Teardrops of my Grandparents' Love

SOURCE:https://pixabay.com/en/sunset-nature-waters-dusk-dawn-3087790/

I can say that all of us who have loving grannies are so lucky because we were deeply loved and nurtured by their unfathomable and unconditional love.Grandparents are the most favorite human beings we have here on Earth. And yes, they are spoilers in some instances but that's their fulfillment.

I couldn't imagine life without my grandparents.And in this blog, I have to elaborate how my principles and views in life have been because of my grandparents.I am just so lucky that my I have both my paternal and maternal grandparents who were still alive when till I was in high school.I don't want to be biased in here because I'd want to let my readers see the whole picture of the simplicity of my paternal grandparents and the extravagant living of my maternal grandparents.

I will write this in a novel form.Please get your popcorn please and find a cozy place to read this...So here we go!

My parents were in high school when they met each other. My mom was born in a well-off family with vast plantation of coconuts, sugarcanes and own a rice mill in their place.In the past, when you own a rice mill, that seems to be a status symbol already. Your family is considered a well-off.While my father was the only one child of my grandparents whose life was so simple.They were tenants of a certain landlord who was a politician in our place.

My mom was an introvert while my dad was a cheerful and sociable guy whose having a hearty contagious laugh. My mom was very timid, soft-spoken and submissive.My dad was authoritative, carefree and demanding.They are two people in my life whose personalities are opposites because of how my grandparents raised them.

When my maternal grandparents knew that my mom was pregnant with her first baby they were so frustrated especially that they labeled my father as a spoiled and easy-g0-lucky guy.They were questioning my father's capability to raise his family.My mom was 21 years old at that time and my dad was 28 years old.My mom did not graduate from college and my dad didn't finish his college too because he has to stop school to help his parents on the farm.

News spread like a wildfire in the neighboring barangays about my mom's pregnancy.My paternal grandparents set the date of their wedding, and my paternal grandparents need to do the "pamalayi" ( to formally ask for the bride's hand first. My parents were considered as young at that age at that time to decide for themselves, so my grandparents have to decide about their wedding and everything to prepare them for a new chapter of their lives.

After the wedding, my parents have to live in my paternal grandparents' house.My mom was so lucky that my father's parents are so kind and supportive, she doesn't have any nanny in there but she was taken cared of.My Lola Lourdes, who is my father's mom, used to cook for the foods she's craving and my Lolo Dolfo, who is my father's dad, was the one who finds fruits that she was craving. Everything went on so smooth, and my elder sister was born.

It was the most ecstatic feeling my grandparents felt when they finally had their very first grandchild.They forgot the conflict and united to be the greatest grandparents ever.When my elder sister was three years old, my mom was pregnant with me.My parents are still living with Lola Lourdes and Lolo Dolfo, in which they are very hands-on in taking care of my elder sister.

When my mom was on her first trimester of pregnancy, she was craving for pomelos.And Lolo Dolfo has to look for it in neigboring baranggays, he had to visit each house asking if they have ripe pomelos because my mom who was pregnant was craving for it.The generous neighbors would love to share if they have some.That's the culture in our place, we don't sell our harvest to our neighbors.

When my mom was eight months pregnant with me, my maternal grandparents ( Lolo Carling and Lola Onsep ) decided that she has to live with them, bring my sister and father along, because they want their second grandchild to be born in their house.My maternal grandparent's house is just three baranggays away from my paternal grandparents house.There was a scarcity of jeepney at that time which is the primary mode of transportation.So they have to ride a carabao very early in the morning to go my my mother parents' house.

It was past 2 o'clock in the morning when my mom felt the pain and she told my dad to fetch the traditional midwife from the adjacent baranngay.On his way, every house that he passed by, have dogs barking and neigbors would know if where that person is heading to.My father father arrived at the house of the traditional midwife at past 3:00 am and they have to walk together to my mom who was wating in pain but excited for me to come out.When when they arrived at past 4:00 am Lola Onsep was already holding me with my umbilical cord still attached to my mom.And the midwife has to cut the umbical cord and clamped it.

I was born in February 6, 1985, they don't know the exact time.Maybe it was between 3:00 to 4:00 am.After 3 months, my mom has to go back to my father's parents house. My father felt concious and uneasy living with my mom's parents.Because their system was so different.Lolo Carling's habit is very much opposite to Lolo Dolfo's habit and my father can't adjust to the way they live.

One stormy and rainy evening after dinner , Lolo Dolfo and Lola Lourdes were listening to their transistor radio , while my mom was preparing us to go to sleep and father was feeding the dogs with the left over foods we had for dinner. The dogs were barking trying to get out of the house.My grandfather was alarmed so he turned off the radio and my grandmother get inside the room to check us out.My sister and I were lying on the bamboo bed while our mom was telling us some folklores and reciting some nursery rhymes to us.So my grandmother gets out of our room and headed to our grandfather who was sitting on a wooden chair.

