
time pupunta sa Zu. Inay! Matapos kong i-e-mail si Vergel, tawagan sina
Jimmy, Luis, Rose, Noel at i-beep si Francis na 8 pm sa Zu. Tawag ako kay
Ling. Sabihan ko raw uli sila. At si Mila rin. Tawag ako kay Mila at 10:30.
Kadarating pa lang niya from the wake of Ishmael Bernal in UP. May mag-i-interview
pa raw sa kanya from Ch 7 mamaya at 5 sa coffee shop ng Shangri-La, i-adjust
na lang ang schedule.
June 5, 1996
Sige na nga. Tinawagan ko uli
yung mga taong nabigyan ng inaccurate information. Plus tinawagan ko rin
si Benjamin, na dadaan lang daw dahil kakukuha pa lang ng newborn daughter
the day before sa hospital. Crush daw niya si Mila nung high school. Ganoon
pa rin kaganda kako. Maaga ba kayo mamaya, tanong ko kay Vergel. Usapan
namin ni Dennis dadaan dito, ang sagot. (ibig sabihin, hindi maaga.)
E ano pa? Kami lang ni Mila
ang nandoon sa Dad’s at the appointed time of 6:30 pm. Tawag ako kay Ling,
nasa opisina pa.Tawag ako kay Vergel, may kausap pa rin sa opisina.Pumanhik
na kami ni Mila sa dining area to check when we found out na may entrance
din pala sa 2nd floor. Wala pa sila talaga. We decided to go back to the
waiting area. Nakasalubong si Loida at ang panganay niyang anak. Kinulit
ang reservation. Meron na pala, so we occupied our table. Daldalan sila.
At past 7pm, we decided to attack
the salad bar, kasi gutom na raw si Loida at nag-ve-vertigo siya. Ang anak
ni Loida ay nandito to study medicine at UST. Nag-aral daw siya ng microbiology
sa States as preparation. Nag-MBA daw siya pero masyadong madali ang MBA.
Ella arrived in the middle of our salad.Daldal again.Kilala ni Ella ang
anak ni Loida. Siya na siguro ang pinakamatanda sa mga Prep ‘65 children
at age 28 yrs.
Congratulatory hugs to Ling,
who just passed the Commission on Appointments.Sushi bar na kami when she
arrived.We were just mentioning Benjamin when he arrived. Ayaw talaga kumain
at hindi magtatagal. Hindi daw siya takot sa asawa, ayaw niya lang ng gulo.
Wala daw silang telepono sa bahay so he cannot inform. Bibigyan na nga
namin ng excuse slip signed by all, ayaw talaga. Na-alaska po nang husto
na takot sa asawa.Hindi naman napikon.(Aminado, he, he, he!)
Sabay dumating ang dalawang
donya- si Ruth at Wilma. Pareho pang naka-itim. Puno na ang table na ini-reserve.
Mahihiwalay na sa ibang table ang susunod na darating. Kinulit na ang mga
waiter na dugtungan ang table, or else ilipat kami sa ibang lugar. Hindi
naman namin masagot kung ilan kami lahat. Kunsumido ang waiters.
Sabay-sabay ngang nagdatingan
sina Vergel, Pat, Franklin at Emmeline. Hindi nagsipayag na humiwalay ng
table. Sila po ang naghanap! Nakakita naman, sa dulo, so binitbit ang di
pa naubos na salad ni Wilma.Lumigaya sa haba ng nilipatang table. Si Francis,
dumating pero tapos na raw mag-dinner.
Ang labo ng system dun sa Dad’s.
Meron silang continental buffet, saka Filipino buffet. Ang salad bar ay
part of the continental buffet. Kaso, nakapag-salad na kami, at nakita
lang namin ang Filipino buffet when we transferred tables. Ayaw ba naman
kami palipatin sa Filipino choices. Di singilin ninyo kami sa salad bar,
problema ba iyon. At naku, parang Gestapo ang bantay ng waiters sa bawat
subo mo, at baka nga naman sila madaya. Katakut-takot pang paliwanag na
hindi kumain ang nakaalis nang si Benjamin at ang nandoon pang si Francis.
Sabi ko nga, iyon na ang una at huli kong buffet dun sa Dad’s.
Ang Dennis, hindi nag-buffet
at mas cheaper daw yata ang a la carte. He ordered a pasta dish. Pero panay
ang instruct sa amin na ikuha siya ng ganito at ganoon sa buffet. Subuan
pa raw siya, para isipin ng gestapo waiters na pinatitikim lang siya. Strict
kuno sa no sharing.
