I miss the sound of rain

It’s rainy season. Our roof in Binangonan was made of galvanized iron that’s why the sound of rain was a lot louder. I miss that sound. I miss my parents, our old house in Binangonan, the sound of church bells, the smell of fresh herbs, yung tunog ng may ipinipritong biya sa kusina, kalantog ng sartin plus my mom’s voice yelling at all of us.

I miss the plastic kapote or raincoat. If I remember it correctly, a raincoat was included in the school supplies handed over to pupils on enrollment day together with a face towel. Crayola, Globe notebooks and pad paper, wooden ruler, Mongol pencil, eraser, etc.

Every rainy season, I miss those days.

I couldn’t consider my life in Binangonan as a happy one. My parents were very strict. I couldn’t go out in the streets or to the aplaya to play. I was also trained to help in my parents’ businesses which restricted my activities.

School was never fun either. I was bullied from grade one to fourth year high school. I was an easy target of boys and girls with stronger personalities. I was skinny, shy, and very reserved. I just sat quietly in one corner. I felt I didn’t belong there. When I tried to participate in their activities, I was cast out. The boys gave me labels– payatot, tikling, anak ng Instsik. The girls talked about me because I did not have a lot of clothes. For the record, it was not because my parents couldn’t afford it. My parents’ lifestyles were very simple. Their days and nights were devoted to us. Not to go shopping, not to party. Their lives were lived for their children. My mom was busy with her maliit na mga negosyo and she and my father were also very frugal.
My mom bought me brand new clothes three times a year only. A nice frilly dress for the town fiesta, one for my birthday, and one with a sash or ribbon for Christmas. When things were rough and she was in a bad mood, three would be reduced to two. Fiesta and Christmas. Birthdays were out because it was not a tradition to have birthday parties.

Children in this generation are all spoiled. Even children of lower income groups. They don’t need to wait for Christmas to have a new dress. How many slippers and shoes do they have? My father would only agree to buy me a new pair of slippers every Christmas. And the old one must be broken already. That’s why in the middle of the year, I get a blade and slash the straps. Sometimes my strategy worked, sometimes no. My father was too smart. He would repair my slippers instead of buying me a pair of new ones.

My mom’s love was dasters. When she had some extra money, she would come home with a new pair of step-in and a daster or a dress. She had a few handbags but they all looked old. I never saw her buying a new bag. If she were alive today, I would bring her to the boutiques in Greenbelt 5.

Nowadays, people don’t wait for special occasions to buy themselves and their children new clothes and shoes. Masuswerte ang mga bata ngayon. We too adults pamper ourselves too much. We don’t wait for our birthdays to buy something nice for ourselves. No occasion gift. Gift to myself.

Okay lang yan as long as you don’t use other people’s money to buy something for yourself. At saka basta ang pera eh galing sa legal na paraan.

#choosetobegood