The dogs keep on barking from the outside and my father wants to go out of the house to check what's happening or if who was there.The rain keeps on pouring , lighting flashes and from the hole inside my father saw shadows of men.With his hollering voice , he shouted if who was there ouitside.But no one answered back. Right after hearing my father's voice , my sister went out of the room and ran to our father and was about to hug him, and then there's "bang!".My sister was shot on the chest and also on my father's right shoulder .The gunshots couldn't be heard by the neighbors because it's accompanied by the thunder's sound.My grandmother's scream couldn't be heard, houses are distant from each other.My mother was frozen , unable to move, she was puzzled.My father was crying carrying my sister's body , and my Lolo Dolfo kept his calm, prepared "duyan" and put my sister in that rattan hammock , he asked my father to calm down for they have to immediately bring my sister to the hospital.They passed by our relatives house , so our relatives went to the baranggay officials and reporeted the incident. The dogs stopped barking already and mom was still weeping,some neigbors went to the hospital with my father and Lolo Dolfo and others accompanied us at home. I don't know how that evening ended.

Based on Lolo Dolfo and Lola Lordes story, they arrived at the hospital after 2 hours.They walked for one hour before passing by the house of a certain person who owns a jeepney and he didn't hesistate to help them bring my sister to the hospital in the middle of the stormy night.When they arrived in the hospital my sister lost much blood already along the way, she keeps on calling my name and my father.The doctors rushed her in emergency room and did all the things they can do to save her.My father's right shoulder needs to be treated as well because of the gunshots.Unluckily after 2 days, my siter didn't make it.Her fragile and lifeless body was stared upon by my parents on that hospital bed.Everyone was speechless, the thought that she was innocent and helpless stirs up the feeling of revenge in my father's heart.Everyone was depressed and angry to what had happen.It was only me who lights up the atmostphere at home.

My sister's body was buried after 7 days and my parents sued the suspects.They were the members of New People's Army .They were asking for the Revolutionary Tax and for our harvest.My father can't give all of their demands because he was just a tenant who works hard to have the abundant harvest.Most of the harvest goes to the landownerd.The NPA's are my most hated human beings on Earth.They are fighting for the ideologies whom they are the ones benefiting from it.

Moving on, our life wasn't like before.There's already a scar that cannot be healed in our hearts.Lola Lourdes and Lolo Dolfo couldn't elaborate more about what had happen in the hospital and what happened to the suspects after they were imprisoned.They avoid the topic and I don't want to freshen up the scar again.They can tell us some but they would cry in the middle of their stories so, I just stop questioning them.

I grew up to be spoiled and most favored because I turned out to be every ones' favorite. On weekend Lolo Carling would fetech me in our house so that I could spend weekend with them.I was showered with monetary reward.He would buy my perfect scores and would buy me everything I demanded to have.Their house has always a festive mood.I can eat what I want and I can ask anything from their helper to cook my favorite foods.Lolo Carling has lots of visitors every Saturday night, they will sing the country songs with their guitars , drink "tuba" and would sluagher a goat or chickens for "pulutan".

On Sunday morning, we would go sometimes to their tenants house to check their harvest and he has to pay workers to carry sacks of rice to be stired to his bodega.In the afternoon he has to bring me back to my parents house.We rode a horse going home.Then , he would drink tuba again with Lolo Dolfo, have chit chats together and he would boast about his crops, his land, his herd of cows, and his newly bought land.Lolo Dolfo , as being the humblest person I know would just smile and congratulate him sincerely.Lolo Carling would offer him his marlboro cigarette which my Lolo Dolfo refuse because he is not a smoker.

By the way, Lolo Carling didn't give my mother a piece of his land because he believes that it is the husband's responsibility to support his wife and not the parents of his wife.So we live in simplicity at home.My father gave us a simple yet a happy atmostphere at home.We were raised to have self- freedom and our opinions were not supressed by our parents.Lolo Dolfo and Lola Lourdes has made us feel that we were so loved at home.They would serve us healthy sumptous foods from their garden and they taught us to be hard working and be happy in doing everything.

Lolo Carling on the other hand was sexist.He believes that women at home and children are under the authority a man .That's why my mother was very meek and submissive because of the way he raised her.Lola Onsep's opinion doesn't matter in their home.She cannot suggest anything , she can't decide on some thing because that wouldn't matter at all.Their house may have the extravagance around but the atmostphere was gloomy.As I grow older, I couldn't stay longer in their house anymore.I was always in a hurry to go home to our house , in my Lolo Dolfo and Lola Lourdes' house.It was noisy , simple , but filled with love .

Thanks for Reading!
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