Nanay Part 4

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One day upon arriving home, I found three young men talking with my mother. I soon learned that they wanted to board with us. My mother accepted them because they were all employed and had better chances of being good payers. She told them to come back three days later as we had to look for a new place so they could be accommodated. The place we saw was in Mayhalique, next door to where Manang Taliang and her family lived. It was a two-story affair and we occupied the downstairs past while the boarders occupied the upstairs. Manong Itong came to live with us and later also Autas, both cousins of mine. Elix, Siniong's brother also came to live with us and I was glad because he had such a jolly nature and his lightheartedness was contaminating.

November that year was a very busy one for us in school. We had to edit. We solicited contributions from the student body and their response was tremendous. But most of them were not good material and much as I hated to disappoint those budding writers, their manuscripts inevitably were-wastebasketed. Most submitted write-ups were poems and stories about love and very reminiscent of young lovers. I had a capable helper in the Associated-Editor, Mariano Familara, Jr. a senior. In the others I did not expect so much. I had two columns to takle alone, the editorial and a column we named "Junior Profile". The first instructor I interviewed for my Juniors Profile was Mrs. Dodson, I also had a short story in the Literary Section which I titled "Appearances are Deceiving." Our maiden issue was a hit. It was good reading material.

Aside from these undertakings we also had several dances scheduled. One was held on the 17th the date i well remembered because it turned out to be the turning point of my life. Everybody in the house knew about our social affair and Vestre had volunteered to be my escort. I thanked him but I just could not imagine myself going out with him. Siniong and I attended that dance and like the first time, we could not stay long because the place was so crowded. He suggested that we go again to the "Selecta". As usual, I ordered ice cream and chicken sandwich which is my favorite. We stayed about an hour and talked about a lot of things but especially my life in school and how i was liking it. He was very glad about my good showings.

When we finally left the "Selecta" Siniong hailed a cruising taxicab on Azcarrafa and told the cabman to dive to the Luneta. I was surprised and tried to protest but he assured me that we won't stay long. I trusted him so much and settled myself on the far corner of the cab.

Sitting side by side on the cement embarkment, I was feeling uneasy. Siniong was his casual conversational self but I sometimes found myself asking myself why i was out with this man at this hour of night, it was almost midnight, at the Luneta. It was there that he finally brought out the matter which I dreaded most. He took hold of my left hand and asked me why I hadn't given him a clear answer. I could not say anything, even if I had anything to say, I could not possibly say it. He must have understood because he kept silent. We got up and walked, passed the Manila Hotel and the Municipal Golf Links. He had my left hand in a grasp I could not extricate as he went on telling me how he loved me, how dear I've grown to be to him. All the while I was silent, what can a girl say in a moment like this?

We were able to flag down a taxicab only as we were nearing the Legislative Building. I was thankful because we would reach home quicker. I kept to my corner of the seat and stared out of the window. All of a sudden he had me in his arms and gave my left cheek a resounding kiss as he told me hoe he loved me. When he finally let me go, i was so confused and ashamed. It was strange that I was not angry, that I didn't rave and rant at his misbehavior. I just felt humiliated and cheap. I didn't say anything, nothing at all. I just wiped my tears away. He didn't ask me to forgive him either; he only reiterated that he had the best of intentions.

I didn't sleep that night. Just as I would fall off to dowsiness, the thought of that kiss would again jolt me to wakefulness. What was I to do? I kept asking myself why I didn't slap him and why I was not angry. I found only one answer - - that I was beginning to fall in love. The realization came as a surprise even to me. The next day I had to write him. In my own inexperienced way, I told him how I felt.

The following days I lived on clouds. The evening after Siniong got my letter, he came home. I was even more sure then that I had learned to love him. His arrival was enough to send my heart perform a somersault. It was not easy for me to hide my feelings from my mother and sister but if they noticed anything at all, they kept it to themselves. The following day I found his letter waiting for me in school. It was froth with endearments and farther assurances of his good intentions with his love.

