The Pied Piper
In church tonight, before the mass started, a little girl of 2 or 3 years seated at my back kept touching me and I would glance at her and she would smile and I would smile back, then she'd touch me again and I would smile. Her mother would be a bit embarrassed but she too would smile. Finally, when she touched me again for the nth time, I smiled and extended my hand and she got it and put it in her head for blessing (mano) so I gave her my blessing. Then middle of the mass, another kid of 7, a daughter of one of my “sisters” in the community came to me to get my hand so again I extended it for the “mano”, during communion as I was going back to my seat another kid of 8 or 9, also a granddaughter on one of my “sis” came to me for the Mano and after the mass a boy came to me to say hello, I remembered him as the boy who told me to tell her mother to join the handmaids when I visited the wake of his father (I just passed by and decided to pay my respect and condole even if I did not know the dead but when I looked at the casket it turned out his face was familiar) then the son of my sis who was already in 4th year high school and really big also came to me for the Mano blessing.
Boy am I going old! :-) It is usually older people that people goes to for the mano… many people my age would not extend their hands if kids wants to “mano” and say that they are still young and would usually opt for a kiss instead but i'm not really a beso-beso (kissing on cheeks when greeting) person and prefer the mano since I get the chance to say “God bless you!”
When I was walking home from church, another kid ran after me and tried to outpace and turn back just to look at me… didn’t really know why he did it but I smiled at him nevertheless and a man from the sides said “Uy humabol pa para tingnan lang ang mukha! (Oh, he even ran after you just to see your face!).
Sometimes I am amazed at children’s reaction towards me! Many kids would actually smile at me when they see me (on the other hand there are also those that acts shocked and shout "Uy ang laki!" (Oh, big!) and I would say “ang taas hindi ang laki” (Tall not big!), I guess that because children are basically curious and they react when they see a lady taller than most Filipinos.
I even remember one incident when my sister and I went to the province. My nieces go home for lunch then go back to school and we decided to accompany them back to school. I was really surprised when the school children we passed through suddenly swarmed at me and walked with me to school! I was tall and I was surrounded by little kids and I felt like I was the Pied Piper of Hamelin! When we got to the school yard, even the teachers in the classrooms came out to see what was happening. In a way I felt embarrassed and I told them all to enter the classroom! They were not moving and as if they were in a trance and I had to motion (sort of shoo) them to get inside the rooms! To this date my nieces could still not forget it and of course so have I.
Over the years I've become used to getting different reactions from people especially kids that sees me for the first time but sometimes I still get amazed when many decide to pay attention to me at the same time...
Boy am I going old! :-) It is usually older people that people goes to for the mano… many people my age would not extend their hands if kids wants to “mano” and say that they are still young and would usually opt for a kiss instead but i'm not really a beso-beso (kissing on cheeks when greeting) person and prefer the mano since I get the chance to say “God bless you!”
When I was walking home from church, another kid ran after me and tried to outpace and turn back just to look at me… didn’t really know why he did it but I smiled at him nevertheless and a man from the sides said “Uy humabol pa para tingnan lang ang mukha! (Oh, he even ran after you just to see your face!).
Sometimes I am amazed at children’s reaction towards me! Many kids would actually smile at me when they see me (on the other hand there are also those that acts shocked and shout "Uy ang laki!" (Oh, big!) and I would say “ang taas hindi ang laki” (Tall not big!), I guess that because children are basically curious and they react when they see a lady taller than most Filipinos.
I even remember one incident when my sister and I went to the province. My nieces go home for lunch then go back to school and we decided to accompany them back to school. I was really surprised when the school children we passed through suddenly swarmed at me and walked with me to school! I was tall and I was surrounded by little kids and I felt like I was the Pied Piper of Hamelin! When we got to the school yard, even the teachers in the classrooms came out to see what was happening. In a way I felt embarrassed and I told them all to enter the classroom! They were not moving and as if they were in a trance and I had to motion (sort of shoo) them to get inside the rooms! To this date my nieces could still not forget it and of course so have I.
Over the years I've become used to getting different reactions from people especially kids that sees me for the first time but sometimes I still get amazed when many decide to pay attention to me at the same time...
posted by elizabeth | 10:33 PM
1 Comments:
I thought the ages would extend up to 16. LOL
Anyhow, I had the same story that I could still remember till now.
It was not about being old but about a very tall and beautiful (6 footer)wife with her short, not-so handsome and not-so rich looking husband.
I tell you, people inside the church could not help themselves (me also) but wonder as if there was an apparition.
My lola's driver even asked me, what is it in that man and how do you think they've done it. They have many children.
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