By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
SINGLE SEAT
Eversince first class trips became available here, Pia’s instructions whenever I reserve for her is to get the single seat, the one with no neighbor. When I went to the Victory Liner station this morning, all the single seats have been taken so I got the one with an adjoining seat. When I got home, I told her: “Awan ti naabutak a single seat. Ken madi kano met laeng dagiti single nga agtugaw iti single seat ta karkaro dida makabirok.” (All single seats were taken. And allegedly, single seats are not recommended for singles because all the more they could not find someone.)
FRIDAY GIVES ME A SCARE
Yesterday, I could not find Friday in the house. I looked in all the nooks and crannies where she would most likely be but she was nowhere to be found. Neither in the yard and the adjoining compounds. One of the two carpenters working on Florence’s project said that the cat may have gotten into the ricefields but when I looked, the paddy was several inches deep in water and Friday is deathly scared of water. So I went to see my brother-in-law Mike.
Me: Apay agsidsida dagiti taga-Dilag iti pusa? (Do people in Dilag eat cat meat?)
Mike: Adda met a agsidsida kadakuada. (There are some who do.)
Me: Da ngata Berto ken Wesley? (How about Berto and Wesley?)
Mike: Agsidada a. Apayya? (They eat. Why?)
Me: Awan ngamin diay pusami. (Our cat is gone.)
Mike: Mabainda met a. Nabayagda met agtrabtrabaho kaniak ket ammok nga saanda maaramid. (They will not dare. They have worked for me for sometime and I know they cannot do something like that.)
I went back to the house unconvinced.
My heart sunk even deeper when the workers were going home for lunch and I saw the bulge and weight of the bottom of the backpack of Wesley. I thought that it could be the carcass of Friday. But I hesitated from voicing my suspicion and they left on a motorcycle.
I went back to Mike and told him about the bulge in the bag of Wesley but he assured me that the person cannot do something like that.
All the while, I was starting to grieve over the lost cat telling myself that the loss happened at a time when the cat has already endeared herself to us.
It was good I was able to hold myself from confronting Wesley about the contents of his bag because as Florence and I were about to have lunch, Friday reappeared. She must really have a secret sleeping place in the house.
ONE OF THE SCARIEST MOMENTS OF MY LIFE
During the summer vacation of 1970, I helped in the work in our swidden farm (kaingin) in Cattod, Nambukayan, Tabuk. The implement I used was a bolo which I carried all around almost all the time during my waking hours. In previous years, I had picked up the practice of holding a bolo by its end and throwing it on the trunk of trees in such a way that the end would get planted on the trunk. There was some sort of pleasure in seeing the bolo get stuck on the trunk.
But that particular day, something wrong went with the throw because the bolo bounced back hitting me in the face. For some moments I stood there like a statue not knowing what to do. I was overwhelmed by the thought that if the bolo hit my face sharp side first, my face would now be split. I was afraid to touch my face and find out what happened. But after a while, I summoned enough courage to bring a hand and touch my face. My relief knew no bounds when my hand did not run into blood and a gaping wound.
Needless to say, I stopped the practice of throwing my bolo on trunks for a while.
EARLY MORNING CONVERSATION
I saw myself in the mirror just now and was appalled by the change.
Me: Talaga a lakayakon. Awanen diay guapukon. (I am really old now. My handsomeness is gone.)
Florence: Apay guapoka gayam? (You mean you are handsome?)
Me: Wen met. (Of course.)
Florence: Apay a saanko ammo. (Why do I not know it.)
DATING
While Pia and I were in our customary evening motorcycle ride around random places in the city — she likes the fresh air and the sights which she misses while in the city — we passed by one place where her mom and I had dated during our time. She lightly commented that the practice of dating has no Biblical basis because Biblical characters just got married without such preliminaries. She cited the case of Isaac and Rebecca where the servant sent by Abraham, Isaac’s father, to find a wife for him saw Rebecca at a well and lo and behold, the next thing was that Isaac and Rebecca were husband and wife.
I suggested to her: “No ngay agtambay ka met iti ayan ti well sagpaminsan?”(What if you also linger at wells sometimes?)**
