My Other Sister
I was confined in a hospital for pneumonia a couple of years back, and I got this text from her. Apparently she learned I was in the hospital so she asked how I was, and if I needed help. I recall vaguely my reply, I think I said, 'Well, sis, I feel like I am dying'. Her reply was, 'di bale, sis, pag namatay ka, akin na lang yung mga anak mo'. What do you say to that? I was speechless, because I expected her to say the usual things people say when you are wallowing in self-pity, for example, 'Don't say that, you are not going to die', or something sugarcoated so that you would feel reassured. After a few seconds, I got my balance back and I was so glad she said that. Aside from it being soooo cute, her reply was the most reassuring thing I heard from anyone in my lifetime.
Not only is she the mother of my Ana's boyfriend, Wilquin, she has always been a friend. Decades back. We were not really close friends back then but now is a different story. The Ana-Wilquin loveteam, of course, made our friendship take another level. Our kids met in high school and their getting together was a matter of 'it's a small world' incident. Our kids did not plan to fall in love with each other, needless to say. They did, and they just happened to be 'ours'.
So I got to know her better, our encounters more often because of the loveteam. She is the soft-spoken type, but she does not sugarcoat anything, as can be gleaned from my earlier anecdote. She says things as they are, which to me is a breath of fresh air in this artificial world. She is genuinely kind and caring, she does not hold back affection from her sons, and even with mine. She is not ashamed to shed tears while seeing Wilquin off each Sunday when he needs to go back to school, even if she knows that their separation will just be for a week? I see that she is that kind of 'Tita' also with her neices and nephews. She extends her hand to help, you don't need to ask. She gets so jealous when I post pictures of Ana and me with Wilquin on facebook, such that I overdo that at times, hahaha. She's funny, and oh so real. She is a very simple lady yet so bursting with love from the inside.
So Happy Birthday to the sister I shall bequeath my children to, when I shall pass. What you told me that day in the hospital is the best gift of friendship: peace of mind. When the time comes that I cannot be Mom to Ana and Balong anymore, I know that you will take care of them both. While I am still here, though, do know that I keep in my heart all that you have given me; the lessons of patience and humility, the honesty of who you are, the simplicity by which you embrace your life. I wish I had all those, sister, because those who are part of our lives deserve no less than someone like you are. I look forward to many more years of sisterhood. May God You and Your Family, Happy Birthdaaayyy!
Not only is she the mother of my Ana's boyfriend, Wilquin, she has always been a friend. Decades back. We were not really close friends back then but now is a different story. The Ana-Wilquin loveteam, of course, made our friendship take another level. Our kids met in high school and their getting together was a matter of 'it's a small world' incident. Our kids did not plan to fall in love with each other, needless to say. They did, and they just happened to be 'ours'.
So I got to know her better, our encounters more often because of the loveteam. She is the soft-spoken type, but she does not sugarcoat anything, as can be gleaned from my earlier anecdote. She says things as they are, which to me is a breath of fresh air in this artificial world. She is genuinely kind and caring, she does not hold back affection from her sons, and even with mine. She is not ashamed to shed tears while seeing Wilquin off each Sunday when he needs to go back to school, even if she knows that their separation will just be for a week? I see that she is that kind of 'Tita' also with her neices and nephews. She extends her hand to help, you don't need to ask. She gets so jealous when I post pictures of Ana and me with Wilquin on facebook, such that I overdo that at times, hahaha. She's funny, and oh so real. She is a very simple lady yet so bursting with love from the inside.
So Happy Birthday to the sister I shall bequeath my children to, when I shall pass. What you told me that day in the hospital is the best gift of friendship: peace of mind. When the time comes that I cannot be Mom to Ana and Balong anymore, I know that you will take care of them both. While I am still here, though, do know that I keep in my heart all that you have given me; the lessons of patience and humility, the honesty of who you are, the simplicity by which you embrace your life. I wish I had all those, sister, because those who are part of our lives deserve no less than someone like you are. I look forward to many more years of sisterhood. May God You and Your Family, Happy Birthdaaayyy!
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