Kung bakit ba naman, akalain
mong may broken glass bits (bubog) ang pasta. Nakagat pa ni Dennis yung
isang piraso! Horrors! Pa-drama pa siya na baka may nalulon na, at baka
may part nang dumudugo sa mouth cavity.Nagtingin pa sa compact mirror.
Tupi ang mga Gestapo,pati ang
manager. The group didn’t make a scene about the whole thing, much to their
relief! Masaya kasi, kaya parang nakuha sa biruan at good humor ang lahat.
Asar na asar nga sa amin si Dennis, kasi instead na mag-sympathize sa kanya
e naalaska pa siya nang O ayan makakalibre ka na. Isama mo na rin kami
sa iyong good fortune. Ang banat ko e "Bilib ako talaga, Dennis. Hindi
ko napansin kung at what point mo inilagay yung baon mong bubog!"
Mga walanghiya kayo, was
all he could say. Tawa kayo nang tawa, di tuloy ako maka-diskarte.
Malaki pa ang isinaya at iginulo
because of the bubog. Bubs na nga ang nickname ni Dennis, but we changed
it to Bogs kasi di yata maganda ang tunog ng Bubs, parang bastos ba.
Nang magbabayaran na, aba may
concessions na ang Gestapo. Hindi na kami sisingilin sa aming salad bar,
hindi na sisingilin ang order ni Dennis, at may isa pang continental buffet
na hindi na rin daw sisingilin. Ayun, habang buhay na naman akong may utang
na loob kay Dennis sa pagkalibre ng aking salad bar, and he wasted no moments
in rubbing it in!
We paid our bill, had group
pictures taken, made bilins should Luis show up, then walked over to Shangri-La.
Nasalubong namin sa Shangri-La
entrance si Luis at Joemelo. Pupuntahan na nila kami sa Dad’s.Aba, at alam
na nila agad ang istorya ng bubog. Luis didn’t mention any of his tampo,
thank goodness!
We took a look at the swinging
scene at Zu, but we stayed at the lobby lounge for coffee and chat. Mila
paged her son Lawrence to come over from the nearby Hard Rock Cafe and
meet the group.
When we got up to leave the
lobby lounge, umiiyak na po si Mila! Hindi matapus-tapos ang hugging at
goodbyes.
Ang gulo namin sa Shangri-La,
lalo na when we had our pictures taken at the lobby and at the stairs.
The artist Alcuaz joined our group. He asked who we are, and we said we
are high school classmates. You are from high school, I am from law school
,he said. Ang corny ng joke! He stayed with us at inihatid kami hanggang
labas, even gave an impromptu serenade of ‘Saan Ka Man Naroroon’ with his
hand held musical instrument. We were charmed!
Siksikan kami nina Emmeline, Ling at Ruth sa backseat ng car nina Pat.After
we’ve dropped Ling off, Pat brought up the suggestion of Luis to have a
testimonial for Ling.
I called up Dennis aka Bogs
this morning. Buhay pa naman. I suggested that we give a surprise testimonial
for Ling, sa New Ambassador Restaurant. Kunwari birthday celebration ni
Blay, kako pa. Ayos daw. We should plan it for next week.
O sige.
Sincerely,
Urbs
For Mila's reply upon return to Toronto: Thank you for the Mauban of my midlife years
July 18, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
We celebrated Ling's birthday last
night with a testimonial for her at
the New Ambassador Restaurant in Greenbelt.When it closed
at about 11 pm, we
moved on to the New World Hotel lobby lounge for coffee
and drinks. In the
established tradition of testimonials, naging sentimental
na naman ang tone
(makabagbag-damdamin,ika nga) at halos ayaw na namang
maghiwa-hiwalay kahit
past midnight na. I got home at 1 am. Inihatid kami ni
Dennis.
This was another intimate affair,almost
like an inuman. There were just
me, Francis, Cesar Cifra, Vergel, Dennis, Noel,Ling,Pocho,
Rose, Maria Paz,
Freddie, Joemelo and Luis, in the order of arrival. We
decided to occupy just
one round table kahit siksikan kaya ubod nang saya! The
group of Ruth decided
to give Ling a separate party at the Pen on Friday. (
I think that will be their
welcome party for Girlie at the same time.)
From start until maka-dinner,
panay kagaguhan lang ang topics, as usual.
Pero nang mag-testimonial speeches na, seryoso.Pag testimonial
nga lang yata
ganoon.
During dinner, Pocho consulted
with the group on what advice to give to
a family whose 25 year old son had gotten a hostess pregnant.
