by Telly Gonzaga-Ocampo
Beyong Forgetting: A Valentine Story
I wonder if the young of today still know Rolando Carbonel. He was famous for his love poems and foremost of all, the valentine favourite, “Beyond Forgetting”. Im one woman who would volunteer my age, at 75. For I am still young at heart and I still relish the verses of “Beyond Forgetting”. The first stanza is still fresh in my memory and fresher still is the owner of the voice dominating the airwaves in those days when reciting “Beyond Forgetting” was the fad. The owner of that voice is younger than i am and every time she would express herself on air through that poem, several years back, listeners (including me) would be glued to our hearts. She is no less than my bff, the famous Ardy Araneta Batoy. I knew her as a little girl at St. Joseph College. And i know her still, much more so now that she is my editor.
Yes, “Beyond Forgetting” and these are some of the lines: For a moment I thought I could forget you. For a moment I thought I could still the restlessness in my heart. I thought the past could no longer haunt me nor hurt me. How wrong i was. For the past no matter how distant, is life itself and we are so much a part of that life. During those days, on Valentine’s Day, the airwaves were filled with love poems and love songs with the singular voice of then Ardy Araneta. She was not yet a Batoy. Those were the days when courtship was done thru the pen written on a scented and coloured linen paper.There was also a “song hits” of love letters that boys used – for them to copy the beautiful love lines t express their feelings to their one or many objects of love. If one was not familiar with the “song hits”, the recipient of the love notes would believe that the sender wrote beautiful original lines. Makatu-o pud to usahon.
This Valentine’s Day celebration of 2022, I received a call from a dear friend in Tacloban. Seldom would he call me. I was just surprised of the sudden call. Nahadluk hinoon ko kay usually pareho ra ba gyud ug telegrama kaniadto nga kasagaran telegrama kay naay mamatay.
This was the call: “Mana Telly pls look at your messenger. Penny kept the things you and my mom made for valentines when I was courting her. She is sending thru your messenger. And now we have 5 children. The eldest is already a certified public accountant and in singapore taking up her masters in business administration as a scholar of Ayala corporation. There are pictures in your messenger on Penny’s organic garden right at home and picture also of our sheep farm in Tacloban? But what was tragic here was that I could not see the pictures since the wifi connection was not working as an aftermath of Odette. The one who called me was Robert and Penny is his wife. They are both Filipino-Chinese and part of Taclobans 400. Mana Azon (Robert’s mom) wanted to find a girl for Robert. And she had a girl in mind — Penny – our neighbour in Tacloban. I also can vouch for Penny. So Mana Azon and I, started our drama for Robert and Penny – 30 years ago. The fan and the box? Well Penny had kept these all those years. What was missing now were the orchids on the fan. The chocolates bars and the perfume on the red tray could not be found anymore. The flowers did not come from a flowershop. It was Mana anon who put in the chocolate bars and the bottle of perfume. How all these were delivered to Penny? I was not anymore part of that drama, anymore.
I attended their wedding later part of 1992.
Thirty years after (Valentine’s Day of 2022), Robert and Penny called me using the mobile phone. “Hi Mana Telly, happy valentines! Do you remember the flowers you made for Robert to give to me? I kept them all these years. Thank you Mana Telly. Penny” Imagine, that was 30 yrs ago. A marriage happened due to the drama of their mom — Mana Azon and me. And now they have successful children. Am very happy I am part of their “forever”.
All these are part of “Beyond Forgetting”!
