Anne and her family eventually transferred to a new place, a new home after some time. They had renovated that small, old house they bought, replacing it with woods and bamboo strips, with 2 rooms only.
The place was near the highway, the bridge and the river of the proper town.
However, their home in the farm was much better compared there.
In the farm, they have a wide yard, planted around with beautiful flowers, daisies, orchids and lots of fruit trees like mangoes, guyabano, guava, Cashew tree, langka, banana, etc. Their house was surrounded by those flowers, fruit trees and sugarcane as well.
Constantine eventually got well, through traditional medicinal herbs and healthy diet (fruits, fish, and vegetables only), and he rarely used cooking oil in food, otherwise he will use a little only, he's always avoiding oily foods really.
And he had a habit of planting trees like the Eucalyptus tree, Mahogany, etc. - he will first put the seedlings in small plastic containers, then, he will transfer them to the land if they all sprouted (knee length) already. The house was surrounded by it, by those tall Eucalyptus and Mahogany.
But, the 2nd eldest son was always there in the farm to take care of their carabaos and the crops.
Looking back in the past, especially during drought season, all the sources of water there in the farm were all empty. They cannot plant rice either, they have no means to irrigate the field. And there came a time when all the grasses withered too, thus, the animals couldn't find anything for their food, especially the Carabao and cows.
Anne's grandparents at that time had many cows and carabaos. At that time, it was a long drought, and everyone suffered there with famine. Anne's family could hardly find some rice to cook and they have no corn crops as well. At times, their mother would cook some leafy vegetable mixed with Cassava to serve as their meal for the whole day. And for the next day, sometimes their meal was only boiled bananas, or else boiled sweet potato. However, there came a time when everything was consumed already. Thus, Anne and her elder sister went out anywhere to search for anything to eat, any root crops.
Anne and her sister would ride on the back of the Carabao, separately, one person per one Carabao. They would search first, literally for a green pasture, green grasses, even though it's far away from home, to other nearby places by riding only on the back of the Carabao. Then, whenever they could find some green grasses, they'd tie their owned Carabao to a tree or any firm rocks or wood on that place. They'd leave the animals there, which kept on feeding to the grass and would just return after. The sisters would find some root crops to the wilderness or in some kaingin area. They would crawl and crawl to anything even on the sloping hills just to find any root crops. They'd find some "UBE" root crops at times, and sometimes they hardly knew what root crop it was but they knew it was edible, and not a poisonous one.
Then, they'd bring their Carabao to the next river, it's a river located near their distant relatives, it took them 2-3 hours going there, it's so far from home.
While the Carabaos were drinking and swimming, they'll swim too with their sister. They'd play there as long as they wanted, enjoying the freshness of the water in that river, forgetting the passing time. Anne just dipped in shallow water only, since she's not really good at swimming.
At times, they would meet their grandfather who's riding also to his Carabao which feeds in greener grasses, to the other place going to another river as well.
They'd go together and after that, before the dark comes, they'll untie the carabao from whatever post they made and will ride on the back of it going home. Sometimes, when rain suddenly comes which was accompanied by thunder and lightning at times, the Carabao will be suddenly frightened, thus, it would run in a hurry, so fast that the rider may fall unto it, and Anne couldn't escape that usual scenario especially when she failed to hold firmly on the rope which was attaching to carabao's neck. She will likely be overthrown unto the ground, and suffer some slight bruises, wounds and pain. They would always bring a sack to use as a cover above the Carabao before seating over there, to prevent some rashes especially when the Carabao is wet.
It was their usual experience to get some itchy rashes everytime from the wet carabao ifever they just sat directly above the Carabao's back. Those rashes took many days before it heals, and they just use some oil to minimize the itch like the used kerosene lamp oil, or else coconut oil made by their mother.
One day, Anne and her childhood neighbors, some were the same with her age, while the others were younger than her, went somewhere, to find a river, it was a few kilometers away from home .
They went there mainly to wash their dirty laundry. Each was carrying their bags, and others sacks of laundry and others were carrying laundry tubs if they could . Then, after that they went on swimming, though Anne hardly swam at all, she just dipped & dipped in the water.
Next, some of the kids gathered some banana trunks and they would ride above it, to keep them afloat in the water. They played, enjoyed, floated and floated away from the riverside. Anne saw a girl a few distance away from her, waving at her, calling her name, calling her to go to her & follow her also. However, she seemed to be moving away, until she floated already in the middle of the river.
She asked her, "Is the water not deep there? Is it okay to go there?"
And she said, "Yes! It's not deep here. Come on, come here!"