1939- How Pat & I Fell In Love

Editor's Note: I got a copy of my grandfather's diary from my aunt. (Thanks Tita Bing!) He wrote it in the mid-90's while he was doing security guard work around Tampa Bay and it's full of daily anecdotes and even more stories than the memoir that I'm working on now. This one is 304 handwritten pages and my brain goes a little numb and my fingers want to hide at the thought of transcribing it.

There are some good entries in here, and I plan to dip into it now and then to mix things up on the blog. He has very detailed remembrances of WWII in here and I plan to tackle those once I'm done with the memoir. For now, here's his side of the story going on right now from "Nanay" my grandmother's memoir that my sister is dutifully working on now.

One day while visiting Pat and her mother in a Boarding House opened by them in Azcarraga near UE (University of the East), I asked if she has already enrolled in school. She said "not yet because mother has not yet sold her sewing machine." I asked for her report card. She just finished 2nd year H.S. in the Nueva Vizcaya Vocational H.S. and she intended to enroll in the National Univ. H.S. Dept. in Sampaloc, Manila.

To my great amazement, I never saw a card like that before, which was full of 90+ grades with no grade below 85%. Her general average was around 95%. Almost perfect! She said she was correcting themes written by 3rd year students under Miss Veragara, her English teacher. I was surprised!

I told her that I will pay for her initial enrollment fees because it was just a few days when enrollment will be closed. Her mother agreed. The only amount needed was 5 pesos ($2.50) and she got enrolled. We were both very happy.

At that time in 1939 my girlfriend was Martha. My other girlfriends: Elay, Edith, Tonie and Olive had all graduated as nurses. I could no longer visit them in their hospital schools as before and we stopped communicating with each other.

God knows that my only interest in helping Pat was because of her high grades and I said: SAYANG if her intelligence will not be exploited. I could foresee that she would make good in school and have a bright future. And she was very eager to go to school!

On the first week of her schooling she took an exam for the H.S. Newsletter Editor-In-Chief. She was the first one who submitted her theme to the amazement of the aspirants, but hers was declared the winner by Leon O. Ty, a very famous newspaper writer.

This made Pat very popular considering the fact that nearly all the contestants were fourth year students. Her picture was in the papers as Editor-In-Chief! Her mother was very proud of her and all their boarders celebrated her victory. She was given scholarship benefits as a H.S. student and at the same time as a Normal School (College equivalent) student to become a teacher.

Many boys tried to date her. One of their boarders was after her. She told me all about her problems. I realized she would be in trouble and unable to continue her studies if she fell in love with somebody.

In the beginning I pretended to fall in love with her so that she would not fall in love with someone else. I tried to protect her future. She responded to my letters and ultimately we became sweethearts. Her beautifully written "Story of My Life" can better tell what actually happened, except the fact that I was just pretending to court her. God knows! JBS

Martha was a H.S. graduate and more beautiful than Pat. Although not as intelligent I suppose because she never answered my letters, nor encouraged me beyond the flick of her eyelashes and smile on her lips!

There was a point when I could pretend no longer. I gave up Martha and went full speed for PAT! This proves that LOVE can really grow. My favorite song was:

Love in bloom
This is the past dear,
A spark then a flame
The moon was to blame
The world was all in tune-

This is the present,
The flame still aglow
My darling and so-
I blame the stars and the moon

This is the future, you at my side
A groom and a bride,
A home for more than two

My beloved one, this is the past
The present and the future
I'm only living just
For you-
JBS

Our bundle of love letters from 1939 to 1941 can better tell the full love story between Pat and me. I've given each of my children copies of those same love letters.

Neither Pat or I had any objection to anybody seeing seeing these letters which are in the Abra Provincial Library as a part of my five volumes of the story of my life entitled "Anak Ti Abra." The Librarian, Mr. Bianes said that many read those love letters.

Jose B Sibayan Documentary

I've been talking to my cousin Brandy and she's going to be working on the final cut of the documentary on our grandfather this weekend. She wants to bring it for the Barrio Fiesta next weekend and she wants it to be completely done.

