My saddest day in September
September 18 was my saddest day. I missed a call the night of Septemebr 17 and I learned that it was from my best friend, Inday Omega Daa.
With ABS-CBN gone, my sleeping schedule has changed. Now, I go to bed at 9:30 p.m. – the latest. So, I returned the call the morning after. It was my friend from Tacloban who told me that our very good friend, Cesar Villegas, passed on. He succumbed to prostate cancer in California.
It is still very vivid in my mind how we spent our golden days in Tacloban with the Villegas family. They were real family to us. Even if the Villegases are already residents of California, they still come to Bohol to visit us – when they come home to Tacloban – from the States.
The schedule was always two nights and a day in Bohol and it was Cesar who would write to my eldest daughter, Estela, to tell us they were coming from abroad. My daughter still remembers that her Tito Cesar would always write to her even when she was in Japan for a study grant. We and they never abandoned our Filipino culture. Waray gad gihapon.
A few hours after I received the news of the death of Cesar, my pet dog, Mikay, was run over by a 10-wheeler truck. While writing this column, I cannot help but cry over my loss of Mikay.
I also lost a dog, Snoopy just before Covid came in. So my brother Dodong gave me 4 puppies knowing that my dog snoopy was gone – before the Covid season. I did not have the time to grieve for snoopy. It was his habit to disappear especially during the mating season and would come back days after. One time, he just vanished and his dead body was nowhere to be found. We just heard from a neighbor, later, that a dead dog’s body was burned by some folks as it already started to deteriorate. I presumed it was snoopy’s body.
And Snoopy left us during the season of Christmas. I never had the chance to grieve over Snoopy since we were busy for the Christmas celebration with my children coming over with their pet dogs
included. All I could remember of Snoopy was he left us after the
December 8 fiesta.
Of the four puppies given to me by my brother, two were with Frieda, our neighborhood masseuse, and the other two died. Before they died, the two were with me and were named Wewee and Mikay (short for Michaela). I don’t know why Frieda loves that name. Mikay was
white. I sometimes called her Snow White. There was nothing dark or brown on her hair. Wewee on the other hand, was brown, and bigger and the aggressive one. The two of them were like my children during this Covid time. They made my nights secure.
during the weary days of Covid.
Mikay would sleep beside my bed and Wewee on the chair facing the two doors.
Frieda always wanted me to cage the dog or tie them. But I always wanted them free. You may ask why Frieda should be given a hand? It’s because she was the one who was with us during the onset of Covid until 6 months after when she could already gradually go back to her regular nga mga suki sa masahe. Mahinumdum jud ko nga kung muabot na gani sa Frieda sa balay, mudagan gilayon si Mikay ug si Wewee ngadto kang Frieda ug dili na gayud sila mobuwag sa iyang nahimutanna. There were even times that both would walk Frieda home in the evening after her chores at the Blue Apartelle, my place.
Mikay and Wewee, one time, visited our neighbour’s puppy, who is Wewee’s younger version. His name is Bantol. Bantol used to be tied to a chain. I call Bantol as my Sirukoy, depending on his behavior, but most of the time, I really call him Sirukoy. Siruk man gud siya ug unhan man gani niya si Wewee ug si Mikay sa pagkaon.
When Mikay died, I asked for sirukoy to come over to ease my longing for Mikay. Sirukoy is was very charming and cariñosa to me. And now Mikay is in her grave, in my front garden, buried by her Tatay Romeo, my garden man, who used to bathe the two dogs every week. Paglubong ni Mikay, naghilak pud si Romeo. The two were like children to him.
Wewee and Mikay were like my children, too. They made me happy these Covid days. I miss my real children and it is still uncertain when they could come home. We are all praying we could all be together for Christmas.
Then, another sad piece of news was relayed to me that day. It was the
passing away of Mrs. Loreta Trabajo-Lim, fondly called “Ma Tang” by many. She was truly a gentle soul. I know “Ma Tang” way way back during my high school days. She was in College when I was in high school. She was our Student Catholic Action president at the then St. Joseph College.
When we had families of our own, we still met frequently at Lel’s Perch when Lalita (Lel- our common friend) was on vacation in the Philippines.
Lel and I are neighbors at Taguihon, Baclayon, Bohol. We always had a themed party and for every themed occasion, Loreta or “Ma Tang” would always come out WINNER in her attire. Hasta la vista to all of you, who have gone ahead of us.