Sunday morning…another time of the year when I have the inspiration to write about someone or something. But for goodness’ sake, why does inspiration have to come when you have tons of reports and exams to check and an exam that will commence in two days?! I guess the answer is clear. I need a deviation. Instead of clipping my nails (a habit of mine just to stray from something that gets boring), I’d rather rant here this time.
Oh, probably I got the inspiration because of the past few weeks that have been so hellish — when you don’t really have time to fix yourself, your things, your schedule, all other things around you — and yet there would be this one person who’ll tell you straight in the face that you look beautiful. Ahh…music to your ears. But something doesn’t make sense. You start to wonder whether that person was lying just to make you feel good or was 100% sincere. But if that person is the only one who tells you from the moment you were born, that you are indeed a beautiful child and have grown into a lovely person, then you better believe it…and so this person is everyone’s mother.
This time, I’d like to write about Mother Goose. Where she gets her toughness yet caring attitude has always been an enigma to me. A fighter yet the most gentle person I know. Yes, I saw her cried — when she watched those Tagalog films. I was younger then. I really hated it when she would wipe her tears on me and I just kept on wondering why would those kind of films made her cry. The last movie she weeped upon was Anak. How fitting. Hehehe. Only when I grew up I realized , that indeed some films were worth crying upon. She was the one who fixed my hair when I was younger. I had very curly hair then and she just loved twisting them until she came up with several curly locks she called spaghetti. But now I guess she cannot do anything with my hair…for it’s totally hopeless. She taught me how to draw. The favorite images she draws are the "model" figures of women and women facing at one side. Sheesh…I really had a hard time drawing those and I never learned them at all…that’s why I settled with drawing clothes for those model figures (got over a hundred of them) and instead of drawing the side view women, I drew nude women instead (the drawings look best in charcoal). She is the one who tunes my guitar. Again, I never exerted any effort in learning how to tune it. Yes, I can play it, but tune it –no, hand it to my mother instead. Oh my mother can sing too. She’d just get the guitar, play around with the chords according to the song’s tune and sing along.
My mother is the spoiler. She’d get us anything, just with the swipe of a credit card. Even now that I am earning for myself, she’d still buy me stuff, she calls necessities –like shoes/sandals of the same style but different colors, underwear that costs too much (she says it’s the quality that counts), clothes at the start of each semester (so students will not get bored daw with my wardrobe), perfume (because I have to smell good in the classroom), etc…I really don’t know where she gets the dough to pay for all those. Oh well, she is a highly accomplished person. The only woman among the high-ranking officials. My friends say that she has that aura of professionalism, true indeed. She never accepted bribe. She went to the court to defend herself from individuals who did wrong. She had an admirable strength and conviction.
She found a good job here in the Philippines. That is why, it is hard for her to accept that next school year, I would be going abroad…hopefully. As much as possible, she doesn’t want me to leave. But a mother will always support her child’s decision. Earning some good money from her work, she shared these blessings to others. She planned on gift-giving of goods during Christmas time at a squatters area near our place. She once dreamt of becoming a nun and a teacher. Now, we have a Saturday school at home where kids come for catechism. She had these kids now as her own –since her own kids have grown up into bastards…hahahaha. She taught me how to pray. Until now she advices me that no matter how busy I get, I should never fail to pray. She is a spiritual person. It really amazes me how she fits in her schedule reading several prayer books.
My mother has one weakness though, she is computer illiterate. Yes, and we never found the time to instruct her how to start a computer. See what kind of bastards, we have turned into? I don’t know, it’s so hard to teach her, but I guess it’s never too late.
I think we can never really repay what she has done for us, because they are all products of her unconditional love and sacrifices which we can never match. Yes, mothers know best, but I say, they are the best. Mother is actually another word for love. Oh have I mentioned that she is one of the best writers I know? She is the one who edits our works - my essays and literary works, my brother’s project proposals and my father’s office reports. As soon as I finish this, I’ll hand it over to her for editing.
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