Tag: animals

ep: After swearing in my previous blog not to set foot in a house where ‘Shoes Off’ was required up in San Ramon, CA, I drove the three of us in the dog house. And I thought I was the only one complaining – the future in-laws of Chilled seemed to take the hint that their dirty shoes and smelly feet, too, are not worthy to touch the pristine wooden floored cleaned by others for $90.00 once a month.

This time the ‘Hot-Headed Chili Pepper’ wasn’t around to hear us old timers talk about anything important. Earlier, I had called the phone number of her mom’s room and left a voice mail message to wake up, rise and shine and return my phone call. Later I tried both cell phone numbers of Chilled and later Butch but decided to hang up and text them instead.

At least Chilled responded to my text and wrote that she was busy with at work and with her Sausalito, CA event next week on behalf for one of the aunt of her live-in boyfriend. I do not know if my cousin is even engaged to this tall Filipino. It’s sad because the ‘Eyebrow Tick’ is ten years the junior to Chilled – just like my uncle was to her mom. It was sad when Chilled cried at Butch’s wedding reception in the hopes of being the next cousin to get married.

Both Tick and Chilled came from divorced families. And the couple have the fear of divorce themselves. The sentiments of past hurt are keeping them from being married. And it so happened to be that Tick’s family is quite loud: They drink a lot and gamble, like poker. But Chilled is quiet, like on my side. And she seemed withdrawn as if not interested to talk with the three of us (my parents and me) when we visited the house of debt on Thursday noontime.

They seem fine as a couple but I am not too sure of the guy because he is so young and has lots more years ahead of him. I know my cousin Chilled loves him because the look on her face from one her pictures near the foyer exactly matches the softened faces of my paternal grandfather on his wedding photo and of Brat with his Twit. As an outsider to the affairs of my kin folks, my intuition is very keen on the compatibility of couples.

She came home around 02:00PM and immediately complained to the mom about not opening the doors and windows for the dogs. For the next thirty minutes, the girl kept busy behind closed doors and in the stinky patio where the three small dogs where pooping and peeping at this newspaper-lined post. One dog peeped on an old television and there was a wet spot. I went back to the conversation and watched my younger cousin clean up some more. What happened, Chilled?

After getting food from 99 Ranch and driving eight (80) miles per hour starting at 11:00AM, I got lost around 11:22AM at Shoreleaf Dr. I had to call Chilled’s cellphone but none answered. Good thing I had the main home number and the mom answered the phone. For another ten minutes while keeping the mom on the phone, I arrived at the place. We were greeted by the mom who now has a walking cane just like Maw.

I had to run to the toilet and afterward found myself participating in normal conversation until about after two more hours when the topic shifted to ungrateful relatives. What I noticed with the (homeowner) mom was her denial of any wrong doings from the pasts. She claimed there is nothing to worry about and that she forgot everything hurtful past her divorce. Her face turned angry and unhappy to our reality. What happened, Auntie?

From then on my parents kept quiet at the very dark and very square dining table and Maw scolded me for talking too much (as an implication that this old hag did not and does not make sense, which has been the primary complaint as per the other relatives and my grandparents. And now this 75 year old is sticking like glue to Babble because both their son-in-law’s are related as first cousin to each other. Babble is notorious for gossiping and my relatives know this from the beginning.

Her old age did not stop her strong attitude against those who disagreed with her being on top of everyone else. She is free to believe that illusion and I truly feel sorry for her vindictive behavior towards us kin folks. I am wondering how Chilled has been affected by the mom’s brutal verbal assaults – such being darker skinned (than the rest of us cousins) and like the description of burnt lumpia as per her mom with anger for some unknown reason from years ago. I remember this stuff, by the way. She would have made a beautiful commercial model because of her tall height and high bridged nose, by the way.

Gee, all this nice data should be presented on Evening Magazine. (This is a hint for the Filipinos who do not already know who I am or what I am talking about all this time in my blogs). But my parents and I have been in our bubble for such a long time that we discovered and with sad revelation (as per Chilled’s mom and a paternal first cousin, who recently got divorced) that my East Bay relatives seem to play plastic no matter what happened in the past.

My parents and I don’t play plastic because we are sincerely happy to see our kin folks no matter how far away in San Jose, CA we are located. Okay, we are getting too old for parties, which are tiresome, too. I have learned that there is no such thing as togetherness anymore. As per Brat, he, like all my other cousins, just want to live their lives and forget that blood is thicker than water.

There is too much competition and comparison going on with each other. I don’t like the overall trend of Filipinos being lost to their free will of ego and self-centered being. I prefer security and knowing we could love and humor each other in spite of hardships. But everyone is on the defensive side for some reason and maybe to protect themselves from more hurt. My personal observation points to a barometric reading of gross, where dogs go back and lick up their vomit, really.

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