Chronicles Revealed

Chapter 4: A Departure

At about the same time we were coping with the heavy rain, he knocked at his Uncle's house in Mabolo, We used to be next door neighbors until we transferred to Lahug and six years after to our present address. His Uncle came out and was rather surprised to see him. Like me, he was dripping wet and asked his Uncle if he could spare him a dry shirt to change what he had on. Never mind the pants, he said. He did not get inside the house. He stayed at the door to avoid dripping on his Uncle's floor. The Uncle gave him a towel to wipe himself dry and a shirt to change the one he was wearing. After changing his shirt, they talked for a while at the door.

What have you been doing lately, his Uncle asked. Where are you going from here?

Looking for a job, Uncle, he answered. Tomorrow morning I'll be applying at a new BPO in Cebu Business Park. I was there late this afternoon but the HR in-charge was not around. I already have my NBI clearance and other papers they need. My requirements are now complete. I don't see any problem with my application and I don't see any reason why they will not accept me. How can they refuse someone as good-looking as his Uncle! Anyway, from here I'll be seeing a friend and home afterwards.

Okay. Be good and take care. Don't talk too much about our good looks! It's our big secret, No one should know, his Uncle joked.

I will, Uncle, I will, he replied with a smile on his face. Take care, too. My best regards to Auntie and the boys.

As he motioned to leave, he paused and asked his Uncle if he could relay for him two things: one was to tell his younger brother to come home and the other was to tell his mother to be more assertive. No problem, the Uncle had said.

But why don't you tell them yourself? I don't see your mother often, you know, and I'm not sure your brother will listen to me. Where does he live now? Why did he leave in the first place, his Uncle asked.

Indeed, why did our second son leave us? Was he angry with him? What for? Did he want to prove something to us? Maybe, it was all the result of frustration and misgivings accumulated through the years. But they seemed always okay. True, they had some misunderstandings, disagreements and even scathing exchanges of words but these were within the bounds of normal relationships. In their case these hardly lasted beyond the next hour when everything is forgiven and forgotten.

The elder one would clear the bad atmosphere by asking his younger brother to buy him a new shirt or cargo pants which the latter would propitiously oblige later on. He was not being sarcastic or malicious. It was simply his way of saying sorry and I love you to his brother, of making up to him, of waving the olive branch. With the sincerity of his gestures it was not surprising that it worked effectively with his younger brother.

Was it sibling rivalry? Did we favor the eldest over his younger brothers on anything at all? Did we play favoritism with him? While we do not consider ourselves perfect parents, we strove to treat them all equally in terms of material things but more especially in terms of attention and affection. No one was more special than the other.

When they were a lot younger, we made it point that we spent the weekend together on the beach or in malls where they would have lots of fun. We always thought and made decisions in terms of all our children. No one was ever left behind. We loved them all deeply and we made it very clear to them that our lives revolve and rotate around them, that we would not hesitate to give up even our lives for anyone of them anytime the need arises.

Balancing the needs of their children is the crucible parents must bear their entire lifetime but it is also a challenge they know they could not give up on to make their children stronger and better prepared each day as they face the realities of life.