It's been a long time coming and we're all very proud of her. We're coming together as a family to get the last bit of funding that she needs for the editor and to print DVDs. If anyone wants to donate to the effort, you can contact me here or Brandy here. I'll also have DVD copies for sale, as well as a trailer, up as soon as possible.

PAAT Barrio Fiesta 2008

The Philippine American Association of Tampa's annual Barrio Fiesta is coming up on July 20, 2008 from Noon to 6 pm. Admission is $5, free for children 5 and under.

This is the organization that my grandfather founded back in the 1970's and this year they are dedicating the Barrio Fiesta to him. We're planning on making it a mini family reunion, so come out if you can! Brandy is finishing up her documentary on Lolo and she will be showing it there, along with copies for sale, but more on that in a separate post.

I hope to have copies of Lolo's memoirs available by then as well. We'll see!

Update From the Editor

Just a quick update for you guys. After the blistering pace of updates a couple of weeks ago, I haven't been able to get anything up for a while. Sorry about that, I got a full-time job and started working on a project with my brother and the blog got sidetracked.

However, the Barrio Fiesta is coming up in two weeks and I want to have my grandfather's memoirs completely transcribed for him by then. So I've given my grandmother's memoirs to my sister to work on. I'm going to spend a couple of hours a day, at least, working on Lolo's memoirs.

I have a pretty good-sized chunk typed up already, but it's an incomplete story. I'll probably put it out in pieces anyway, so I'll put that up by the end of the week.

Bangued - Your Ultimate Online Guide

I was just doing a little online research about Bangued and came across a very cool website called, you guessed it, "Bangued - Your Ultimate Online Guide." It has recent pictures and videos of places like Victoria Park, the Valera House, the Torrijos House, churches, buildings, the Abra River and more.

It's one thing to copy Lolo's words onto a computer and posting these blogs. Actually seeing the places he's talking about, even if it's only online, really brings the words to life.

I've added a list of links to the sidebar of the website and added them to it as well. Take a look when you get a chance, lots of interesting stuff to see there. Here's a sample:

Nanay - Part 3

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III.
The following days were blank ones for me. I even became lax in my studies as all sorts of things came into my mind. First it was Vestre then Siniong. And added to this was our very serious financial condition. I contemplated to tell my mother about Siniong’s revelation of his love but I was also afraid. I didn’t know why. The following Sunday he came again and stayed for lunch. My mother must have noticed something because I could not act natural. The moment I saw him coming, something simply went thump-thump-thump in my chest and my hands and feet went cold. He did better, though. He simply said, “Hello, Pat.” and went to my mother. They went into a pow-wow until it was time for lunch and she had to invite him to dine with us.

Later that afternoon he invited my mother to go to the Luneta. He knew very well that she wanted so much to go there for a breath of sea air as our apartment was rather stuffy and hot. Then he matter-of-factly asked me if I wanted to go along. At first I intended to stay but then I realized that if I refused, my mother might make conclusions. So I went. I noticed Vestre’s envious eyes as we left the house. I knew he was at the window looking at us but I didn’t want to look up, because one of the reasons why I went with Siniong and mother ws that I didn’t want to be left alone in the house since my sister and her husband had gone out earlier.

It was around that time that my mother had to dismiss two boarders because they hadn’t paid for three months. We again looked for a smaller place and a cheaper one, too. We found one at Calle Gastambide which had only one advantage and it is its nearness to my school.

It was in this place that my bro-in-law left my sister for good. He said he was going for a vacation and also to visit his mother. My sister never thought that he would not come back anymore. One week after he left, my sister gave birth to a baby boy, October 22, 1939 to be exact, at the Mary Chiles Hospital. I wrote by brother-in-law about it and we expected him to come running home to his child. Weeks passed but he didn’t show up. Finally at the end of her rope, my sister bundled her son up and went to her husband’s home town. What took place there we never knew, but when she came back a week later, she was in tears and showed us a written agreement entered into by herself and her husband whose contents were to the effect that they were separated with mutual consent. My mother was sorry for the child but we were thankful because we got rid of an ingrate at last.

