Bacon, Sorsogon, a coastal town nestled amidst swaying coconut trees, was their first assignment as a couple. They shared the two room Gabaldon school house where she taught Grades I and II while he taught Grades III and IV. A sprawling acacia tree provided a cool shade. Along the perimeter fence were hedge rows of gumamela bursting with red flowers hemmed on the edges by petunia plants decked with pale yellow buds. Two flag poles stood at the middle of a spacious lawn consisting of sturdy carabao grass. Two trunks of coconut served as the main posts of a flimsy bamboo gate which was never closed. Children and adults would saunter in the school yard when school was out and sit on the grass, play and gossip until dusk slowly descended. Behind the school were tilled patches planted with eggplants, sweet potatoes and cassava. Myriad shades of green cloaked the lay of the land as it sloped gently towards a hill. Butterflies fluttered and dragonflies hopped from one blade of grass to another; birds chirped in the air - God's creatures hovering in a languid movement unmindful of everything but the moment, life so valuably spent in the present which immediately turned into past.
Bacon was a town of gentle people who loved children, dance and music. At any given hour, especially at twilight when the sun sank low in the hills, the sound of a guitar maybe heard strumming a nostalgic love song - the kundiman. Now and then, a soft baritone would blend with the guitar joined by other melodious voices which sang of hardship, pain, anxiety, deep affection, unrequited love and a hopeful yearning for redemption - the love of a beloved.
"mawala mang lahat ay di ko daramdamin, wag lamang mawala ang pagmamahal mo sa akin..."
( I won't lament the loss of everything as long as you wouldn't lose your love for me...)
They enjoyed teaching, loved to watch eager faces light up as they learned the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. She patiently guided little fingers trace and form letters of the alphabet, conducted syllabic drills with an enthusiasm as though learning it for the first time. She delighted to hear the shrill voices of little children.
" ...Good morning teacher ...
Good morning children..."
It was a ritual she never got tired of, something to look forward to; it was more than compensation for her. It was joy.
He taught his students to figure numbers. He was happiest when he told stories about people in distant lands, adventurers and explorers. He would take them on a trip around the world using a big globe on top of his mahogany table. The children empathized with Magellan as he endured freezing cold and huge battering waves as he found a passage through Cape Horn to the Pacific Ocean until he discovered the Philippines and was killed by Lapu Lapu. He made them imagine that Bacon was the center of the world, and all other places radiated from it. He would play games with them, ran all over the school yard, squealing kids tagging after him, clinging to him. He was carefree and fun to be with - a disciple of Peter Pan.
They came in an opportune time for teaching. Americans who took over from the Spaniards quickly established an effective system of education. Public education was revolutionized; a conducive atmosphere for study was assured with the construction of sturdy school houses and an abundance of school equipment and supplies: chairs, blackboards, indelible pencils, colored chalks, crayons, writing pads, rulers, compasses, maps of the Philippines and the United States and a big globe. A sound mind in a sound body. Literacy grew to unprecedented heights.
They were well paid, each received thirty pesos in one, five, ten and twenty centavo denominations - copper, nickel and silver coins. They allowed themselves some whims - for her a set of ruby earrings and for him two immaculate white suits which they wore on special occasions. Otherwise, they lived simply. They were a generous couple who were always attentive and caring for members of the community who comprised their small world.
Life in Bacon was an unhurried stroll through time, measured by the passage of the seasons and the rituals of living. Fiestas were celebrated lavishly where frugal savings for an entire year were squandered in a few days of festivities
which spiced the dullness and monotony of daily existence, the unending routine of planting, fishing, raising a family, engaging in gossip. Fiestas and baptisms provided welcome diversions. There has always been a proliferation of babies; strangely, the onset of darkness arouses primeval urges in man to copulate.
