DAD EARLY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

This is a father’s day post. My dad is still alive. 

I was so young then but the memory was clear and vivid yet rusty, like an old movie from a film reel.

‘Education’ 

I don’t remember who woke me, maybe my mother. "Hurry. You’re late" I walked to our wooden bathroom and took a bath. My mom was dragging me. Still groggy, I took my breakfast. Then, I was ready for school.

My mom changed her mind. "You are very late for school, stay home". My dad said "no, you should go to school no matter how late you are". Again, I was on his bike. My butt hurt because I was sitting on the top tube and the road was not smooth.

My dad dropped me by the school gate. I told him that I’m not going in. I was shy. I was very late. He said "there shouldn't be a reason to be shy". He went with me to the classroom door. The door was closed. My dad went and knocked it. My teacher opened it. My dad apologized. 

Music 

He was playing the guitar while lying on the mat. He likes playing MLTR and Bread. I hated the original MLTR music but it was cool when he played it. He is excellent in singing though sometimes he misses the right timing. I learned the guitar because of him. He didn't teach me how to play the guitar. He just taught me how to read the chord chart. Just like teaching someone how to fish than give him a fish.  He taught me ukulele when I was 10 years old then the music in me began.   

Devil

"you're on drugs!" he yelled at me, right in front of my face. I could smell his breath. My mom tried to pull him away from me but he was strong. His eyes were wide open, filled with anger. Blood’s boiling; he was sweating like glass in a mist. He lifted his fist and attempted to hit my face. I yelled "go on!” My mom grabbed his left arm to stop him. I was shaking in fear. I was crying.

Responsibility

My dad bought a new bicycle when I was still a young boy. I was 6 years old then. One Saturday afternoon, my dad, with his bike went to "boulevard”. The sky was orange while the sea reflects it to my eyes. "Boulevard" is a great place in Zamboanga City where you can witness sunset at its best. It was just a kilometer away from our house. My dad brought me there to teach me how to bike. The place was spacious yet unpaved. I saw other kids learning to bike too and the big kids learning bike tricks.

The orange sky was getting darker as the sun kissed the sea. I got tired from biking. My dad bought balot (aborted baby chicken). I ate it for the first time. He taught me how to eat it. It was messy when I ate it. Peeling eggshells was hard, my fine motor skills was not fully developed yet. The balot tasted good. 

FUTURE

We moved from Camino Nuevo to Sto. Nino. That was in the year 1990. My parents were smart enough to make that decision. They decided to build our own house somewhere in the plains on Putik. I was so young that time but the memory was quite vivid. My dad went to Putik with his new bicycle that he bought from our neighbor. The distance was 4km. He brought me and my sister to our new home. It was still unfinished. I remember him said,

“I want you to have a good home while you grow. I don’t want you to experience the hardships as we’ve been through. It was hard. Staying in Camino Nuevo was is not safe for you. I want you to have good education too. I want you to have a good future. Your mom and I build this new house for you, not for us.”