PART 2 OF MY NEW STORY

A WOMAN FROM YESTERDAY

Val woke up as the sun was just starting to paint a canvas of warm colours on the eastern horizon. He wanted to arrive early in the docks where the steamer from Zamboanga would drop anchor. Traveling in Manila streets at about 5:30 or 6:00 am would help him avoid the rush of pedestrians and vehicles. Pier no. 1 was a walking distance from his home and he knew the shortcuts in order to save time and legwork.

While walking, he recollected his last day in Zamboanga and why his family was left behind…

On the morning of his last day, he invited Cris to visit his hideaway in the woods near the Durian Plantation. And what child could not relish an outdoor expedition with his Father?
After saying a short good bye to Marrieta, Father and Son walked towards a clump of trees, consisting mostly of acacia, narra, palm trees ( used for extracting tuba ) and other wild fruit bearing ones. When they reached the canopy of intertwining branches, they heard a cacophony of chattering tropical birds in an endless chatter coming from the lofty branches. Each bird seem to be able to communicate to another one of the same feather.
After 20 minutes, they arrived at the clearing. The nipa hut which was built by his father during his youth was still there. Then Val challenged his son to a race. Naturally Cris won because he could run like a rabbit being chased by a dog.
The interior of the hut was well maintained. There must be a worker taking care of it. In a small kitchen with wide windows were clay cooking utensils: pots, pans stoves and a big vat for boiling water. A supply of dried firewood was neatly piled on one side.
“Can I go to the woods, Father?” asked Cris.
“Yes,just be careful of the king cobra. It is rampant in this parts. “Do not worry,I will be careful..” he said without any fear. Then he took off again towards some underbrush.
Val continued examining the nipa hut. The floor was made of split bamboo, the walls were sawali, the roof was made of thatches of cogon grass. He jumped up and down, and the building hardly shook.
Then came a shrill scream from Cris..
Val jumped out of an open window into the ground and called out very loud, “Cris!! Where are you?”
When he answered, Val followed the direction of the voice. His blood ran cold when he saw him lying on the grass, writhing and clutching his tummy..
Val kneeled beside him and Cris confessed he has just eaten a fruit he picked from a bush. Minutes later, the felt a pain like his stomach is being squeezed by an iron hand. Two more fruits were beside him..
Suddenly another figure appeared. He was about 30 years old, neatly dressed, carrying a leather satchel and a basket of basket of leaves and flowers.
He rushed to the boy, examined the fruit beside him and said: “This fruit is poisonous to both animals and humans. But do not worry, I think I have an antidote in my satchel.”
He took put a bottle and poured some of its contents into the boy’s mouth.
Immediately, Cris gagged, coughed and puked out the contents of his stomach, including the breakfast he just had that morning.
When he stopped vomiting, he closed his eyes again. “Feel better?” the man asked and the boy nodded..
“What’s your name, sir?” Val asked the man.
“Just call me Pepe,” was his answer. “He is okay now. Just let him rest for two days.”
“Thank you, Pepe.” said Val. “I guess he will stay behind. I am supposed to go back to Manila with him and my wife this afternoon. My work is urgently waiting for me there.”
“How much do I owe you,?” asked Val.
“I can not accept your payment. But thank you, anyway. I did not do much. Tell you what, just raise him to be a strong upright man. The youth is the hope of our country. Its future is in their hands.”
“What is his name?,” asked Pepe.
　
“Cris. My name is Valerio or Val. His full name is Crisostomo.”
Pepe smiled. “That is a very good name,” he said with a smile.
“What are you doing in these parts?” asked Val.
Pepe answered: “My hobby is studying plants, especially the medicinal ones. People need medicine and the safest ones come from plants..”
　

Then Val’s walk and thoughts were interrupted by a voice who called from his left as he was crossing an intersection. Pier 1 is just a few minutes away.
“Valerio Costales. Is that you?” called out a woman’s voice.
He turned to his left and saw a woman standing , looking at him with a extremely surprised look.---#
( to be continued )
　

a new short story

fiction by VDC

A CHILD OF THE SUN RETURNS


Valerio Costales felt like dancing on the streets when he learned from a newly arrived neighbour that his wife Marrieta and his son Cris are already aboard a steamer on their way to Manila from Zamboanga.
For he has just spent a very lonely Christmas. His family was left in his parents house in Zamboanga in . But he had to leave because his furlough was about to end and he did not want to lose his job in Manila.

