The sun was up but the sky was gray and the wind was chilly. I woke up from that double deck. Perhaps, I was below and my sister was still sleeping above. I looked out the window. The grass was moist, the bamboos swaying. I was wearing gray jogging pants and a white shirt. The pants hid the scabies I had and which I was so shy to show the kids at school.
Papa entered the room to see me. “Good morning, Papa,” I said. “Good morning, anako,” he replied as he kissed me on my cheek. He held my hand as we went downstairs, where I smelled fried fish. I saw my mother in the kitchen taking a peek inside the casserole of rice she was cooking.
Outside, I heard the adults talking. I heard my grandmother talking with my grandfather and a helper. My father took his black cap from its hook on the stairs just above the refrigerator. He also took my white cap and placed it above my head. “Come on. Let’s go outside,” he said. At first, he held my hand, but seeing that I walked too slowly with my tiny feet, he carried me instead. He walked on the concrete path leading to my grandparents’ house.
A white dog followed Papa. A brown one was tied near the Chico tree. We entered the backdoor of my grandparents’ house that led to the kitchen. My grandpa was cooking, but he turned around to kiss me on my cheek. My grandma got off her rocking chair where she fans herself and approached to kiss me too. I heard her say, “Hello, inong.”
Grandpa and Papa talked for a while then Papa put me down to walk around the house. I saw the large divider with a TV in it. I saw the large spoon and fork hanging on the wall beside the large dining table four or five well-crafted wooden chairs surround. Then, I saw the piano, the large dark brown piano.
I waked straight, pushed the front door, an aluminum silver door that lead to the front porch. I sensed that my father was behind me. We stood there for a while as we watched the vehicles pass by the road. I heard the neighbors talking. My father sat on one of the heavy, metal chairs on the porch and took me on his lap. It was at this time when he asked for someone to take a photo of us.