Half A Day Away

Chapter 3 ▪Eastern Beginnings

Paulo never got tired of the Manila skyline. The hustle and bustle of the city that never seemed to sleep. It was a change of sorts from his roots. His family moved to the Philippine capital city, known as the "Pearl of the Orient," from the Bataan Peninsula (West of Manila across the Manila Bay) before he was born. As a young child, Paulo's grandfather, Manny had been a first-hand observer of the Japanese occupation, beginning in 1942, and of the infamous Bataan death march in which so many American and Filipino soldiers had died. His grandfather survived those awful years and built a family.

Paulo's father, Pedro, moved to the capital city after the end of the Marcos regime in the Philippines. Having a lifelong interest in helping others learn, he landed a job with the Department of Education. He and his wife, Catherine were loving parents to four children including Paulo, the youngest. Having been trained as a nurse, Catherine left the health care field to raise her children, but later returned to work for a local hospital.

Paulo loved his life in Manila. A gifted artist, he often sketched caricatures and drawings to sell to tourists and others visiting the city. When he could, he would steal away to visit local art galleries such as the Metropolitan Museum. But truthfully, he found endless inspiration from all corners of Manila. He dreamed of designing buildings, creating sculpture, or famous paintings to match the fine art he stared at on display. Paulo also liked to hang out with street artists whose masterpieces have become part of the local architecture.

Paulo had attracted the interest of several local young Filipinas, and had actually dated a few for a while. He was after all, good-looking by any measure. Tall enough, at nearly six feet and weighing just over 160 lbs - he stayed on the go constantly and maintained his appearance. But his disdain for the single-minded attraction to pop culture - Filipino, Korean, American - you name it, that most of them followed feverishly (almost religiously in some cases) was a turn-off to him. You couldn't talk art or history to them, so...

Paulo was known in his circle of friends as an extreme basketball aficionado, playing and watching and reading about the game whenever he could. Like many of his age, he admired and followed stars such as LeBron James and Steph Curry from the NBA; but he also just as fanatically followed Filipino basketball, including the National Team. One could fairly say that he had basketball on the brain. Paulo's family had also long attended a Roman Catholic Church in the city, and his belief in God was unshakable. God, art, and basketball; not a bad combination!

Paulo also appreciated the technological side of living in a modern city. He craved wi-fi like a pusa [Tagalog/Filipino for cat] craves gatas [milk]. Having saved enough money from selling art, occasionally helping his cousin drive a Jeepney/taxi, and doing other jobs - Paulo was able to acquire a tablet. He already had a cellphone, thanks to his parents, but the tablet was way better. Once connected, Paulo was transported...