(That's what she heard from her, she was a pretty & fair skinned girl - a mestiza)
So Anne followed her, but as she drew nearer to her, she cannot see the surface of the water anymore, she cannot reach her, she cannot see anyone, she felt that she's sinking already. The water was so deep, she cannot reach even the very bottom. Anne cannot shout for help under water, yet she didn't struggle. She just let herself float under it, in her mind she won't force herself anymore, letting fate decide whatever will happen to her, she just resigned herself to fate.
And suddenly, another girl came out of nowhere, her elementary classmate at that time.
After that, she's suddenly riding on her back already, she had no idea why she's on her back already, she cannot explain it.
The girl then instantly carried her far away from there going to the riverside.
And Anne asked her, "I got lucky you came & saved me but how did you know I was there?"
And she said, "I just saw the tip of your hand, as if your palm was waving on the surface of the water, so I just swam towards you."
And the other girl, the first one who called Anne to follow her said, "I told you the water is deep, and told you also not to follow me!"
She was confused, puzzled by what she heard, her words were different!
Maybe she heard it wrong. She heard the opposite of what she's saying, instead of "NO", Anne heard, "YES".
It's really a lucky day for her to survive from drowning.
Those were the experiences, Anne couldn't forget there in the farm. The memories of her friends, her neighbors, riding on the back of the Carabao, visiting other places just to find another river, hunting any root crops, crawling the ground through the thick, spiky grasses on the hillsides.
And fetching water a few distance away from home every morning before going to school , then climbing up the Santol tree that was standing tall beside the source of drinking water. Taking a bath to that secluded place where water in a "Bobon" can be found. "Bobon" was the local term where there's a hole in the ground, then freshwater will come out, the water is potable for drinking and for bathing as well.
In the new place, there's no "Bobon" anymore, but only a river under the bridge. Every morning before going to school, the children and Anne will take a bath there. They're luckiest among their new neighbors, since they're right beside the river, a few steps away only from them.
And there's a boy, named Gil, one of their neighbors, near Anne's age who's taking a bath there as well. He saw Anne and would approach her always.
Gil knew Anne for the past months before that already through Anne's relative who was a friend of his as well. Even before they transferred there in the new place, Gil already saw her almost everyday walking down the street every school day. And later on, he did learn that she's the relative of his neighbor too. From there, it seemed Gil admired Anne ever since the first year of her high school life until she went to College. His feelings never fades no matter where Anne is.
He'd always asked about her to "Amay", Anne's uncle (though she's older than him actually), cousin of her mother. Amay's house was much nearer to Gil (on the right side) and Anne's house was on the far left side, very end of all the row houses near the highway, nearest the bridge and the river.
Gil would always watch Anne even from a distance and at times, he couldn't stop himself from approaching Anne and greeting her every time.
He didn't go to school anymore, he preferred working already, doing any odd jobs to help his family, because they're many also, he had many siblings there and all seemed to be living under one roof together with the grandchildren.
Gil would usually work as a "jeep barker", hanging himself in the end of the vehicle, right in front of the door of the jeep. Then, he would earn a few money from it. He's a hardworking kid, yet he didn't pursue his studies anymore. He's watching Anne everytime and it seems his eyes won't stop from looking at her.
He would find excuses just to visit Anne at home every time, dragging Amay going there as if they were just visiting casually with no purpose as her Uncle's friend. Gil would take time to always know Anne's whereabouts until everyone in Gil's family knew already about her. Though Anne got a boyfriend already, Jeffry in school, Gil would never falter or surrender to follow her as always, anywhere even going to the farm, wherever she went, there he was at times. At first Amay and Anne were not so close as relatives but through that, gradually Amay and Anne became best friends going anywhere, accompanying each other.
Amay had some barkadas, and actually he looked behaved outside but in reality he's a troublesome one. Anne discovered his true behavior after a few hang outs with him, and she learned to go out by his influence like going to the dancing floor and drinking some alcohol, though tasting it for a few drops only, she tasted it once or twice only and she never got indulge to that anymore due to health reasons. She felt her heart cannot take too much alcohol, it brought her some weird palpitations whenever she drank. She's afraid she might get a heart attack if she'll drink more, a glass was okay but she cannot take more than that. A bottle of beer was just manageable but she wasn't a type to go drunk and be wild about it.