Balak daw paka-
salan ng lalake ang hostess, and of course the family
is opposed to it. Iba-
iba rin kami ng opinyon, but what brought the house down
was this: tanungin
daw muna ang hostess kung gusto niyang makasal. Baka
raw kasi masira ng
marriage ang kanyang career.
Maria Paz mentioned that some
of her clients (in the divorce/separation
business) lose interest in the physical aspect of marriage
as early as 2 years
into the marriage. Lalo na pag new mother ang wife. Naku,
interesado ang mga
DOM. May database na sila ng mga prospects sa clientele
ni Maria Paz! At puede
rin daw sa database ng clients ni Hermie Cifra na mga
bagong panganak! This
was quite a boisterous discussion, I tell you!
Ang istorya naman ni Francis,
sinugod daw ng 2nd wife niya yung 3rd, at
lumaban din daw naman yung 3rd. Ang problema niya, gusto
niyang i-divorce
1st para mapakasalan niya yung 3rd. Can you imagine that?
Napag-usapan din si Girlie.
Pumayat kaya siya because of the transplant?
Sigurado daw, sabi ni Vergel. By 2 pounds, the weight
of the kidney that was
taken out, he, he, he!
Dennis started the 'speeches'.
Tagalog pa ang kanyang piece. Bata pa raw
si Ling ay kitang-kita na ang makings of an ambassador.
( I never dreamed of
being in any other profession, ayon naman ni Ling.) Noel
said that even at a
very early age, diplomatic na talaga si Ling. Nakangiti
pa rin kahit galit na.
Cesar Cifra said it really feels good to be part of an
accomplished group.
He feels very happy and proud lalo na during these testimonials.
Maria Paz said nahihiya daw
siya kay Ling dahil kailangan pa niyang mang-
istorbo para sa maliit na bagay tulad ng passport ng
anak niya, na hindi maka-
personal appearance dahil nasa Canada. Ang Joemelo at
Freddie naman yata,
buong barangay ay ipinakiusap na ang pagkuha ng passport
thru Ling, and they
both thanked her for that.
Nahawa si Rose kay Dennis, may
sinabi pang Inang Bayan dun naman sa
speech niya. I opted not to say anything, dahil kako
ay nasulatan ko na si
Ling, at sinabi ko na doon ang lahat ng ibig kong sabihin.
Napaka-drama naman
kung i-recite ko pa ang letter ko.
Francis admitted na nung high
school tayo ay may crush daw siya kay Ling!
Kaya he doesn't agree with Freddie's statement na late
bloomer si Ling. Para
daw sa kanya ay in full bloom na noon pa man. Hanip!
Bakit nga ba ayaw mong
makipagsayaw noon kay Francis?, tanong ni Dennis kay
Ling. Kasi daw ang lapit
makipagsayaw ni Francis, at feel na feel pa.
Luis delivered the final speech.Pumunta
pa sa kung yung mga kaklase niya
sa isang subject lang ay natutulungan niya, ano pa kaya
ang tulungan tayong
kasama niya nang apat na taon sa high school.
Madamdamin din ang response
ni Ling. She wanted a career that has
stability and that will bring her all over the world.
It has always been
foreign service for her. She said she had been to 3 necrological
services
already this year. In some, they couldn't get people
to deliverthe eulogy.
She wonders, when our time comes, what will people say
about us? And who
will deliver the eulogy for us? She also acknowledged
the role we have played
to make her three year stint here tolerable.
He, he, he! Hindi kami masabihang
umalis na kahit late na. To the point na
umuwi na pala ang cashier at akala ay bayad na kami.
Hindi na tuloy magamit ang
card ni Dennis, kaya nag-cash na lang si Freddie, with
promise to deliver the
receipt to their office na lang the following day.
Ang ganda ng music when we got to New World. Tagalog songs! Naka-libre
pa ng happy birthday greeting at midnight na sinabayan
na namin nang kanta
for Ling. Romantic ang ambiance.
Ang main topic sa New World
ay ang quiz about the choice of a new
career. Pocho and Noel would like to be professional
golfers. Rose would like
to go into information technology.Somebody would like
to be a surgeon. Ling
would like to go into environmental concerns. I'd like
to go into genetic
engineering ( as in growing giant tomatoes, etc).Luis
would like to go into
Physics or Chemistry. Francis brought the house down
when he said he would
like to be a DI (dance instructor).
Inabot na naman kami nang past
midnight doon. Ayaw na naman maghiwa-
hiwalay!
