My Blog: april 16th, what a reaction!

april 16th, 2008....

it's been over and done with, and my son is okay; thus, i can finally remember that day without crying (if you have no idea what i'm talking about, stop right here and read my previous blog entitled, REMEMBERING APRIL 16TH) . and when i think about that day, i choose to focus on the lighter side. i don't want to stress myself mulling over some freak accident. like i said, enrickquito is okay, and that's the most important of all.

you see, i still live with my family because the house that my husband built is located within our compound in Bauang. and when you live with a motley crew such as my family, well, freak accidents tend to become, somehow, a comedy of all sorts..

when the hammer fell on Enrickquito's head, all of them cried and all of them were so worried that their manifestation of this feeling became outrageously silly, that i would've have laughed out loud if i hadn't been too busy trying to cast aside my own worries so that i could stay focused and alert.

and here are their reactions..

auntie Sally - (64 yrs old, an old maid whose opinions and comments are often out of this world, Miss frugal, Miss Cool-the complete opposite of my mother) she thought it wasn't a serious injury, just a little bump on the shoulder, though my son was crying his heart out after the hammer fell. and when she came to learn that it was indeed a head wound, she cried (my, i thought she was going to faint!) and gave me a thick wad of money to use for Enrickquito's hospital expenses. she felt so awful and was so guilt-stricken that days after april 16th, she remained quiet and always stared off at space.

Auntie Fe - (57 yrs old, another old maid, typical barrio folk, loves to talk, and very loud too, very judgemental and loves to make her own conclusions) when she saw me starting the car, she asked what happened. i told her i was bringing enrickquito to the hospital because his head was bleeding. oh boy, was she shocked!!! really shocked! she said with such passion, "Alah!! baka nalsuk jay utek na! Nalsuk jan utek naaaaaa!!! (a hole might have gone through his brain!! a hole has gone through his brain!!!)

Nanay Nemia - (55 yrs old, she lost my father when she was only 23 yrs old, thus became the unbeatable Queen of Panick) she and eenggah were at the beach when it happened; therefore, she had no idea i was rushing her beloved grandson to the hospital. she only found out about it when my cousins came charging at our nipa hut by the beach, yelling, "AUNTIE NEMIA! AUNTIE NEMIA! NADISGRASIA NI ENRICKQUITO!! (Enrickquito had had an accident!)". Living up to her title as the Queen of Panick, her heart missed some beats upon hearing this, and with trembling hands, she immediately packed their things (forgetting even to pee! tsk.) and headed home at the speed that even she couldn't believe she possessed. upon setting foot inside the house, nanay changed clothes (nope, no need to waste precious time showering nor even washing her face and combing her hair) and hopped in the very first bus she saw! inside the bus, all she could think was her beloved apo, who she thought might be fighting for his life, that she had lost her voice and her sanity (she even thought of jumping out of the poor bus because it was moving too slow for her need and just run to san fernando instead. thank god she didn't do that!) with her panick attack, why, she even forgot her fear of death then as she prayed to God to spare Enrickquito's life and take hers instead (tsk, tsk). anyway, when she arrived in Lorma, she looked so windblown, so dishevelled, so dirty, so freaked out and soooo dry, that she looked liked she hadn't drank any water for the past month. when she saw us, she immediately grabbed my son from me and hugged him tight while crying unabshedly in public..

eenggah - typical 5 years old whose only concern was eating, playing and sleeping. but when they told her to pray because her ading was in danger, she immediately ran inside lola's room, faced the aparador (closet) where pictures of saints were plastered on, and whispered her prayer. very touching indeed.. when she came out of the room, she announced she was hungry.

as for my husband's reaction, that will be another story, a tale fit for Father's Day celebration..

and for me, there are still times that i feel the tug of fear in my heart whenever i remember the "what if" of April 16th. as a mommy, i guess, that feeling will never completely leave me. but since i always have the prerogative to chose, and life is indeed about choices, i prefer to move on, and focus on the most important fact of all - enrickquito is okay, no real harm done!

and so, thank god for my son,

thank god for his good health

and thank god for my crazy family (who drives me crazy and yet whom i love so much..)