a family disaster happened when my mother left home because she’s fed up with my late father’s womanizing… (don’t worry, i’ve forgiven him and loved him so dearly)
we had to do our own washing and ironing specially our school uniforms, i was 11 at that time. it’s not a problem…
my father had to stock the refrigerator with ready-to-fry food, so we won’t starve.
but the problem was, the pile of dirty plates… no one wants to wash the dishes… and we took turns.
after a month or so, we complained to our father, to fetch our mother in her sister’s house. we’re all crying. we missed our mother, we’re so miserable and fighting with each other because of the household chores…
probably my father missed mom too, because my mother prepared all his clothing, when he came out from the bathroom, set of clothes were already on hand including the socks that matched his pants.
when my mother was in the house again, they never slept together again, that left me sleeping with my dad. and my mother shared the bed with my brothers and sister. we’re such a close-knit family. even my sister and i were asked to move to our own room, we kept on sleeping back again with the other children and with my mom.
i liked my sister but the 4 year age gap between us, never made me closer to her even more, seeing her liking the funny stuff such as manicure and pedicure, it’s gross to me.
i liked my neighbor much better, they’re all females in the family, I occasionally visit their house, unlike my sister, this girl listens to my stories. my friend is 6 years older than me (i was 8 years old). when a guy began courting her, i usually sat with them, they never felt uneasy with me. and i became the chaperon for my friend so the guy was permitted to talk with her. i knew something was wrong, because they’re not talking, but always looking to each other.
from one house to another, when i saw young couples mingling with each other, i would be there… just looking, holding the girl’s hand or sitting on her lap… sometimes, the guy would give me a candy…., and it’s a sign to back-off… i would leave them for a while, after sometime, going back again. i don’t know why i was attracted to them, i was such an observant little lass.
it became a habit of mine, i knew where to go when i want a candy… often times, i would even asked my friend of her boyfriend’s visiting schedule, just to make sure, i wouldn’t miss the present.
but they liked me, I was the chaperon, and the girl’s parents favored my presence too… they felt a guardian nearby, knowing that i would say something when they’re behaving unlikely.
