Papa’s 7th Anniversary July 12, 2009
Posted by jennipot in Life.trackback
Even though it’s now 7 years since Papa passed away, I still find myself forgetting that he’s not in this world anymore. When I make a decision or think of something, I hold mental conversations with him.
Life with Papa was not very easy, but I always knew since I was young that I’m the daughter who’s closest to him. As a kid, he would take me to his gimiks with his drinking buddies when they hang out in one of their homes to eat & drink San Miguel. Either I play with one of the kids there or I just amuse myself. He would take me to his pelota games and buy me a Kobe Chicken (any of you old enough to remember?). It stopped when I hit puberty. I think one of his friends told him to stop bringing me since I’m already growing up.
Fond memories:
1. When I was around 6 years old, he took me to Unimart, just me & him, and let me buy whatever I want. The whole cart was filled with toys and junk food. I remember he paid P150 for the whole thing, and when I got home my sisters wanted some, and I was super reluctant to share! I remember this grape flavored chip by Jack n Jill, yummy 
I can still smell the flavoring. My father never experienced the mall craze, when we used to go out there were no malls.
2. Papa taking all of us to take the Love Bus to SM Cubao and eat at the food court there. Again, no malls yet. The fare was P2.50… we would eat at Sizzling Plate.
3. Me running out of our apartment to run after Papa, catching him waiting for the elevator, asking for P1 or P2 so I can buy “Chippy”, “Barbeque Curls” at the sari-sari store (P0.60 per pack only before) and the rest, candies! He’d always give me some
4. Me asking Papa what does “putang ina” mean and him sputtering. One time when we’re in China, some guy approached him offering “ho-pien and gu-pien”. When I asked him what those are, he was laughing and sputtering at the same time. Then when I kept at it, he said “That is the t*t*(p*nis) of the ho(tiger) and the gu (cow). LOL!
5. Papa giving me a hard time when I wanted a debut party, but once convinced, danced the waltz with me at the party, and made a VERY short speech saying to me: “Be careful… you are now 18!”. I think he got nervous because he was quite tipsy when he did that. I was the eldest, so when the 2nd daughter (Mimi) was turning 18, HE insisted she has a debut party. Hehehehe
6. Papa getting all teary eyed and telling me to stay when I packed up my bags to leave after he broke his promise and hit me even though I told him to stop doing that coz I’m old already. Oh boy that was hard for him to do (pride). It was kinda funny coz I kept saying “what I can’t hear” and he repeated it about 3 times before he realized I was pulling his leg. By the way I packed 4 suitcases by the time he decided to ask so it was hassle unpacking again hahaha
7. Papa catching me on the phone in the middle of the night still making telebabad with the love of my life (not my boyfriend though) and scolding the hell out of me.
8. When I was 14, used to go to school really early to spend time with my boyfriend, he’d wait for me downstairs. I’d tell Papa I am going early to be one of the “cleaners” of our classroom (yeah right). One day I slipped and my whole leg fell into the sewer. Had to come home, and of course he met my boyfriend for the first time. He got mad of course, but after a while he came to like my boyfriend especially because he’s a reporter in a Chinese newspaper, so Papa would get the basketball results without watching TV. When we broke up Papa got mad at me. 
9. When I started my business at 19 years old, he kept telling me that I will fail. How can I earn P0.50 per piece? I’m too young. In 6 months I earned P80,000. I used half of it to invest it back into the business, the other half I bought the most top of the line TV and betamax (yeah I’m old). When he saw, he called me to his room, not to scold, but to ask me to buy him a set too. When I got to Sony, I called him and told him it would be nice if we have a Laser Disc, he agreed. When I got home I told him, you know Papa, you would have trouble operating it because you don’t like reading manuals. Voila! I got a LaserDisc in my room, in exchange I have to tape the movies for him to watch in HIS room. Good deal huh? Anyway I also found out that he was telling his friends how I was able to start my own business (I didn’t have to borrow any capital from him). When I had my own store, he took me to Binondo to buy my desk.
10. Papa turning green when he found a denture in his noodles. He was horrified that the cook from our favorite noodle house would drop his dentures in our food (we were home it was take out). I looked at him, then looked at the dentures, and told him it was his. I can still remember his face, how he tried his best to keep from laughing (he felt he had to look stern all the time) and my tummy aching from laughing so hard. He tried to salvage his dignity and went to wash his dentures, put it back on, and ate the noodles.
11. Papa crying when I hugged him, when we had to separate because of the mess that happened to our family. I think that was the 2nd time only that he left me hug him as an adult. The 1st time was when he agreed to let me have my debut party. I never saw him cry before that.
12. Calesa trips with Papa and the whole family to watch Chinese movies in Escolta or Ongpin. No malls then. I would sit with Papa, and my mom and 2 sisters would ride another calesa ( I got too big). Last full show then late late dinner at San Jacinto in T.Pinpin.
13. When we were kids we fight over Savory chicken. One day he had enough so he ordered Savory chicken every night thinking we will soon get sick of it. He had to order 2 coz I could finish one on my own (I’m bad). We’re now on our way to 40’s and we still love Savory chicken. Too bad Papa 
14. After the tragedy, I was already working as a developer. In one of our rare meetings (he lived far away) he told me he would disown me if I go work abroad. After a few months, I remember it was just me & him by the beach (entrance was P2 per head), Jared was playing on the beach, and we were talking. He said that if that’s where my heart is and I am confident that I can handle it, then he will let me go.
That was the last time I spent time with him, after a few months I was told he had cancer. He was lucky because he didn’t suffer much. But he never really saw her daughters recover, or his son finish high school. Of us 3 daughters he worried about me most because he felt bad I guess that I am still single. At that time I was making a small salary. I wish he saw me get promoted. I hope he’s watching over us til now and happy about what we have achieved. He started as a “kargador” and became a successful businessman before the tragedy. His kids also started from nothing and did come out surviving as well. What makes me sad is that he had to lose everything he and my mom worked for because of another person’s selfishness, but that’s another story.
His funeral was very simple, done in a province. None of his friends were there, because by then we couldn’t ask them to come. It was a far cry with what I have always envisioned for him, in my mind it would be something similar to a “Mano Po” funeral. There were no wreaths, but his neighbors brought flowers from their homes, told me how generous he was, even though he was poor. Whatever he had he’d always been willing to share, even the pancit my mom would cook for him. I quit smoking when he died. I had to sleep beside his coffin when we close for the day at the funeral parlor. I was there for about 10 days. He never knew I smoked, so I didn’t want him to “find out”. When I went back to Manila, I just don’t have the urge anymore, so why do I have to smoke right?
Mind you, he had flaws. But one thing I never doubted ever, is how much he loved us, how much he loved me. The only way I know how to pay tribute to my father, is to become the best person I can be. And as he always said (I say this a lot to people I work with and train), “Whatever you hear from me, those that are right, keep them. If they’re wrong, just throw them away.” I kept all the good things he taught me, and I hope he’s proud of me. I can also say that in this life, I still haven’t met a man who loved me more than he did.
I miss you Papa.
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