And Ye Shall be Recompensed
Most of the souls who know our family from the outside like from school, work or church think that all is well in our extended family (except for the full-blooded gossipers, who try to dig up every skeleton in the closet). Well, I apologize to burst your bubble but my family is almost a typical telenova story.
More unlike episodes from a famed tv segment "Maalaala mo Kaya..", where a typical plot means "okay -> conflict -> worse/gruesome -> turning point -> happy". My family history has once been quiet, or so I thought. As it turns out, as I acquired more knowledge of the inner workings of my family tree, that somehow, my existence has contributed to the ongoing facade of goodwill and well wishes for each other.
And facade it still is. Except maybe for us of the later generation who can mix being a hypocrite and being truly concerned, with the difference being faintly recognizable. But as I see it, some members of my generation has also acquired that uncanny ability of being matapobre and annoyingly pakialamera and intrimitida (both boys and girls). Biology lessons in high school has helped me understand the resemblance between parent & child, but psychology has been the better aid. In my world, you cannot stand a chance of survival if you do not have tha vaguest idea of how to deal with these psychos.
…..to be continued.
Sibling rivalry and intrigues abound in most extended families especially in conservative societies like the Philippines. Being a very close friend to your parents and being there during your early years in Manila, this I could tell you with confidence - that you were their bundle of joy (almost literally) and they always looked at you with great pride and hope, and I remember those moments with fondness…There will always be dark sides in every family as there will be the same for every individual, even the whole society at large. But the unyielding strength of the human spirit will always prevail….
Extend my warmest regards to your family.
Yuri said this on September 17, 2006 at 11:55 am
Yes, that I know for a fact and I am very thankful for the way my parents have raised me and my brother amidst the ridicule and criticisms from my dad’s own parents. Although they (daddy’s father particularly) are showing a little more care and support, as how tita gaga says it appears to be, dad will always say ” It’s really too late for that…”
Anyway, i’ll tell dad & mom you dropped a line…
Cathy Laine said this on September 18, 2006 at 10:13 pm