His parents owned a wide hacienda surrounding an enormous house managed by several servants. He knew that they were in good hands. But sleeping alone in their small rented house in Plaza Santa Cruz could be a nightmare. He would wake up every half hour after dreaming of his son Cris playing in that clearing beside his parents’ plantation of Durian trees. The Costales family in Zamboanga was known by many merchants because of the variety of fruits which were harvested all year round.


Valerio or Val grew up in this affluent household, never doing any kind of manual work. Aside from the workers who worked in the plantation, there were so many servants who would cook, do the laundry scrub the house clean and during the hot, humid months, they would make you feel cool with some huge fans while the family are having lunch .

But inspite of such comfort in his surroundings, He decided to leave someday for Manila. And that day came when he turned 21.

. He wanted adventure, a job with which he can earn his own money. Plus he want to see the sights which we can never see in Zamboanga. Unwillingly, his father give him his blessings and a few days after, he already found himself in Manila after several days aboard a small steamer.


AH MANILA!..He was not dissapointed. It has the glitz and excitement of a cosmopolitan community. There were many foreigners and there were tall buildings which sold all kinds of goodies.

He went to an address given to him by his father. He was a close family friend. With a few connections, Val found a job in the local police force, because keeping peace and order is always an issue in Manila, or in any other big city in the world. His robust physique ( he grew up doing swimming, hunting and other kinds of sports in Zamboanga ) got him a job 2 days after his arrival. He learned within a week hand to hand combat as well as the use of small and big firearms.

After getting his first pay, he looked for his own dwelling place somewhere in Plaza Santa Cruz which is close to his station in Intramuros. Everyday he is assigned to specific duty together with another officer. His take home pay was always supplemented by money from his parents who were just too happy to help him out. He promised them that someday, he would be returning to Zamboanga to take care of the family business.

After two weeks, he met a beautiful girl from Pangasinan. She was well mannered, of the right age and they seem to be good for each other. She has also a steady job as a cashier in a restaurant which catered to the rich folks in Manila.

They dated for a while and then they decided to live together in order to save on the rental money. She moved in to his pad in Plaza Sta. Cruz. They did not care whether they were together without marriage. They were in Manila, where many couples are living together well, without the benefit of marriage.

Both of them were in the right age and they love each other.

He told his parents about his decision and informed them too that someday, they will visit them ( with their children if they will be blessed with any ) and they might have the proper marriage ceremony there in Zamboanga.---#

( to be continued )

Marcie's photos with the late Cory Aquino

REMEMBERING CORY AQUINO


Marcie Uson-Wise, in a group photo with the late Cory Aquino's entourage and guests...

Marcie, Cory and David Wise, Marcie's husband...

David and Cory..Talking about politics, maybe? David works as a diplomat for the US government..

One for the camera...and posterity...

Hawaiian photos

PHOTOS FROM MY HAWAIIAN HOLIDAY


A view from the bottom..Hawaii is abundant with trees, all shapes, sizes and species!

There was this dog who loved surfing..The board is being pushed by his master..

Diamond head as seen from the air ( during our departure )

Mr. Pogi! These wahines are dying to meet ya!!

The surfing dog, on shore at last..Nice view, don't you think?..I am refering to the shoreline...:)

more to come...

a short poem by VDC

Midnight

Midnight comes, it is the bewitching hour when
Dreams become real, and love unfolds
Like a rose opening its wet petals, to sip
Hungrily the nectar from another flower..

Dreams claw to reach the hand of a loved one
Eager to clasp it tightly like a living vine
Winding its snake like fingers, unwilling to
Release its grasp, unwilling to let go

My eyes searched for the glowing orbs
That shone like two blue diamonds
Illuminating the ebony mantle of a fleeting hour,

An excitement that throbs like a fresh wound

Because true love can never be suppressed
It wriggles out of the rock that tries
To crush it, Rising like a Phoenix ,

reviving from the burning coals

Of dripping Passion….

night trip AROUND VANCOUVER....

....WITH VANCE NORIEGA

Vance is a long time resident in Vancouver. He is an Accountant but presently he went on his own to operate an agency supplying Tagalog media materials ( DVDs, books, magazines ) to various libraries all over Canada.. Toronto Public Library is his biggest account where DVD is concerned. He said he met Rudy Antonio a long time ago..

Here are a few night shots around Vancouver when we went riding around with Vance..We went to Stanley Park, to Lion's Gate Bridge, then up to WestVancouver to visit Rain's old "home" ( which we never saw because it was getting dark ). But the British Properties, the original home of the BCs founding Fathers all Brits, is on top of a hill and it boasts of big houses and big lots..Jeez, only those who are really crapping money can afford a residence here..

