Bukidnon

Grandpa died, and out of his numerous siblings all but one remained.  We heard he is as tough as nails, and lives in the hinterlands of Bukidnon.  None of us has seen him and that’s reason enough to pay him a visit before he leaves this earth too.

The jeep was jam-packed and my uncles thought I was big enough to be with them in this one-of-a-kind trip from the eastern tip of Zamboanga peninsula.  I felt privileged to be embarking on an important journey with these honorable men.  We started at dawn and we reached Ozamis city just in time to ride the first ferry boat bound for Mukas, our gateway to Lanao.  Then we continued to Iligan and Cagayan de Oro cities.  As we reached Bukidnon area, we passed by huge pineapple plantations.  After hours of travel that make our butts burn, we finally came face to face with Grandpa’s only surviving sibling.  He was handsome and has that pointed nose like Grandpa’s.  He is stooped now and shorter than Grandpa, but full of vigor and still works in the farm.

He said he had a premonition we were coming because his brother told him so in his dream.  And that on this particular day, he was awakened by the rattling of dishes in the kitchen.  He said it was Grandpa’s way of reminding him of the visit, and that he should prepare something for us.  He asked how Grandpa died, and we said he fell from his horse, and that even in his twilight years, Grandpa still does what he loves best - ride horses.  He said it wasn’t an accident, Grandpa had a mission, and he has forgotten something, and the horse was used to punish him.  We understood what he meant, Grandpa and his cousins were known to possess talismans and we heard they have certain duties: prayers, chants, rituals and things like that.

As they were reminiscing, I wandered around and gazed at the newly plowed earth ready for planting. I took two little black stones jutting out in front of his backyard in remembrance of our visit.  When we left, he shed tears of happiness and also of longing.  I gave him my jacket and he embraced me tightly, proud to learn he has a lawyer for a grandson.