JOHNNY AND JUNIOR

Back to Asingan. It is like spending the first night here again so I had another restless one..Not to worry, I said to myself. On your second night, you will be sleeping again like a baby inspite of the tricycles roaring, the dogs barking and other cacophony associated to modern day Asingan. But I had to learn how to brush my teeth by the window. This was what we did it before when we were kids. You do whatever you see being done by your parents. This time I had to go to a safer place to brush my teeth. I hate to be brushing my dentures by the window and dropping them by accident into the messy ground below. Some roaming duck might just pick it up and swallow it. Never mind that the denture cost a few hundred bucks but the poor duckie! If that happened we would have to kill the little bastard to retrieve my denture and have some roasted duck on the side for lunch.

It is quite an experience being back to the house where you grow up. But as my sister Aurora said, you can not really "go back" to your house, because that house was a real happy one when you were a kid. You associate the house to a happy childhood ( maybe unhappy to some ) but when I am there, I see my image as a boy again, just like in the movie BACK TO THE FUTURE. But then my parents were still alive and I hold a special relation to each one of them. I remember bringing an old music book PROGRESSIVE MUSIC SERIES Book 1 to my mother asking her "How do we sing this song?" It was called STORY BOOK LAND and the lyrics conjured images of elves, fairies and other magical beings . It has notes so my Mother wrote the equivalent letter above each note ( like C for the note C, etc )..Then after when all letters were written, I would ask her "How do we sing it?" Of course, knowing what notes they were and singing them at sight are quite different things, like knowing whats wrong with a car..and fixing it! Anyhow I always kept those music books which were remnants of the music education left by the Americans after the war..The books were printed and bound in the USA and I remembered having volumes 1 to 3...Even when I was in Gr. 5, I saw them used by our teacher Mr. Melecio Villanueva. He had a nice voice, and he could sing music on sight and he is one of the kindest teacher I met during my childhood. Years later, I would be visiting his house very often because I and 2 of his sons Nestor and Oscar formed a music group, a Combo..But this is another story.

But that morning, I went to visit Johnny Sindayen. Johnny together with Leopoldo del Rio ( Oldong ), Rudy Manuel from Ariston, Roger Agpaoa from Cabalitian ( the Engineer ) Dr. Ruben Bugayong and some other classmates would always get together each time I visit Asingan. Johnny, in 2003 was recovering from a stroke. His face never changed, good looking as ever and he never lost his sense of humor.."Imagine," he said.." a few days after I had my stroke. I could hardly talk and could hardly write. But I had to go to the bank to cash a cheque. I had to sign the cheque then the idiot of a teller looked at my signature and told me 'this is not the signature you have in our file, sir'. I told him, 'you moron..I can't write the same way now, I just had a stroke sometime ago! ' "

Just then a red car stopped in front and who would come out if not Gregorio Velasco Jr. aka Junior. It was my first time to see him that 2003 holiday..and the last time too because he died sometime last year. I requested him to bring me to the market so I can buy some fruits for Johnny..He told me there are some grapes for sale, and Johnny loved them. So we went there, and he parked his car near the western market entrance near Caliope Chua's merchandise store. I bought 3 kilos of red grapes from the fruit section of our market. They are also selling most of the fruits we have in North America. Nobody could foresee if one is living in the '50s before that this would take place in our town.Talk about progress.... I gave 1 kilo to him which he also gave to his wife Josie when he passed by his house on our way back to Johnny..Josie was also my kumare and we worked in the Asingan choir together for so many years. Josie died too shortly after the demise of her husband. Her daughter whom I sponsored during her baptism died much earlier.

So we went back to Johnny and continued exchanging stories and jokes about the old days while watching Sports Channel ESPN on his TV. We also had some San Miguel beer. No gathering is complete without San Miguel beer Inumin ng tunay na Pilipino.( the drink of a real Pilipino ).

But unfortunately all good things must end..My cell phone chimed and Nitz told me she is in Urdaneta already on the way to Asingan to pick me up..She was spending her holiday in Trinidad with her sisters and they were on their way to Natividad to visit her cousin, Atty Fe Hufana from LA. I made a quick goodbye to Johnny. Quick and sad but that how things are in this life...Life passes by unforgivingly but one must not forget our friends..(Oh yes, in this trip I FORGOT to call on my friend Dr. Ruben Bugayong and I really feel bad about it up to now..Sorry Doc, but I will make it up next time.During our high school days, we spent countless hours talking about Hollywood movies..The same topic I enjoyed talking with now Ambassador Rudy Dumapias.)

"Come, I will bring you home," said Junior.. So we rode on his red car and he offered it to for my use in case I need to go somewhere. I said "Thanks" as I got out when I reached my house.--#