Last weekend,
my parents sat down with me for a “small” conversation. I don’t think it was
planned.
We eventually
discussed family secrets, from both sides, maternal and paternal. I knew my two
younger siblings were also listening although passively only, because I know
they don’t want to be burdened with the thought of different problematic matters
again. They just pretended to watch TV.
It wasn’t that
long, but it had substance.
While Mama had
less serious issues on her side of the family, Papa was downright stern with
his concerns as always. When one talks about properties (in our case, farmlands
and residential lots), devious people “forget” that they’re cheating their own
kin. A lawyer in the family manipulated and deceived us for a long time (WE ARE
NOT THE ONLY VICTIMS). He even forced my dying grandmother, whom I love so
much, to sign a document she was too weak to read and think about. We have
proof of this. I remember seeing that legal paper myself in the past. Mommy’s
handwriting was very shaky and obviously coerced. But he too is already
deceased, so why bother? I will not go about the technicalities because I am
not a law practitioner. I suppose now that most “attorneys” are actually just assholes.
It may be an understatement if I say that more than half of them are all crooked.
The real atrocious ones are either criminal defenders or land grabbers. Too bad
for us, we had one of the two. The loopholes of our weak justice system are
continuously being taken advantage of. However we think of outsmarting those
scheming bastards, they will always find a way to go around the law anyway.
No matter how
one might think that stories can be altered to be self-serving, I believe my
parents are telling the truth. I felt humility in their voices. That kind of tone is very
rare for us, in our household. I grew a little more sympathetic to them. What
they revealed justified the way some of our relatives act around us, and how we
are constantly being treated. To the extent of my knowledge, we are one of the
poorest, if not THE poorest family in our patriarchy. But Papa has at least two
more biological half-brothers we are
not in contact with, so I wouldn’t know for sure. Nevertheless, some things
finally made sense to me.
While a few
have been instrumental in assisting us throughout the decades, some are
responsible for our prolonged hardships, even up to now. In the vernacular, “Sila na nga ang nang-api, sila pa ang galit
dahil sa nangyari. Sila na nga ang nagkulang, sila pa ang walang ganang
tumulong.” (“They were the aggrieving party, and yet they are the ones angry
about the situation. They committed the shortcomings, and yet they have no
interest in helping.”) Papa has always merely claimed his birthright. There
was once a time when some were able to merit our support when they needed it
the most. I know that for a fact; because if there are such things as
“fair-weather friends”, a relevant term can also be given to kin who only show
their faces when they need something. I guess we can’t expect much from
reciprocity these days.
The dialogue
has damaged my perception of people whom I’ve grown to love and respect all my
life. But I do not plan to get even, someday or ever. I would not want to. Thank
God I still believe in Divine justice. It’s only hard for me to accept that the
harshest enemies can come from within the same bloodline. Maybe that’s why some
clans have extreme family feuds:
killing each other for inheritance of their lands. Because they think lands are
the most valuable of possessions in this world.
Mama said, “Sinasabi na namin sa inyo ito ngayon para
alam niyo ang totoo at kung ano ang gagawin kapag wala na kami.” (“We are telling you this now so you know the
truth and what to do when the time comes we're already gone.”)— That
statement alone really made me unhappy.
I was infuriated
at first, then I later mellowed down.
I want to believe
that we can all change for the better in our own time. I hope someday there can
be a sincere agreement between us. Some of
the offending, accountable persons have already departed anyway. Sometimes in life, factions are created out of
blind allegiances, and not upright principle.
Family IS
family. But this is the world we live in now.
It was a sad
weekend. This has been a sad week. L
"SECRETS" by OneRepublic
I need another story
Something to get off my chest
My life gets kinda boring
Need something that I can confess
'Til all my sleeves are stained red
From all the truth that I've said
Come by it honestly I swear
Thought you saw me wink, no
I've been on the brink, so
Tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
I'm sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
This time, don't need another perfect line
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away
My God, amazing how we got this far
It's like we're chasing all those stars
Who's driving shiny, big black cars
And everyday I see the news
All the problems that we could solve
And when a situation rises
Just write it into an album
Send it straight to gold
I don't really like my flow, no, so
Tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
I'm sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
This time, don't need another perfect line
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away
Oh... got no reason, got no shame
Got no family I can blame
Just don't let me disappear
I'm-a tell you everythin'
So tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
I'm sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
This time, don't need another perfect line
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away
So tell me what you want to hear
Something that will light those ears
I'm sick of all the insincere
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away
This time, don't need another perfect line
Don't care if critics ever jump in line
I'm gonna give all my secrets away
All my secrets away...
All my secrets away.
