Instead af blogging about my recent vacation (I still need to resize the photos), I decided to write this. You’ll see why if you continue to read.

Today, back in 1979 when my mum was supposed to meet up with a house seller when the latter suddenly announced that she’s changed her mind and decided not to sell the house my mum had her eyes on. That was in the afternoon, banks were already closed. Since my mum withdrew the payment for the house (as per requested by the house seller, ‘payment in cash’) she was stuck with the amount for 2 days (May 2 was holiday in the Philippines.) Plan was to deposit the money on the 3rd.

Since May 2nd, the following day was a holiday like I said, the whole family (except for my grandma, grandpa and an aunt) decided to spend the day on the beach just outside Manila. I clearly remember that day because it started out pretty exciting for us kids. Until I became nervous just before lunch time that when my mother saw me on my own by the shore and not joining my siblings playing in the water, she then asked why I wasn’t playing, I answered: ‘there’s something going on, I’m scared’.

I became quiet and did not enjoy the rest of the day anymore.

It was time to go back home and in the vehicle, I saw a black cat crossing the street that I became more agitated (you know, the tale of the jinxed-black-cat? ) I was pretty alert the entire journey back home, probably since I wasn’t really exhausted from playing.

We then reached the street leading to our apartment. It was dark, jammed with people mainly uzis (usiseros/usiseras), firetrucks and firefighters.

We had nothing to come home to. Just a pile of black ash, muddy wet ash. Barrickading the lot where the apartment used to stand were people from the barangay hall to keep the looters away. Especially requested by my grandma when she heard shouts during the fire: “sa kuarto ng seaman, sa kuarto ng seaman!” (“inside the seaman’s bedroom”) My father was a known seaman in our area back then, ‘was earning okay. But he was away during the fire.

I couldn’t entirely undestand what was going on because it was overwhelmingly chaotic and dark, it was like a scene from a movie. Though I knew it was huge when I saw my mum silently crying (seldom seen her cry) and kept whispering about the cash in her bedroom. Indeed, when we entered the space where her bedroom was, some firefighters pointed out a pile of cash neatly on top of each other, half burnt. Worthless. And almost all our childhood memories were gone except for few pictures which I keep close to me up to present…made copies of them.

Ah…..maybe because I’m a bit under the weather that’s why this unjolly entry. But May 1 & 2 are dates I could never ever forget. By the way, it was an arson case.

spared picpriceless picture of me with my siblings

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up entry, lotsa happy thoughts, my vacation!

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