July 22, 1996
I went to the Manila Peninsula
last Friday from the PCS Meeting at the
Intercon Skytop to see Girlie at the girls' get together.
Chismisan na ang
inabutan ko. Hindi naman yata sila nag-testimonial speeches
for Ling, eh.
Pero mukhang naikuwento na sa kanila ni Ling ang testimonial
namin sa kanya
last Wednesday.
. . .
Girlie showed us her healed
incision from the kidney transplant. Ubod
nang haba! Pa-curve sa may left tagiliran. Nag-keloid
na nga!
I got the thank you card of
Mila to the 'Bubog' group, plus a jazz CD
for us to enjoy. Siya daw muna ang unang makikinig, sabi
ni Ling.
Nag-quiz din kami sa girls nang:
if you were to start on a new career,
what will it be? Si Wilma at Loida, gusto lang magtulog!
Ruth would like to
be a doctor.Ling's secret ambition is to be a ramp model.
Girlie would like
to dance in international competitions, or else put up
her own dance school.
Talaga nga raw palang kahit sa second career ay silang
dalawa ni Francis ang
matched! Naalala na naman ang sabay nilang pag-uwi from
Hidden Valley noon.
The party broke up at 11 pm.
Kasama nila ang kanilang mga asawa kaya may
curfew. Franklin and Pat brought us home.
August 1, 1996
Mila called me up Saturday.
Hindi niya ako ma-e-mail. At wala rin siyang
natatanggap na news from me. Wanted to find out if we
had given Ling a testi-
monial, and whether I had received the dress she sent
(na gusto pala niya ay
maisuot sa affair na iyon.) I claimed the dress from
the post office that
morning. Very nice! Floral and floor length summer dress.
Babaeng-babae ang
dating! I promised to wear it in the next gathering,
baka magulat si Ling.
Dennis called up Monday, mag-chaperone
daw ako sa kanila ni Ling Tuesday.
Manonood ng Repertory play. Di sige.Nag-usap kami ni
Ling nung gabi. Sige,
samahan na natin at baka nalulungkot, mailayo tuloy natin
sa temptation, sabi
ni Ling. Kami daw kasi ay very safe company. Hindi ko
alam kung dapat tayong
mainsulto or what, sabi ko naman.Ang parents ni Dennis
ay out of the country
at nagbabakasyon kasama ni Rowena.
Kinabukasan, cancelled ang lakad.
Wala raw palang show pag Tuesday. Baka
raw Saturday matuloy. Bahala na.
I missed calling Mommy last
Sunday. Went out to have the pictures deve-
loped and ended up seeing a movie, too.
O sige. So many things happened
at the office the whole month of July
that prevented me from doing this account sooner. But
that is another full
story altogether.
August 7, 1996
We are scheduled to have dinner
with Aida Caballes tonight at the
Takayama Restaurant near SM Megamall.
August 9, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
The welcome dinner for Aida
was a night of pure fun and boisterous laughter. Napaiyak na ako sa katatawa
at sumakit ang tiyan ko sa kahahagalpak! Puyat ako ngayon, at Cinderella
time na nakauwi kagabi.
Short notice reunion ito. Ruth
called up just last Monday. At sinabi pang dependent sa akin ang pag-attend
ni Leni.I was only asked to call up Dennis and assign him to round up his
barkada.
Leni and I agreed to meet at
SM Megamall at 5:30 p.m. Ling will just follow. Dennis will go alone, his
barkada not available. Ihahatid niya ako, but not Leni at U.P.
Of course kaming dalawa ni Leni
ang nauna sa Takayama at 6:00 p.m. Nakapagkuwentuhan na kami for a good
35 minutes bago dumating si Ruth,Aida, Girlie and Pat, na tanghali pa lang
ay magkakasama nang nag-lunch with Franklin, at pagkatapos ay nagsipunta
pa sa beauty parlor for new hairdos (umuwi daw si Franklin sa bahay nang
malamang parlor ang next destination nila.) Ang Aida, who came in shorts
and sandals, had to submit to a makeover by her barkada. Kaya when she
showed up for dinner ay naka-dress na at naka-shoes, bagong gupit ang buhok,
naka-lipstick (she doesn’t wear make up daw), at humahalimuyak sa pabango
na ipinilit ni Ruth (para daw hindi mag-amoy lupa).
Ang set up ng function
room ay 2 separate rectangular tables of 10 each. Ipinabago ni Ruth.
Hindi puede sa amin iyan, ang sabi. Ginawang isang rectangle lang
seating 7 by 3 .
