FEED MY HEART TO THE HAWKS IN SIERRA MADRE (Abridged)

Chapter 8

Ben paused and leaned back on his chair.

"So what happened?" Amelita could not contain her interest.

He was speechless, breathing heavily. My grandfather was hospitalized and then jailed, together with my grandmother. Except for the two of them, all members of their group were given immediate pardon. Grandma was later released because she was pregnant with my mother. My mom is their first-born child.

Ben continued. "Months later, World War II broke out. The Japanese released Papang as soon as their imperial army reached Tayug. He was appointed mayor of the town. However, he immediately saw through the Japanese's evil designs, not really liberating the country but subjugating and taking hold of the country's natural resources needed for their conquest of Asia. After just two months of work as their town puppet, he went back to the Sierra Madre with his whole family and again with a bunch of his followers. He fought the Japanese with a prize on his head."

"That was very patriotic of him," exclaimed Amelita.

"Many of the town people thought that way too, but Papang did not have anything to do with the government during after the second world war. He refused to join the USAFE and the Fil-Am guerillas. He never consolidated with the Huk Balahap, the farmer-rebels of central Luzon who fought the Japanese as socialist-guerillas. He turned down the war decorations and even his back-pay."

"He came down from the hills with his group and organized this business to provide employment to his members and to support his growing family. He regained part of his wealth, but was fed up with politics and foreign meddling." Ben interrupted his narration and opened one of the bottled syrup.

"This is what Mamang meant when she said I should give you a taste." He picked up the violet colored bottle.

"That's one of the fruity aromas coming from the warehouse." She sat up in anticipation.

"Papang and Mamang were ahead of their time." He asserted. They were against foreign commercial domination before the word 'nationalism' came into vogue.

After being cautioned about the viscosity of the syrup, Amelita mixed the refreshments in 30% grape juice and 70% mineral water. "What a beautiful brand name, Loida. Amazing taste."

There's a vulgar twist to Papang's nationalist movement, however." Ben prompted Amelita, who stopped drinking.

"I'm sure you've heard, or perhaps used, the word Kulorum every time some fraud has been committed or produced," he preluded.

"I was about to ask about the similarity of the word Kulorum with your Papang's political party." Sje was without malice.

"Papang's fight against foreign intervention came to be known as a swindle committed against him by the Americans, and then by the Japanese. The word spread to the nearby provinces and, thereafter, to the Tagalog speaking regions. Eventually, the word Kulorum became corrupted and evolved to mean something fake, an imitation. So, you hear of Kulorum LTO registrations, passports, weddings, etc."

Ben stood up and switched off the antique ceiling fan.

It was time to say farewell to the matriarch. It was to be their last. XXXXCHANGE GRANDMOTHER TO MOTHER.