Philippines by Night

After a 24 hour Japanese detour, I finally arrived in the Philippines. I was greeted by my aunt & uncle, (i.e. Tita Auring & Tito Andy, whom I remember fondly through the lens of my mother’s sentimental stories and late night calls that sent ear piercing laughter into the air. Tita Auring was mom’s best friend, the same age and a kindred spirit. I look at Tita Auring and I see my mother, and vice versa. It’s hard to distinguish the two when they start talking.

There was something oddly familiar about Tita & Tito’s home. Walking in is like walking into my parent’s home growing up: the same Filipino wooden crafts, the same hand carved relief depicting the last supper, and the same antique furniture with bone in-lay designs & wicker seats. I hated those chairs. They made your ass go numb if you sat on them for too long, but mom insisted that they were one-of-a-kind and refused to go with more modern comfort until I was a teen. Importing this stuff was one of mom’s many entrepreneurial efforts. Auring & Andy were the source.

I fell asleep that night gazing at the shadowy figures in the gauzelike window treatments. I recalled a faded memory from 28 years ago, where my cousin Sandy told me stories about the mau-maus with sharp teeth (i.e. mythical Filipino creatures) who liked to eat little children. Ahh, a warm welcoming thought.

-Marvin