Forgettable

Past of Mary "Matikas"

1 is Zia, 2 is Piolo, 4 is Tikas, 3 is Tita Ching (nanay's sister) , 4 is Tito Jose (Tita Ching's husband) and the other 2 are Tika's parents.

I'm Mary "Matikas" Matcheren. I was born on July 31, 1934, in Bohol, Philippines. My nanay (mom) said I was a mistake and that they weren't meant to have me, yet they loved me endlessly. My tatay (father) and nanay didn't even know what gender I was until they made it official that my name was "Mary". They said they wanted to name me something unique, so they gave me what I think is the most common name in America. They were surprised that I was a boy, but they just named me Matikas to cover it up. They called me "Mat", "Tikas", "Ikas", and a lot more.

When I was small, I was always shy and didn't talk much, yet I was always friendly with a lot of people. The girls and guys that were there teased me about it a lot, but I didn't mind it. During my youth, a lot of people forgot about me. They probably forgot about me because I didn't talk, and if I did talk, it would be about manners or something small. It would be something small at first and then something big. One time, my mom came in with a lot of food from our field and forgot I was there to ask for help. Then they forgot to bring me to Manila! They came back, of course, but I always found it strange. Other people would forget I'm there, too, like Kuya (you say it in respect for a boy or man who isn't married or your older brother married or not), Malic, Tita (same thing like Kuya but for a married woman or your auntie), Maja, and my own kapatid (brother) Piolo! As I grew, my parents and siblings tried their best to not forget that I existed, but for some old reason, I felt happy they forgot or missed me.

Growing up with three other siblings, I was kind of easy to miss anyway. Like I said, my Kuya Piolo is 30 years old with a wife and one kid; another one is on the way; My Ate (same thing for Kuya but girl version) Zia is 27 with a husband trying to have a child; and last but not least, my Kuya Hiro is 21 with a wife and no kids. I'm Mary, or Matikas, 15; I have no wife or kids and am currently not looking forward to any. My nanay and tatay were lucky to have me with so many age gaps between their children. Nanay said she gave birth in her teens, so that's why we have many age gaps. I didn't question it.

Then one day I was angry at my whole family. I said I did most of the work, but they didn't believe me, so I wished that they forgot about me forever. I woke up, and everyone I knew forgot about me. My nanay yelled at me, thinking I was a thief, and kicked me out with her walis (Broom), promising not to tell a soul if I left (looking at me to know I didn't steal anything). I didn't even pack any bags before she kicked me out. I then realized that I had made myself forgotten by the whole town. I tried talking to my friend Joy, but she didn't recognize me and walked away. I knew I couldn't be remembered by the whole town, so I ran away. Thank God I had a few seeds in my pocket, so I grew them and wondered if anything good would actually come out of growing them.

Then a woman came over to me. She had a long black dress coming down to her ankles; even her shoes were black. She had an umbrella that I think was for shade from the hot sun. She said "Hello Mary, I'm Alma Lefay Peregrine, but you can call me Miss Peregrine".