Stories Of My Father (5/10)

I was raised by Papa with this one rule, among only a few: any child does not have the right to answer her/his parents back when scolded. Specifically, he told me once, in my teenage years, after I let my position known to Mama about some issue she raised concerning me: 'Right or wrong she may be, you have no right to do that to your mother.' From then, it was clear to all of us siblings. That was the rule when you have Edgar as a father. 

Of course, among us, it was Beks who was most stubborn about that rule. She has always been the outspoken one, even when we were kids. Allan and I endured in silence each time we were yelled at. In tears, most of the time. Well, Kring was pretty much spoiled so she rarely heard raised voices. 

I say all these to surface this point: Papa's devotion to Mama I have not seen in any other man in my lifetime. When he passed, we imagined that maybe, like in the movies, Papa had another family who would pop out of nowhere and pay their last respects. We siblings agreed that should that happen, we had to find someone who can sedate Mama the fastest (really), and let 'that' family see Papa. We thought that if ever Papa had one in the remotest possibility, it was not their fault. Why on earth would we deprive them of seeing Papa for the last time? 

I know what you are all waiting for. No. There was no 'other' family who came to his wake.