As I boarded the plane to Iloilo, there was not really much a feeling of excitement or anything. Aside from the usual uneasiness upon take-off and getting over that tinge of fear in flying on my system, there was not much for me to look forward to. It was a business trip and nobody enjoys business trips especially when you know that you are going to work yourself to death upon touch down. Good thing the boss wasn’t there. Otherwise she would have turned the plane into one flying office…hahaha!!!
But things changed the moment I stepped into the airport. The cool breeze of the early August morning and the lush green rice fields are a treat to my eyes. Suddenly I was warped into this paradise that made me not think of work or of the hustle and bustle of Manila. The sweet smiles of the people, especially the porters are also a treat. An astonishing difference from those in Manila actually.
Iloilo is not as bad as I thought. The weather is fine, the people are nice (though we had problems with the language barrier), and the food is great. But there is one thing about that trip that I looked forward to. Miag-ao was at the back of my head the moment I checked sat on that plane. It was also the place I asked our driver when we got off the plane. I found out that it was an hour ride from the city and from what I heard; it’s just a small town. The two distinguishing landmarks that set it apart from the other towns in the province are the
Miag-ao Church and the
University of the Philippines campus in Visayas.
Miag-ao, Iloilo was the place where my fiancée spent part of her adolescent years. I would always joke that she had quite an amusing and sometimes pathetic childhood. But those are just jokes. Christine’s stories of her spending two years of high school and one year in college have always amused me. How she and her sister would unwillingly sell bananas in their neighborhood and her dad catching frogs for her biology class always catches my fancy. And at the back of my head, I’d like to go to that place and see for myself how it was for her, a true blue Manila girl, to be in a very provincial setting.
Just imagine my joy when by some stroke of fate, my name was dropped from the meeting to take care of some trivial matter for my previous office. Much more, I have two of my best friends at work joining me. The first thought in my head was to go to Miag-ao. The hell I care if I have never been there, I am so bent on going there. Come to think of it, I never felt any apprehension going through such an adventure, considering it was my first time there. It’s not like Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur but still the place is foreign to me.
Using that sketchy directions Christine gave to me over Gtalk and tons of confidence that I will not get lost, I dragged my friends with me to Miag-ao. The jeepney ride was quite long, making occasional stops to every town we would pass by. From there, I got to appreciate the country side. The view of the ocean and the mountain is breathtaking, very much like my home province Zambales but also quite distinct as Iloilo countryside is less developed. Just the same, I was so sold on going there and meet Christine’s dad and his family. I have only met him once but I don’t really remember if he still remembers me. I mean she and I weren’t officially a couple yet back then and I don’t think her dad paid much attention when she introduced me some three years ago. Still I had no qualms. I just have to meet her dad and introduce myself formally.
After what seems to be an eternity of stops and gos, and hearing people saying
sa lugar lang instead of the usual
para!, we finally reached our destination. On an idle Saturday afternoon, Miag-ao seemed like a ghost town from those
Panday movies I saw during my childhood. Apart from the towering Miag-ao church, nothing much seems interesting at the town square. People might be doing their
siesta that’s why not much is in sight. And then I met him.
With CJ, Papa, Gian and Jean.
Skin is dark and aged; he seemed to have lost much of the vigor from his early days. Christine’s dad pretty much looked like her actually. They’ve got the same face, eyes, know and even the shape of the face. With him are his wife and sons, a one year old named Gian and a fiver year old CJ. I was actually laughing inside thinking that some years back, it was Christine, her sister and her now deceased mother that are with him. Years of hardship has evidently left their mark on his face. Still I saw joy and smile on his face when he met me and I took his right hand to ask for his blessing. Was it me or he was just being courteous.
The following moments are surreal and exciting. Her dad gave us a tour of the UP Campus where Christine once lived. Suddenly I was brought inside her stories as I stared at the employees housing compound where they once lived and imagined two skinny girls selling bananas at someone else’s doorstep. I also imagined her pulling out weeds at the old administration building for an org application requirement or their entire family enjoying the beach by the laboratories while their dad scrubs soot off the pots and pans. And then I thought of the two little boys that were with us at the moment. I asked myself if they also did those things with him? Did they also swim by that same beach or pull out weeds off some building’s grounds? Maybe they are too young for those things but will they also be doing those in the future? I don’t know. One thing is for sure though; I have to go back to that place. I have to bring her back here just before we face our future together.
Flying back to Manila.
As the plane took off the following day, I thought of my youth. My insecurities and discontent have always shamed me and that one hour experience with her dad humbled me in more ways than I imagined. I would always say that her childhood was pathetic, but in reality, mine was no different. Come to think of it, she made the most of it. I on the other hand had all that I needed yet rarely saw delight on what I had. That experience taught me a lot and made me examine myself and how I wanted my family to be. It made me think also that I want to go back and this time, let Christine take my hand as we walk towards our future together. And amidst the hurricane speed life that I lead right now, that experience made me stand up and tell myself to slow down, appreciate the things on the side, and its not too late to say Sa lugar lang.