Kaaayos lang when Loida arrived. And since Leni had to
leave by 8:30 at the latest, nagyaya na si Loida na kumain na. I found
out I had no camera batteries when I loaded my film, so had to go get some
at Megamall quickly. Pagbalik ko, full meal na pala ang kinuha ni
Loida, so pinaghati-hatian muna namin. Lalo namang gutom na nang dumating
ang Wilma at Ella, na na-traffic from Makati. Sinisi pa si Ruth kung bakit
ang layo ng lugar sa kanila. Medyo nakantiyawan si Ella, na mag-ce-celebrate
ng birthday niya ngayong araw.
Maagang dumating si Luis! Kasi
daw Aida Caballes! Talaga naman, nakanganga si Aida sa mangha tuwing tatawa
si Luis. At hindi siya makapaniwala na ang mga kaklase niyang mga kagalang-galang
na mga tao would make remarks like: "tinitingnan ko muna kung nandito na
ang mga tagapagbayad bago ako kumain". May mga instructions pa sa waiter
na: " Kung ano ang libre, iyon ang ibigay mo sa akin na drink". (Refillable
daw ang house tea, pero isang glass lang ng iced tea ang libre for every
buffet package.) He, he, he! Parang halos ibig nang ipagbayad ni Aida ang
mga impoverished ‘kuripots’! Kung may langaw nga, mapapasukan sa bibig
si Aida!
Leni had to go at 8:30. We managed
to take some group pictures before she left. Aida, Luis and I brought her
all the way to the taxi stand a long block away. Luis gamely took Leni’s
sandobag of groceries and even ran to chase an emptied taxi to beat the
line at the stand sana. It was so sweet of him to do that!
. . .
Mahaba ang inabot na review
ng bubog night, lalo na nang nandoon na si Dennis. Sayang at hindi pa developed
ang pictures of that night at Dad’s and Shangri-La from Franklin’s camera.
Ang galing ng pagka-mimic ni
Jimmy kay Aurora during the pearl anniversary individual
talks! Talagang nagkanda-iyak kami sa tawa, and Aida had to go to the restroom
agad. Sinusutsutan na kaming tumahimik nung mga nasa kabilang function
room!
Maraming pang naibanat kay Luis
about promoting Franklin. Kaya daw nagtatrabaho pa as a freelance travel
si Pat, kasi hindi pa ipino-promote si Franklin. At hindi rin naman daw
pina-patronize ni Luis ang negosyo ni Pat, unlike Jimmy na
si Pat ang agent for his yet another trip to Canada, the USA and Berlin
next month.
Wala ang Felix at Vergel, may
anniversary celebration ang Land Bank. Judge pa daw si Felix sa selection
ng Miss Land Bank. Contestant daw si Vergel, somebody quipped. Runner-up
lang, hindi mananalo, dahil si Felix ang judge, dagdag ko naman. Tawanan.
Ewan ko kung ikukuwento ito ni Dennis kay Vergel. Ano sa palagay mo?
. . .
Na-hysterectomy daw si Miss
Flora Cruz at may findings ng cancer.
Na-interview din nang konti
si Aida about her career. Nag-Eco siya, tapos straight to M.A. Eco kasi
binigyan ng scholarship ng School of Economics. Then she pursued her Ph.
D. at Wharton yata.
Magkaibigan pala sina Aida at
Lulu, the wife of Dennis. Naging magkaklase sa several subjects. Siempre,
nagpaka-careful kuno kami sa pagbibisto ng ‘lonely and miserable’ activities
ni Dennis. I have no chance to see her or talk to her, assured Aida, kaya
dumami ang pag-dish out ng chismis about Dennis. Hindi na nga makakibo
later, pero dinadale pa rin namin.
Na-bring up di yung problema
ni Francis na ibig niyang i-divorce ang 1st wife niya para mapakasalan
yung 3rd. Incredulous si Aida! Si Francis, yung maliit na, tahimik pa?
Sagot ni Ruth, maliit nga, pero kung baga e siling labuyo. Hagalpakan!
Sina Franklin ang inaasahang
maghahatid kay Aida, but they left ahead for another engagement, so Dennis
was requested to please do it. Siempre oo, di be kaibigan nga ni Lulu?
Hindi pumayag si Ling na siya
ang huling ihatid ni Dennis, kaya siya ang unang naibaba. On the way to
Aida’s place in Scout Lazcano, nagka-kwentuhan pa kami. Wow, she has a
busy schedule! On the way here, she was checking papers on the plane. She
spent her first day here finishing her grades and sending them via FedEx,
I suppose.
