I am writing this one in front of my grandma's wake, yes, but as much as possible, I try to make this one just a happy story about our moments together. So this won't consist of black-and-white photos, as I'll be reminiscing about all those best days we've shared together, which highlight happiness and colorful memories.
So this lola, in English, grandmother, is my father's mom. I remember when I was still a kid, and those earlier days were when motorcycles were not yet regularly used by everyone, especially in the countryside. During those days, life was humble, and the standard of living was very simple. So, if we're going anywhere, we really have to walk. Every weekend, exactly on Saturday afternoon, my mom would always prepare these twisted dried coconut leaves, which were traditionally used as a torch. I don't know if some of you here are familiar with that, but yeah, I always get excited, as that means that it'll be used by my mother and elder siblings as their light on their way to fetch my father, who would go home from work in the city, on the spot where the bus stops. It's a long walk; yes, that means I can't be left at home alone, so I need company, which is always my lola.
It's our weekend routine, and it's a routine for her also to prepare her stories, as I would always require her, yes, require,🤨 to have storytelling, which is obviously my all-time favorite. Definitely, to the point where I would not let her sleep unless she told me those same stories that I don't know why, but I love to hear from her countless times. Lola's stories would constantly revolve around her childhood days to some exaggerated, unrealistic stories, which I so believe back then were super true.
This is Lola, and during my younger days, another memorable bond that is so unforgettable for me is when she'll let me find nits, the egg stage of lice, on her long, ashy hair. Do you know what's the deal? In every LIVE NITS I get, I will have one peso. So, I am very motivated, HAHAHAHA, yet my lola would turn out to be scamming me since I couldn't get a single peso even after trying to find it for a long time, because all the nits are dead! 🤨 Psssshhh, what a wise grandma.
I love taking photos of her and taking photos with her. But one of the things that I want to do is braid her hair. It's long and beautiful, which is why I find it fun to braid. Sometimes, she asks me to check if there are any lice in her hair. I would look and say "none" because either there really isn't any or because her nits are white and blend in with her hair color, making it hard to see and hurting my poor blurry eyes. She would always insist that there was, but ended up saying nothing more because I had already started braiding her hair.
On Sundays, I also love going with Lola to the church because right after mass, we always go to this public marketplace and eat at her favorite restaurant, with Lola's favorite beef soup and soft drink. She would hand me coins or a 20-50peso secretly. Grandma's love is super heartwarming and overwhelming. I just miss her so much.
I love inviting her for a photoshoot, and she always poses just as I ask her to.
Most unforgettably, are the words she constantly utters, “FIRST LOVE NEVER DIES." All of us, her grandchildren, knew how she kept saying these words, telling us that our lolo, our grandfather, is her first love that no one could ever replace. She said she's Lolo's 16th girlfriend, but Lolo is her first and only romantic love that stays deeply ingrained in her heart and memory. Now, one of the lights of our family, my Lola, has closed her final chapter at the age of 79. I'm grateful that I've got to meet this beautiful soul, and now she's up there with my Lolo in heaven.