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| I passed this plaza and the city hall behind it almost every day in my walkabouts |
Then there was this woman named Janna
who is at least a couple of decades younger whom I met on Facebook because she
has the same last name as a high school batchmate I was looking for. She also came
from the same high school as we did. After a few text messages, I finally met
her at her print shop in Southway Shopping Center and as a souvenir, she gave
me a coffee mug with my picture on it which she downloaded from Facebook. Nice
to finally meet you Janna, and thanks for the mug with my mug J.
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| The mug says "I Love Zambo" |
While Mama was still in the
hospital, my kindergarten teacher also happened to be there just a couple of
rooms away. I visited Sister Ursula and reintroduced myself. Despite the
hundreds if not thousands of kindergartners who went to her class through the
decades, she still remembered me. Most remarkable was what she remembered about
my brother Larry. She told him that he was used as the baby Jesus in a live
Nativity scene at the Catholic church in Jolo one Christmas. Sister Ursula, you
don’t look a day older than you were in 1962. I pray that they have resolved
your medical problems by now.
Still while in the hospital I met Dr.
Romulo Garcia, his wife Aida, and daughter Joy. They were in the emergency room
because if I remember correctly, the doc had problems with his blood sugar and
blood pressure. We were townmates in Jolo and former neighbors in Zamboanga.
They happen to be in the States right now visiting some relatives near San
Diego. Hey Joy, if ever you read this, you’re looking as cute as ever and I
might even be crushing on you in my old age :D. You’ve got my email address and
phone number so if you ever wanna get in touch… After all, you’re single and so
am I J.
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| What do you think folks? Is she cute or what? Photo downloaded from Facebook |
One thing I didn’t know until last
month was that Mama was one of the first students of Notre Dame of Jolo Girls’
Department. As such, her batch was honored at the Notre Dame Grand Reunion
three years ago. Irene Hassan gave me a program from that reunion.
Unfortunately the batch picture of Mama was blurry and the people were unrecognizable.
Well, what can you expect from an early 1950’s picture?
I was warned by my sister-in-law before
I left for Zamboanga about small time kidnappers who would nab you on the
street and ask for a small ransom. So I became vigilant during my walks, never
going the same route twice in a row, and trying to always be aware of my
surroundings. I survived Zamboanga without being kidnapped.
Owning a pharmacy in Zamboanga
appears to be very good business. Each time I went to one, the counters were always
swarming with customers. It didn’t matter which pharmacy it was - Joan’s, Oro,
Mercury, and a couple of others which names I don’t remember.
I can truly say that I overdosed on
satti in Zamboanga. I just wish there was more roughage in it, because the
white rice tamu certainly didn’t cut it. I would have gotten more fiber if I chewed on the sticks, which
were probably not much tougher than the chicken skewered on them.
Whenever people asked about Mama’s
ailment and I told them colon cancer, responses would almost always mention
Cory Aquino’s valiant battle with it and losing anyway, probably shortening her
life with aggressive chemotherapy. Mama decided with the opposite treatment
plan, meaning doing nothing after the
initial surgery, and lived a better life for more than 5 years after.
On the night of Mama’s death, I had
gone commando for a few hours between the time I was awakened, up to the time I
returned home pre-dawn. You see, I slept in this very thin technical shorts
with no built in underwear liner because of the heat and humidity. At least the
shorts kept some semblance of modesty and decency instead
of being completely naked while staying in other people’s homes. In the dark of
night you couldn’t see through the shorts. At least I hope you couldn’t and
didn’t.
It just occurred to me a month later that the metal plate
I’ve had in my left ankle since 1972 didn’t set off any metal detectors in
airports. I was in a motorcycle accident that year.
Well
folks, I think that’s it for my Zamboanga experiences. Thanks for reading if
you did and I hope I didn’t bore you too much.
Public comments below, private comments: E-mail Me!
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