It was busier when she transferred
to the West daw, because she was in the vicinity of Universal Studios,
Disneyland, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. Annual pass na nga raw siya
sa Disneyworld parking and entrance! She has a spare bedroom, and when
she has to entertain, engages a maid service to make the place presentable.
Pat and Franklin might go to
Monterey in September, and she said that what she will do is give them
the spare key to the house and the car, stock the ref with food. He, he,
he! It’s the same brand of hospitality as yours.
She is here because of her parents’
50th wedding anniversary. Her mother is okay, even visited with her for
3 months last year, but her father had a heart attack at age 51, a second
one I don’t know when and right now is considerably weak.
We acknowledged how blessed many of us are with the set of parents still
with us. She has resolved to make time and visit more often.
Init na init siya dito. Na-horify
nga raw ang mother niya when she moved around in dusters. Kasi sa school,
naka-shorts and sandals lang daw sila. I was not surprised, marami nga
akong nakitang nakapaang nerds dun sa Caltech.
I made a candid comment about
her barkada who are women of leisure. Hindi ka papayagang hindi dressed
ng mga iyan, kako. Ang lalaki ng mga brilyanteng alahas niyang si Ruth,
at nagpapa-parlor pa nga bago mag-attend ng reunion.
Hindi na nga daw siya kumibo
nung i-makeover siya, although culture shocked siya.
De-uniforme pa ang mga maids
niyan sa bahay, kako. Oo nga raw, pero when Ruth went on a visit with her
daughters, kahit naka-manicure ay nilinis ang kanyang kitchen at nangusina
doon.
The way I see it, Aida was interested
only in the same thing Mila wanted:kuwentuhan. Naku, siguradong sa ballroom
dancing ka dadalhin niyang sina Ruth, kako pa. She sounded so averse to
the idea.
I could tell that Aida enjoyed
the evening with us. I was also glad I went. And all of us did enjoy the
kagaguhan and kalokohan.
O sige.
Sincerely,
Urbs
December 20, 1996
Dear Ataboy,
Maligayang Pasko at Masaganang
Bagong Taon!
Prep ‘65 celebrated Christmas
early, on Dec 7 at Ericson’s penthouse. Inagahan talaga, kasi papuntang
New York si Ling on Dec 14, at huwag naman daw mag-party nang night before
her departure.
Hindi ako nakapunta sa party,
kaya minimal ang chismis, pero meron din, don’t worry.
Nakausap ko si Vergel on Friday,
Dec 13. Konti lang daw silang naka-attend. Wala si Wilma. Wala rin si Rose
(siguro daw ay ayaw magbigay ng regalo at ayaw ding makantiyawan tungkol
dun). Wala si Jimmy, Luis at Freddie.
So, wala ang kenkoy, wala ang
taga-kanta, wala ang booming laughter, at wala rin ang tinutuksong loveteam!
Morose nga raw ang mood, lalo
na dahil sa balita ng pagkamatay ni Cesar Salayo nung
Nov 28 and his subsequent cremation on Dec 1. Na nadagdagan
pa ng di pala nila alam na pagkamatay ni Orlando Dionisio 2 years ago,
na naibalita naman ni Pinky nung birthday celebration ni Luis on Aug 31.
Pinadalhan pa nga raw ng telegram
ni Ruth Ramos si Cesar Salayo sa Sampaloc, Quezon about the Christmas party!
Hinintay nga raw nila si Cesar Salayo, quipped Vergel.
E dumating ba?, patol kong tanong. Hindi raw.
Felix Bustos announced to the
group that he is leaving Land Bank to transfer to a Korean bank which is
giving him a package 3x what he now gets. The switch will happen early
next year.
That was all I got from Vergel.
I met Francis Paco that same
day, at ang sabi naman sa akin ng ulol e dumating daw si Cesar Salayo sa
party.
Last Tuesday, I dropped by Rose
at Metrobank on my way to a Christmas party in the vicinity. Binigyan ko
ng update. Shocked rin sa news about Cesar. Alam na niya yung pagkamatay
ng father ni Jimmy nung Nov 24 sa Canada (kaya nga absent si Jimmy sa party
dahil hindi pa yata nakabalik from Canada).
Mataas nga raw ang blood pressure
niya that day (151/something, as checked by their company nurse). Mag-ingat
kako siya at nasa edad na tayo ng mga atake.
Kinumusta ko kung ano
na ang puesto ni Yehey upon the merging of PCI Bank and PB Com(?). Mag-re-retire
na nga raw si Yehey effective this month, at ayaw na sa management
of a bank branch. Ganoon na rin nga yata ang sinasabi ni Poochie nung August,
when we visited the wake of Yehey’s 86 year-old Nanay.