Their new place brought them a little change, people there are more outgoing and less conservative. Everything was there, nearer to their new home, since they're alongside the highway, beside the running public vehicles. Everything is near like the school, the market, the public plaza - where every yearly fiesta, people were going there to dance, the sound system is so loud where other barangays could hear those loud music. Anne rarely went out to participate in the yearly fiesta of that place, it's maybe once that she participated dancing on the plaza with Amay, as long as she had a companion with her. One time, she thought it was okay to try to imitate them, she just danced and turned around, and did whatever dance steps like a wild child. Amay wondered and asked her if she's drunk, but she's not. She rarely did that and it happened once only, it's just on a spur of the moment, she wildly danced without rhyme, just enjoying the time. Anne felt that it was so embarrassing to think about it again. Thereafter, she never danced like that again in that public plaza, she would visit only to watch the others, then she would just go home before midnight came.
Anne's parents would just let them stroll there around the place as long as it's nearby them only. But, her parents would not let them sleep over to other houses and camping out with friends was not allowed as well. Anne never ever camped out with friends or would go to picnic near beaches, and she admitted that she got few friends only, not like the others who were joining in a group or barkadas just to have fun outside.
In the high school days of Anne, her direction would always be going to school, to the farm, to the river, to the market and to the church, though she and her family would rarely go there previously.
Her family , though they're Roman Catholic at birth, would seldom go to the Catholic Church near them, except if there's a wedding, burial or baptism and if it's Christmas eve. She didn't know why, but she saw that her mother and grandmother would always pray wearing a white robe with white head covering as well like the nuns, every morning and evening. It was part of the teachings of Papa Con, the church leader in the farm. Though they built a small church before, it didn't last due to that wooden structure only, which eventually ruined by the changing weather, then, slowly one by one dispersed. It was unregistered, they never registered the name of the church or religion due to lack of funds and maybe few members. Yet, the few remaining members like Anne's mother and grandparents were still praying the same way every day, wearing that all white clothing like the nuns.
But the outsider would notice at times the behavior of the family, and told them to go to Catholic church every Sunday, but Anne's parents won't do that still. The people thought they were non-religious or not praying to God, they just didn't know it because they have not seen it. People indeed were judgmental at times to what they have seen only on the outside. However, Anne would go to Catholic Church every Sunday since it's part of her high school life. Every Wednesday, the school obliged all high school students to attend the mass, it's compulsory to them and the teacher would require each student to provide notes afterwards, especially the lesson or sermons they learned from the Priest. So, Anne would bring a notebook and a pen to jot down the Priest's homily always. Afterwards, they will summarize it in another sheet of paper the important points they had learned and they'll submit it to their adviser after that.
Anne participated actively in the Church and in extra-curricular activities of the school until she graduated in Year 2000.
She earned a Valedictorian record and received few certificates from several Universities offering 100% free in tuition fee as incoming freshman.
And that time her grandmother also received an award from a Sugar Milling Company near them, because she returned a large sum of money to them. In turn, they offered her something, and coincidentally, Anne was the grandchild she recommended since she will go to college that time and known to have a good grade in school. They offered a scholarship program to Anne, though she'll first undergo some series of exams and interviews for formality purposes. Anne successfully passed the test and interviews. She'll be receiving some amount yearly from them, and they promised Anne to give a job inside the Sugar Milling Company. Thus, her mother recommended Anne to get a College course which was suitable there, and that was Chemical Engineering. Anne had no idea what was that, and she just accepted whatever her mother had recommended to her.
Then, Anne's parents brought her to a different city, so far from their new home to introduce her to their other relative. This relative was a Priest in the capital city of their region. It took them almost 3 hours traveling by bus to go there in that city. They asked the priest to sponsor Anne, to ask for financial assistance so that Anne could continue College, though Anne was 100% free in tuition fees in the University, still they can't afford the daily school allowances and the other projects. Anne's elder sister was there already before her, she was already enrolled in Midwifery in a Medical school however, later on she hadn't graduated due to some personal reasons only her sister knew.
And there, Anne's life started to have a big change. She met her other distant relatives she hardly knew, mostly boys and other new people. She met different religious people: the nuns, the priests, lay ministers, and people in all walks of life.
The city was so big and glamorous to look at. Everything was there, the malls, tall buildings, big universities, many jeepneys, few taxis and grocery stores. Since it was the capital city of the region, assorted people were there, the crowds were everywhere, especially near the Universities and malls.
She stayed there for more than 5 years in that great city until College graduation, Year 2005, having assorted experiences from different places and different people since she never stayed long in her relative's presence. It took only more than 2 years before she left the house of her relatives and started to study on her own as a working student in the same University she enrolled.
(September 22, 2020 04:42pm Tuesday)