Then we passed by these streets on our way to the English bay, then UBC and finally back to Vancouver at Susan's boarding house....

( click the photos to enlarge them... )

Among the Canadian cities, Vancouver seems to be the one with the most Asian population. It is not surprising because it is the gateway to Canada for most airlines coming from the Far East. Public transportation within the city is quite simple to follow: the streets are laid out in a simple grid pattern. Unlike London or maybe New York, the skytrain comes in two coaches linked together and in frequent intervals ( maybe 2 minutes ).

The weather is also a boon. Gardeners can tend their flowers or vegetables almost all year round. Unlike Toronto which offers only a few months of Spring-Summer weather.

It is not surprising that Miggie and I are now looking at the MLS listings for Vancouver. Maybe we will pull out our stakes here in Toronto and acquire a modest property here in this verdant city along the Pacific coast.---#

the unforgettable KARAOKE NIGHT

( CLICK THE PHOTOS WITH YOUR MOUSE TO ENLARGE THEM.....)

The Karaoke night started as just a simple sing along session..When it ended several hours later, it bonded the singers.. It shows how strong the power of music can be. It helps you listen with your heart, understand with your mind and believe with your whole being in the love for people, especially with whom you spent some happy moments together..

I was so happy to be a part of it. I did not have to sing very well ( seemed I lost the " musical urge" this night.).But all of the ladies sang very well! During the last song, someone suggested they sing as a group and they did it so beautifully. They sang as one.

I am not trying to win points here. I was a choirmaster for a long time, and I can tell whether a group could sing or not!..Music unlock certain hidden emotions and when after it creeps out, the others sort of emphatized..Can not tell everything..You have to be there to know what I am talking about!..I punched in the numbers of my favorite songs, ones which are too high or too hard for me to do.

When I asked some of the singers to do it, they obliged.Yes, they did the best they could to interprete the song, and the voices that night is still in my memory. Songs like HOW COULD I TELL HER ABOUT YOU by LOBO, SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH ( Dan Hill ) WORDS ( BeeGees ) GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME ( sang by Miggie ). My biggest delight of all is when I punched the numbers of HOTEL CALIFORNIA and someone sang it doing the melody so well. Edgar and his wife obliged us also with one song

Rain finally volunteered to do WHEN I NEED YOU ( Leo Sayer ) and Angela said "You should pour your feelings out, all that you can..You have the voice and talent for singing." I believed what she said..It was the first time I heard Angela too and she could also emote well while singing a sentimental ballad..To all the ladies and the gentlemen who sang for almost 7 hours ( with 1 hour supper break ), I tip my cap to all of you and say "Good show everyone..Keep on singing until you could not sing anymore .

******

Must not forget to mention that Rudy can also whip a good tune with a good tenor voice. He did a couple of them. MY WAY I think was one of them. Earlier that afternoon, he related to me that he spent four years of his life ( he was already a Canadian at that time ) residing in Asingan, helping build up the community right after the end of the Martial Law. The anecdotes of his life in Pangasinan were very interesting. Some were bone chilling. He locked horns with some big politicians. In the end he knew he had to go back to Canada. He said he made it back, by a very close shave!----#

At the Guilford Sheraton

A NIGHT OF NIGHTS....

I escorted two beautiful ladies that night, but had only one chance to dance..Was busy with my camera..Another good alibi not to trip the light fantastic...:D..

A winsome threesome!

A Toast for a wonderful Reunion and Holiday in BC....!!

Another winsome threesome!

The Man of the Hour!

Memories, they say is like wine..They mellow and taste sweeter with age.Everyone had a private and personal box of mementos of that night. I enjoyed watching people dance and be happy!..

They looked different the next day sans their dancing outfits. That goes without saying. The ambiance of a dance hall is different from that of a picnic knoll.

The next morning, we went to Rudy's house for a breakfast in his gazebo. It has a piped in music through speakers connected to his home stereo. I did not know til then that he is also a stereo buff like me.

So our karaoke session in the living room ( which took place after the picnic ) was also heard by the neighbours outside unless the outside speakers were cut off when the evening got late and the singing was just beginning to warm up. We left for Vancouver at around 12:00 midnight. I heard the singing went on and on until 2:00 am...

It was really a nice affair. Many participants went back to their homes south of the border after a day or two.

But for us, the end of the reunion was just the beginning of our 5 day sojourn in Vancouver, BC. Indeed, I won't be able to forget those days even if I will try to!!----#

scenes from a dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rUQBukwj4s at the dance floor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSPrrrsf8tU Maria sings THE PRAYER


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsiaQOb6zpw the MACARENA!