O, paano ang schedule natin
pagdating ni Delay sa 20th, tanong ko kay Rose. Naku, di pa raw siya naka-Christmas
shopping kaya sa weekend siya mag-ru-rush. After Christmas na raw
kami mag-schedule. Paano kung before Christmas available si Delay? Saan
kita tatawagan? Ako na lang ang tatawag sa iyo sa weekend, pangako naman
niya.
Nagkita na naman kami ni Francis
sa party the other day. Ang bago niyang chismis ay nagpaalam na raw si
Benjamin sa Land Bank na aalis na siya sa NCR. Si Vergel daw ang nag-chismis
sa kanya. Tinatawagan ko si Vergel kahapon, Christmas party naman nila.
Natawagan ko na si Vergel. Matagal
na raw naghahanap ng lilipatan si Benjamin noon pa.Sa Siemens-Nixdorf daw
yata lilipat.
Oo nga pala, kaya ako hindi
naka-attend ng Prep party ay dahil patapos na ako ng MBA. Yung final requirement
na oral case defense, na-schedule nang December 8. Sabi ni Ericson, e kayang-kaya
naman, bakit a-absent pa? Pumunta daw ako kahit sandali lang. Sus, puede
ba naman yung aalis after dinner? E di wala ring napulot na chismis!
Ngayon, tapos na ang MBA, kaya
kahit ano’ng lakwatsa, puede na.
December 23, 1996
I met with Delay at Megamall
last Saturday afternoon. They are shopping for their
Christmas presents for the folks here. Dito na lang daw
bibili para hindi na nila bitbit. Danny is now a towering 5’ 9" !
Liza wears eyeglasses. Actually, everyone in their family wear corrective
glasses. Danny uses contact lenses.
We sat at Sugarhouse while Ron
and the kids shopped. They dumped their purchases every now and then. Danny
would brag about how much dollars Delay saved with his purchases.
Said his T-shirt costs $20 more back home. The Nike jacket, he claims,
costs $70 less here.
They are not going anywhere
else for the duration of the vacation so we are free to schedule whatever
after Christmas.
I gave Delay a bottle of Ilocano
basi to try. Opps, biglang na-solve ang problema niya kung ano ang ipasasalubong
sa in-laws pagbalik. Since wine drinkers daw naman sila, tamang-tama iyon.
It’s not only Filipino, it is Ilocano, sabi ko kay Ron. Delay bought him
another Pidro T-shirt with ‘Pilipino Ako-Masarap Magmahal’ print.
December 27, 1996
We will meet Delay for dinner
tonight. Sa Josephine’s Roxas Blvd daw, so Ron and the children can also
join us. And it’s alright if I can’t come up with the basi. (Nalimutan
ng inorderan na magdala.) Huwag na raw magtawag ng marami, para masaya
ang kuwentuhan. I called up Yehey, last day na raw niya sa office (before
retirement), may party daw sila. Si Maria Paz, naka-shorts lang daw siya.Okay
lang, dahil di naman ako naka-sapatos, sabi ko.(Naka-sneakers lang.) Titingnan
daw niya. Ang layo daw! No pressure, kako. Si Vergel, wala pa sa kanyang
opisina at almost 11 a.m.
Dumating din sa opisina niya
si Vergel before lunch. Ops! May despedida daw for Felix sa Land Bank mamaya.
Nang malaman kung saan ang dinner, ang comment pa e historical daw siguro
ang lugar kina Delay.
January 2, 1997
Happy New Year!
I arrived ahead of them at Josephine’s.
I called up Rose,padating pa lang daw ang driver. I called up Delay, paalis
na raw sila sa Hyatt. I could not recall the number of Maria Paz.
Nag-order na ako ng sinitcharong
hipon dahil gutom na. Nag-a-appetizer na ako nang dumating sila.The kids
didn’t want to have dinner (they are full daw) and much preferrred to be
with Mely and Rol at Star City. Pinayagan, although Ron was hesitant,
because he doesn’t like amusement parks very much and he was worried about
the safety of the rides.
Do we wait or do we order,
tanong ni Ron. Let’s order and just add more as needed. I’ll tell you what
looks good, sabi ni Ron. Fisherman’s basket, tortang alimango daw. We ordered
those with rice just good for two, because Ron doesn’t eat rice.
