LEONIDA…the reason why I endure life
in this world
By Apolinario Villalobos
She is my elder sister, deaf and mute since
birth, and is more than seventy years old. I cannot imagine myself dead ahead
of her. She is the reason why I kept on telling classmates before, that I will
not settle down with a family of my own as foremost in my mind was take care of
her until she dies.
Despite her handicap, she took care of us,
her younger siblings, nephews, nieces, and their children. We communicated
through a sign language that only our family understands. It was she who
developed my love for vegetables, as she would gather saluyot, kulitis and lupo
from the yet, grassy, town plaza which was in front of our house. Sometimes she
would gather wild mushrooms beside the fence at the back of our house. She
would simply cook them with whatever onion, ginger, and tomatoes that can be
found in our kitchen. She would boil thickly sliced green jackfruit, for us to
be dipped in soy sauce which constituted our lunch when there was no rice to
cook.
Her intelligence and curiosity are such
that she is fond of browsing through magazines including the comic magazines of
the yesteryears. She would collect them in several boxes. Had we thought of
keeping them, we could have been rich because a copy of “Hiwaga” komiks today
costs not less than Php200. While she was doing her own collection of komiks, I
collected my own pages of newspapers used as absorbent protection of dried fish
in boxes that our parents ordered from Iloilo and Cebu to be sold in our small
stall in the market. I was not yet of school age at that time during which she
would observe me as I scribbled on the ground using a twig, the words that I
copied from the dried-fish smelling papers, especially, “Purico”, a very popular
brand of lard.
When we got completely orphaned, she joined
me and an elder brother, in washing bottles and pasting of labels on them for
Panay Vinegar, the first business entity, though, home-based, in our town. It
was located in our ancestral house that we rented out to a Chinese businessman
who treated us, as members of his family. I was in my first year high school
then, during which we would stay late at night, especially, if orders were
overwhelming, as they would come from store owners in neighboring towns. That
was how we earned money.
Later, she was taken in by our late elder
sister, Erlinda (Mary to us and her friends) a teacher at the former Sambulawan
Elementary Schhol (today, President Quirino). She practically took care of her
four children, May anne (Inday), Toto, Neneng, and Nonoy until they got
families of their own, as she spent more time with them, than with us. Both my
elder sister and my brother-in-law, Ciriaco (Ciring), are gone.
When I was yet with PAL, she was the reason
why I would always come home even for a short while. I would take the first
flight for Davao, transfer to an aircon van upon arrival for our place which
takes 3 hours to reach, and after lunch would leave again for Davao to catch up
with the first available flight back to Manila – on the same day. I felt that
was all she wanted – see me even for just a short time. An important gift to
her is a copy of the glossy Mabuhay magazine which she would lovingly caress
upon receipt, open the pages and gawk at the photos.
She is also among the reasons why I believe
in the wisdom of God for having brought me back to the point in my life where I
made a decision to take care of her, to reaffirm it…after several disastrous
living-in relationships, and which further made me ponder that my family is NOT
limited to my blood relations but the rest of His creatures who I can touch.
Where she is now living comfortably is her comfort zone, from which I could not
take her away, as she would be emotionally distressed.
It took time for me to decide to finally
bring out her story. But I am forced by the circumstance that some people
cannot accept their great fortune of having normal and successful siblings and
children, and loving wife, and presently enjoying the laughter of their
grandchildren. I want them to compare their situation with mine. I cannot even
settle down again as I might be unfortunate to get a partner who will not
accept my elder sister. That is how I am simply looking at my life. Had my
sister been normal and happily settled with a family of her own, I could be
somewhere else, most probably in a depressed area, living with the people with
whom I feel most comfortable.
