“Kaya iyan si Buboy bilib yan sakun. Ta aram niyang kapay ako [I know Buboy salutes me because he thinks I’m crazy].”
Those were the words he told me when he finished telling his stories. My grandfather and I were talking about our house helper in the past, kuya [big brother] Buboy. I was laughing the whole time. Then I finally thought I had to write about it…
I remembered kuya Buboy as a brotherly companion in my childhood. At times, he’d piss off other people in the house because of his loud laughter. We never knew then that there would come a time that everyone would miss those laughter.
We started the conversation when a question passed my mind: “Where the heck is he now?”. Without looking at me, my grandfather said kuya Buboy now has a child.
I was smiling.
Daddy – as I call my grandfather – said he first saw kuya Buboy at his friend’s place. The latter was carrying along a bag with him. It was a school day so he was curious why wasn’t the young kuya Buboy at school that time.
“Arug talaga yan san [That’s how that kid is],” his friend told him.
That was when he learned that kuya Buboy’s grandfather was really strict on him. He was once hanged upside down with a fire underneath for discipline. Why wasn’t he at school? He was a successful rebel.
[A minute before I post this blog: I asked my big brother if he still remember kuya Buboy’s grandfather’s name. To my surprise he still does – it was Nier]
Daddy called for kuya Buboy, unable to swallow the fact the a young boy would waste his time outside school when there is more knowledge awaiting him inside classrooms. He told him that if he wants to go to school and want his grandfather out of his life for awhile, kuya Buboy can visit our house. He didn’t tell him his plans yet, though. Kuya Buboy agreed. After that, we met him.
I was in elementary then. Maybe in first grade (or was it in second grade?). Kuya Buboy was introduced to us by Daddy as the new house helper. He’s in the fourth grade, if I remember it right. But he should have been in high school in his age.
We got along well really fast with the new family member. We treated him no smaller than a family member. He was really good for me and my big brother.
Of course my grandfather enrolled him to the school near our house – Guinobatan West Central School (that was were I was enrolled from first to fourth grade). As he busied himself studying his lessons at night, he was helping doing the chores.
During meal times, he was permitted to eat with us because nobody ever wanted to let him feel left alone. In fact, all the helpers were permitted so.
Though there were other house helpers inside the house before and after he was introduced to us, he stayed in our place the longest.
He would sometimes make fun of the girl helpers and would make enemies with them. I remember myself laughing in the corner when he tries to imitate the other helper and winning the word-war. He always win, by the way.
Before he knew Daddy, he didn’t know how to cook vegetable dishes. It was just when Daddy obliged him to learn how that he made the effort to listen to the other helpers and my grandfather.
During evenings, he would tell us stories about his place and the stories revolving around their neighborhood. Though me and my brother would love to roll in on the floor in laughter, he hates to be reminded of the time that his grandfather cut his hair to near baldness.
When my grandfather would ask him to buy something from the market, I would always go along. With my mountain bike, he would drive like mad without ever considering what others would think about us as he endlessly say: “BEEEEP BEEEEP! EEEEEEEENG EEEEEEENG!”
Looking at the expressions of the ones we passed by, I couldn’t help laughing. The fast wind pushing through my ears made it impossible to hear my laughter. We would always go home with my hair overstretched and over-erected from the air-treatment.
My grandfather retold me about the time when he told kuya Buboy to buy something from a store in the neighborhood.
Kuya Buboy went back home empty-handed.
“They didn’t have them,” he said with a smile.
“Di ka barang nangayngut? [You didn’t have the idea to scold them?”
“Na? [Of…?]”
“You could have told them they should close down their store if they don’t have anything to sell.” Daddy told him.
Kuya Buboy went to the store, then came back saying that the store was close even before he could go back.
“Mana ta batuhon ta. [Come, and let’s stone them].”
They both headed to the store. Daddy reminded kuya Buboy that once he hears the stone hitting the store’s door, they should run to the other direction to avoid being apprehended and so that the store owner wouldn’t think that the stones came from the hands of someone who lives on the direction of our house.
“O, Batuwa na. [You do the throwing].” Daddy told kuya Buboy. When they heard the stone hit something solid, the ran.
a repost from http://whentreesreachforthestars.blogspot.com/ by Rey Anthony Ostria
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