One of the items in my THINGS TO DO IN ASINGAN LIST was to buy hot pandesal every morning. Yes, I missed the Villar hot pandesal..One time they had this variety which was really big and crusty. But it was discontinued when the prices of basic commodities in the Philippines went sky high. The only similar bread I can compare it with in size but not in taste is the Italian bread. But back to my story.
So at 4:00 am that first day in Asingan I was already awake. When I heard the honking of the bicycle horns in the marketside area, I slowly went down from our house down to the roadside just to wait for the first vendor that would pass by on its way to Macalong. For some reasons, there were just a few of the bread-on-wheel cyclists..As I heard one approaching my way, all of a sudden it turned 90 degrees and proceeded to Domanpot. Drat, I whispered. My stomach started to grumble. The house dog was already beside my feet wondering probably what I was doing there at that hour before daybreak. A few minutes later the dog dissapeared. He probably went back to sleep.
After another 20 mins. maybe, the honking came again from Domanpot and came straight at me. I used the accepted way to get attention in Asingan: PSSSST! The kid stopped and came to me. The bread was in a container at the back carrier of the bike. Wow, it really smelled good. One small bag cost 5 pesos. I bought 4. "Could you shine your flashlight on me?" I said as I opened my wallet. I want to be sure I would be handing him 20 pesos instead of 20 dollars. Before he left, he said "I can drop off the pandesal in your house on my way to Macalong, then come back on my way home in the morning, to collect the money" he said. "Oh, can you do that? Thank you" That was the accepted method done when I was still a kid. Yes, some things never change in Asingan.
I didn't want him to go up the 2nd floor of our house just to deliver the goodies. The stairs are so dark and he might slip and break a leg. "OK, just put the bread on top of the car,."I said. My brother in law Tony had an car parked in our front yard. In that way, I won't be waking up so early. "OK" he said before he wheeled away. I went up the house with my "treasure". The dog came back and I tossed him a couple of the goodies.
Well, the next day, I was awakened by the barking of the dog. It was already early morning. "What the hell?" I muttered as I looked down what the commotion was all about.
I forgot that my brother in law was also raising turkeys and they were roaming loose on the grounds. The bag of pan de sal was left there on top of the car. And so was a smaller turkey who managed to fly or climb up to the top of the car. The other turkeys were down on the ground waiting hungrily, staring at their buddy who was already pecking away at one of the pan de sal bags.And the dog barked continously at the bird who didnt seem to give a rat's ass. I could almost hear the fricking bird exclaim: "Mmmmm...good breakfast!"
Thanksgiving or not, I really wanted to wring that turkey's neck as I rushed down to save what was left that morning of my hot pandesal. ----#
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