Sunday started in the conscious state after hearing the slightest sound of him knocking on the bedroom door or wall and his faintest voice saying: ‘It’s Happy Father’s Day’! My head was still craned to its comfortable position towards the left where my bedroom window is located and I heard myself breathing deeply as if I were still sound asleep. My eyes barely opened and my raspy voice muffled in vane response to greet Paw in return.
The time was about 06:00AM after about thirty minutes of slowly waking up. I pulled myself out of bed and remembered getting dress and ready to go to early mass at around 07:00AM. We three made out the door by 07:30AM and towards the familiar roads towards the church that we’ve been attending since we moved here in 1976 from the East Coast of the USA.
Mass was normal and quite relaxing while I continued to snooze with my eyes completely closed. Later, I had to nudge Maw forward a bit after her futile attempt to kneel slightly with her good, left knee prior to entering the pew from the right side after receiving communion. We sang the usual song ‘Amazing Grace,’ which happens to be the favorite and probably the best one that the priest knows from memory.
We went to a restaurant and ordered two plates, which we divided among us three. I ordered the vegetable omelet with broccoli, mushroom and tomatoes, including the crunchy slices red and green bell peppers. We split the carbohydrates (whole wheat and white toasts and hash browns) and proteins (bacon and sausage). Maw and I drank out two cups of coffee; while Paw got his hot chocolate (or cocoa) with white cream. I don’t think he got marshmallows that time. The conversation was kept to a minimal as we talked about Brat and Twit.
By 10:00AM we were home and ready to go out again. Suddenly we heard the phone ring. And our senses indicated that Brat had called but unfortunately did not leave a message on the answering machine, which we knew he would not do since his calls, if they were important, would be followed by a simple greeting of some sort, at least for Paws day. We did not answer the phone as a result and obviously did not return the call since we do not have the caller ID feature for a few dollars more each month.
Then we headed off to the mall nearby and proceeded to walk. Maw seemed to be in some pain with her right knee after a few months of surgery. But she managed to be a trooper and tried walking halfway around at her own pace while Paw and I walked at medium pace twice around the mall. We didn’t see Maw at the water fountain and we continued that second round of walking.
By the second turn, I found myself buying a small, ‘Bee Stinger’. I did see two small scooping not fully rounded of two powered stuff – one light yellow banana flavor and one deep yellow of which was obviously bee pollen. That server did not top off my drink in a dome shape cover to get my money’s worth. I didn’t like her all that much but I shouldn’t complain for wanting more to feed my gluttonous appetite.
We then debated what to do next in our spontaneous plan for local travel. We went back home to freshen up some more – more like doing the number two before eating lunch. I found a blue card sitting on the counter and propped up a the rice cooker and I confused Maw about the whereabouts of ‘Squirrel-Ling.’ She heard me wrong and thought he was in the house but I knew that deep in her heart she wanted to connect with Brat as some small way as before.
Lunch was that same, small restaurant where we ate half the callos and small pancit bihon – a very thin, rice noodle dish. I believe the conversation was about old people getting Social Security, foreigners getting food stamps and baby making devices getting welfare. As taxpayers, we are darn angry for working hard and not getting that much help, especially for those born and raised on this here land. We are glad the government is tightening the noose around the freeloaders.
Later I found myself sleeping the rest of the afternoon (for waking up early this morning) until the evening. We prayed the rosary and then got a surprise phone call from Brat. He sounded normal and talked to Paw about his day and went on to describe the painting on the front of the card showing two brown bears (father bear to the right of son bear) walking hand in hand on this light brown bear together. Brat also seems to appeal to the sailor side of Paw and mentioned his hand written words inside the card of ‘Anchors away!’
The sad part was Brats attempt to get another free meal, which I am the guiltiest of receiving since I do live with the twosome. We don’t like freeloaders and found that Brat had formed another one of his sly inquiry by directing the decision-making away from him in the guise of offering to pay for dinner, which Paw declined by stating Brat to save his money. This is another technique to allow the intended ‘victim’ to be held responsible for the invitation and payment to dinner, not for Brat alone but for Twit as well.
Dinner time was at this same, small restaurant where we asked our waiter friend (for over one year of seeing him) to recommend a dish we haven’t tried yet. He suggested the hot and sour soup, which was over a compact propane stove. The ‘idiom’ replaced that hair-spray, sized can of propane in front of us and over the food. This is the kind of service we get for eating at these kinds of places.
We finished off the plate of crunchy fresh vegetable — stir fried and glazed over with a sauce that was no doubt made out of cornstarch. Both the soup and vegetable plate were salty as was the fried rice. We took two large Styrofoam container home because the soup contained mostly small chicken parts and another order of fried rice which Maw seemed to enjoy eating despite her very quite demeanor the whole evening. Her snappy ways, however, towards Paw has not diminished.
The time we came home was around 08:50PM. Earlier, Brat claimed he would first sleep and later visit us instead of a proper greeting in person right after the phone conversation. Prior to driving up to the driveway, I made a bet of $10.00 to Maw that he would show up around 10:00PM. And of course there was no sign of Brat. I lost the bet and haven’t paid the winner yet.
Maw was obviously the winner that day and the one dearest and nearest to her heart has always been Brat.’ The whole day was pleasant and calm as I managed to take a few pictures of pink sylph clouds late in the evening and after coming out of the restaurant for dinner. As for Paw’ he will always be the strong silent type – a stubborn but sentimental bull who likes to graze well among the greenest pastures alone or with his bio-units. He too wins that day by having his bio-units get all well together without or without his junior.
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