Moved on to Marvelous Life

I am the youngest in the family of eight which includes my parents.  I spent my early childhood in two different places, Getafe and Tagbilaran City.  In Getafe we lived in a big wooden 2-storey house and we "own" one room with a stairway that would lead to the basement which serves as our kitchen.  It was a dirty kitchen and there was no flooring. And there was a big dog named War who would sit on the uppermost staircase looking down at us while we ate and beside War was a big orange cat named Oblada. I have several cousins in that big house two boys about my age and they would come and we would play on weekends. And there were also younger siblings of my father whom I have known to be his half-brothers and half-sisters. I also have fond memories of Lola Dora my father's step mother. She was a stern woman, hard-working and whenever I have fever I remember her giving a massage with a peculiar touch of relief. I learned to weave mat in that house she was so skilled on that. She would also prepare some raw young seeds of "ipil-ipil" (Leucaena leucocephala) mixed with brown sugar for deworming.  We have no choice but to eat it rather than be bullied as "gebitok".

As a child and being the youngest on weekdays I was usually left at home with older women as my mother would go to work as a teacher and my father was away to find some jobs. These women who would serve as my caretaker would let me drink sweet tuba.  I only knew this later and realized that sometime after moving to the city I had my share of addiction towards vinegar. But there was one vivid memory which I also happen to recall later in my growing up years that I was sexually molested by one of my uncles. I carried and buried the memory of it when we transferred to the city.  I started schooling, making good friends in the neighborhood, having fun in the rain, mixing with most boys in "gambling" sessions using playing cards and our "money" are cigarette wrappers, the more expensive the cigarette the more valuable is the wrapper which we would use as our "money" to buy and play.  We have our own economy then. And then we would play cans, marbles and "shato" and the boys would play rubber bands. The longer the chain of rubber bands the skillful you become. Then Bebie, Aling and me tried hiking to the airport (with sweet potato to fill our stomach) to the local airport just to get a closer glimpse of an airplane.  My childhood was pure happiness with the neighbor's laughter.

I thought that it has no effect at all but I realized when I started to question my "other side" and why I have such. I took years of researching and struggling and seeking answers to questions which I thought would not end. I rarely talk about it and the first time I was able to talk it out was with a group and I thought it was the start of healing but only that it was not properly handled by an expert or perhaps I thought I was okay and that there is no need for professional help.

But as years went by I was still the same hiding the "other side. I was a projection of a different person.  And through the years with so much analyzing and researching and personal and inward healing I have successfully overcome the "other side" of me. Few close people knew it until now. Time passes, time heals. My uncle died recently but due to distance my forgiveness was not conveyed, may he rest in peace, while I go on and moved on to my marvelous life.