My birthday was approaching and as it neared I was getting restless because I promised Siniong he would have my answer on my birthday. I told him so when we went to an excursion in Montalban and he tagged along. I’ll never forget the trip. We were having that excursion in connection with our lessons in Biology so that we could gather specimens where there were plenty. We had our class organization sponsor it so we could hold a dance also. Siniong knew about it when my mother and I were discussing what I was to bring along and he arrived at home. He suggested that since we were holding the excursion on a Sunday, he could come along and he said he would take care of the “baon.” We shopped together that afternoon in Quiapo market for some pork chops, eggs and bread. I was glad that my mother didn’t suspect anything yet otherwise she would not have consented to our going together.

I was seeing Montalban for the first time. Seven Meralco buses brought us there and everyone was in high spirits. About noontime, we had gathered all the specimens we needed and the dancing began. The N.U. Band furnished the music. Siniong suggested that we have our lunch first since it was already almost twelve o’clock before we went to the dance hall. We selected a nice slab of white stone near the water’s edge for a table. I was getting nervous because the moment I dreaded most was nearing. I could have objected to our eating alone and could have suggested going with the others but I somehow didn’t. It seemed as though he had me in tow and whatever he suggested I readily agreed. I was wondering, too, because where I had been tom-boyish with other admirers; I was completely tame and coy with him. It may be because I trusted him so much and that I was quite sure, even then, that he would not do anything disagreeable to me. My chest was in a constant thump-thumping and I was grateful that he started only to press his question when we were almost through. It was then that I promised him that he would have my answer on my birthday, which was just a few days away.

The following morning when I went to school, I was surprised to see that the fortnightly issue of “The National” was already out. Most of the students in the lobby were all reading their copies. Then before I knew what happened, I was besieged by classmates and friends and they started pumping my hand in congratulations. I didn’t know what it was all about until someone showed a copy of the brand new “Junior National” (for the High School department) before my eyes. The headline read, “Junior Wins Editorship.” Then smaller letters, “Petite Patricia Enrile wins Essay Contest. She’s First Editor-In-Chief.”

I could not believe my eyes. I was so glad I almost cried. Then there was a sea of faces before me, Seniors mostly and Collegiates. They all shook my hand and congratulated me. The bell rang then, the crowd dispersed and, as I was about to go to my room, I saw Mr. Ty approaching. When he saw me he signaled me to wait for him. “Congratulations.” and he shook my hand. “Prepare a nice photo of yours for the next issue.” He instructed when we parted.

My first subject was English and as I entered the room I was met with a loud cheer by everyone. I stopped in my tracks and could not help the tears that came, tears of joy, at my achievement. Mrs. Ferrer, my English instructor led me to her table and she said, “We are proud of you, Patricia, very proud indeed. Keep up your good work, you’ll be somebody someday.”

I could not wait for the noon hour to strike so I could go home to bring my mother the good news. When it finally came, I hurriedly went inside the “National” offices, took several copies of the paper and hurried home. My mother shed tears when I told her. The boarders were very glad, too, and insisted that the occasion called for a celebration. In the afternoon, Siniong came. I knew he was very glad when he heard about it and he, too, offered his congratulations.
The following week was a happy one for me. Letters came from friends, Miss Inoncentes for one, knew about it through the Exchange column of their school organ “The La Union Tab.” Senia also wrote, and my classmates in Bayombong. Mr. Ferdan, instructor in the N.V.H.S. and also librarian wrote that he clipped the page of our paper and had it posted prominently in the library. In this same hectic week also came my birthday. All of a sudden I felt weak. I remembered my promise to Siniong and I still didn’t have my answer. But I had to keep my word so I wrote him a letter. I just told him about my doubts, my misgivings. I didn’t spare myself, I told him how inexperienced I was in love-affairs. On my birthday he came, but we didn’t have a chance to be alone. So I felt a little relieved because I was sure I would go to pieces if he pressed his question further.