A native of Marbel, South Cotabato, I was barely 15 when I moved to Manila and temporarily resided at the Holy Spirt Ladies Dormitory along San Sebastian St. It was just across UE Claro M Recto where I finished High School.
When Nanay is summoned to attend a Conference in Manila, she would squeeze herself in my single bed instead of enjoying the luxury of hotel amenities provided by Philamlife. We would watch a movie together and eat out.
There was a Chinese Restaurant beside Ever Gotesco theatre and so we decided to have dinner there after watching a movie. We did not see each other for months so we had so many stories to share (that was 1973-1975 so no mobile phones yet). We were literally shocked when we accidentally found out that we were the only customers left, the waitresses and staff were half-awake, the floor sparkling clean and all the chairs were already arranged on top of the tables. They were just waiting for Nanay and me to leave. So we hurriedly got the receipt and Nanay had to leave a hefty tip to compensate for their extended time.
That was then. We could talk for hours non-stop. Nanay never ran out of stories. She would talk and talk as if she swallowed a talking gadget. I terribly miss those days . . .