Pagdating the Rose, wala
na siempre ang mga bata. Kain muna kami, tapos dinagdagan pa ang order
ng steamed lapu-lapu saka manggang hilaw with kamatis and bagoong. O, fulfilled
ka na ngayon, biro ni Rose kay Delay. Alam mo kung ano ang masarap diyan?
Itong dala kong itlog na maalat, dagdag ko. Kahit pa ma-charge ng corkage,
binuksan po ang isang itlog na maalat at kinain ni Delay doon.
Si Maria Paz, kaya pala
wala pa e dun sa annex naghihintay. Halos isang oras yata siya doon bago
nakaisip magtanong kung may iba pang Josephines’. Nagtataka nga raw siya
dahil ang alam niya ay on time ako. Inabutan naman niya ang kapirasong
tortang alimango saka kalahati nung steamed lapu-lapu. Ayaw naman nang
mag-order ng iba pa.
Ron was reassured when Maria
Paz discussed how carefully the rides were installed and are continuously
being inspected by foreign engineers at Star City.. Habang wala pa si Maria
Paz ay napag-usapan na kung sino ang hinihintay, kaya pagdating niya ay
naging topic siempre ang specialization niyang annulments. Ron and Delay
were interested in the detail where Maria Paz consults with a noted psychiatrist
to win a case. Puedeng specialization din ng psychiatrist ang family
law related cases. Ano ba iyon, psychological incapacity.
Nang mainip na si Ron sa aming
girl talk, he suggested that we go to Hyatt at dun ituloy ang daldalan
sa lounge. So they took care of the bill (treat daw nila sa amin), I gave
their bottles of basi (ayaw ng tatlo, at pinipilit pang bayaran), ipinabalot
pa namin ang leftover rice, mangga at bagoong, pinaghati ang remaining
5 itlog na maalat between Delay and Rose, at ang aamoy daw na tinapa (special,
galing pa sa Palawan) na ayaw ni Ron na dalhin ni Delay sa hotel room,
ay si Maria Paz ang nakihati sa akin. Sorry na lang sila, ang sarap nung
tinapa, may mga itlog pa.
Nalampas pa kami ni Maria Paz
sa Hyatt kaya naghintay pa si Delay sa labas ng hotel. Ang lounge sa floor
nila ay ni-re-renovate naman, so sa terrace ng suite nila kami nauwi. Doon
na nagsigarilyo at nagkape si Rose. (Sa no smoking area kasi kami,tapos
wala ba namang instant decaf coffee sa Josephines’!) Nag-dessert kami ng
homemade oatmeal cookies na pilit pang ipinate-take home ni Delay at ayaw
daw ng mga bata.
Napagtsismisan ang mga kalokohan nung
high school (tayo daw ay hindi nag-enjoy dahil aral lang nang aral, samantalang
sila ay meron pang mga house visits, bowling at kung anu-ano pa.)
Si Maria Paz nga raw ay pinalo
pa ng Nanay niya sa harap ng barkada, at nakalimutan ko kung sino yung
sinasabi nilang kinukurot ng Nanay the moment umalis ang naghatid na kabarkada.
Si Tessie din daw ay napapalo. Si Rose lang daw ang hindi nakakatikim sa
Mommy niya. Paano, pareho lang kaming naglalakwatsa, ani Rose.
Naalala pa nila kung sino yung
mga suitors ni Maria Paz (si Edward Ngo, na kakambal daw ni Ellen Ngo,
nun ko lang nalaman). Talaga palang nalilinya ka sa Intsik, sabi kay Maria
Paz.
Gusto nga ni Maria Paz, i- revive
yung pagpunta sa iba’t ibang bahay. Ngayon, ha? (Bakit nga ba hindi?)
Dumating na ang mga bata from
Star City. Noon na lang namin na-realize ang time. So, nakita rin nila
ang mga bata, and shortly, we said our goodbyes. Inihablo pa ni Delay ang
itlog na maalat kay Rose. Naiwan dahil inalis sa bag nung kumuha ng sigarilyo.
Delay gave us earrings pala,
while Rose gave us the new giveaway bags of Metrobank. Gusto ninyo ng apples,
tanong ni Maria Paz. Meron yatang isang kahon dun sa kotse niya, amoy na
amoy nga.
That’s the story of Delay’s
visit this time.
Today I called up Leni to greet
her a happy birthday. Masaya daw ang celebration kagabi, nandun ang mga
pamangkin na siya namang nagpapasaya. May celebration pa yata sa weekend.
Sabi ko, i-update na niya ang picture niya sa akin at gagawin ko na talaga
ang Prep album na one year delayed na. Oo naman daw.
That’s about it for now!
Sincerely,
Ana B.
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