they say that first love never dies… what i should say is, a great cheesey romance will always survive. it will live through the worst and most violent storms and calamities and even through the trecherous consequence of aging- that is forgetfulness…
hear my granny’s love story..
if you would ask me a single word to describe my garandmother, i should say the perfect word would be… VAIN. you cannot blame me if i describe her as that… since i grew up seeing her comb meticulously her long, coconut oiled, ashen hair and apply those baby powder on her face…
her long well-maintained hair, together with her white complexion and pointed nose (which she inherited, unfortunately we didnt, from her spanish ancestors) were the only memories of the beauty that was replaced by her wrinkled skin and stooping figure… (and of course her teeth were still pearly white and complete)…
her beauty that she once bragged has since long been gone and so was her memory…
one time, she told us about her favorite son’s children… she told us that they were all girls but one… but actually, they were 7 boys and a girl…
alzheimer’s disease? hmm… i cannot tell you. my parents didnt have the chance to take her to a especialist, not that they tried… but even through her memory’s illness, sickness, ailment (i cannot find the proper word), she can still vividly retell her love story…
she said that her first love and boyfriend was not my grandfather. but because she is pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, alluring, goodlooking, cute, hot, and all the synonyms, she still had a lot of suitors. and one of these was my grandfather- julian.
she did not dare set her eyes upon any of these guys since she was deeply in love with her boyfriend..
my grandpa saw that he has no chance to win. but his burning passion finally took over him and made him make a very bold move…
since he was a rich man from way up morth in ilocos, he was not afraid to commit crimes.. that is how they are in ilocos, right?
no im not telling you that he murdered my granma’s boyfriend. he just kidnapped my grandmother.
YES HE DID!!
“by hook or by crook”, this must have been my grandfather’s motto. he kidnapped my grandmother and ran with her to pangasinan, since my grandma didnt love him, he forced her to marry him in there…
she was devastated that day… she cried for her life… she wept for her love… and she mourned for her future…
but there was nothing she can do. my grandfather was a friend of the priest. since she acquired the naive and helpless characteristics of old fashioned Filipina (it was the trend of her time… to be demure), she said yes, with a great sob, to him on their wedding day…
months passed, but her real boyfriend did not lose hope until he found her… he knocked on her door telling her this;
“iwanan mo na sya… kahit na may nangyari na sa inyo, tatanggapin pa rin kita..” (”leave him now… even if something has already happened between the two of you, i will still accept you with open arms..”).
but my granny bitterly refused.. she claimed that she cannot allow herself to marry two men… (told’ya she’s old-fashioned).
and she again went back to her room to cry… and maybe curse my wretched grandfather (who i am so proud with).
she would tell us her most treasured story repetitively… whenever we sense that she is being upset or is losing her temper, we would ask her to tell her this… and she will be there recalling her uhm… romance to us with great gusto. her ancient face wil be then lit up by her warm smile.
we didnt dare ask her if she later on fell inlove with our grandfather…
the evidence is clear (she had a lot of children)… anyway, this was the only set of memory that she can accurately remember until she died at the age of 82…
“o ang pag ibig… pag nanasok sa puso ninuman, hahamakin ang lahat masunod ka lamang..”
Guardian Angel Acosta
