These are Lolo (Grandfather) and Lola (Grandmother). It's my first time to name my fountain pens. I don't even know if it's a thing, but it is for me now.
You see, last November, I had a dream. It looked like an ordinary day in the house. Then I remembered about some mad money I hid somewhere. So I went to one of the rooms at the back.
I ended up at one of the rooms with the door towards the street. When I turned the doorknob, I noticed that it wasn't budging. Then I saw my grandparents holding it from the other side. They were also in an embrace as if they were dancing the waltz when I interrupted them. They looked so happy and in love. So I closed the door quietly and went back to the living room.
In the dream, I was aware that Lola (Grandma) was already dead, so I told my aunt about what I saw. My cousins and I accompanied her back to the room. But it was already empty when we arrived. Where our grandparents have gone, only they knew.
They started checking the room, and I opened a drawer to look for the cash I stashed somewhere. But instead of a wallet or purse, I found a bag. Inside it was an old white fountain pen with metal trimmings. Then I woke up.
Last week, I saw a set of fountain pens for sale online. They looked eerily similar to the one in the dream. So I bought them.
Who would have known that these pens would arrive on the day my grandfather would go?
So I've named them Lolo and Lola in honour of my grandparents. Quite apt actually because both of them were champions of literacy and literature. Growing up around them, I developed my love for writing and reading.
And they would have loved these pens too. Lolo Pendok taught me how to write a journal; he always kept his morning pages. And Lola Bebie used to write lesson plans with a Pilot fountain pen with a hooded nib; she had this beautiful intricate penmanship that we all try to copy in the family.
Lolo Pendok's pen is the one with an in-laid 14K-585 fine nib. On the other hand, Lola Bebie's pen is a semi-hooded 18K extra-fine nib. Both are Pilot fountain pens. Vintage, according to the seller. These lines have already been discontinued, I believe. It's hard to find these models now.
My grandparents knew me well. Nothing like a pair of fountain pens as a keepsake for a lover of words like me. Nothing like these pens to remind me of the love of the written word as they have shown me. And a love for each other, if I may add.
So I shall keep writing.
I can't believe that this is my entry to this series for this week. But I just had to write and share it. My grandparents would have encouraged me. Lolo Pendok would have read my draft before I published it. He'd have shared his inputs over a cup of coffee while Lola Bebie would be busy in the kitchen and interrupting us with her witty remarks from time to time.
This blog series is my attempt to draw you into the world of the picture with my words. The photos I choose shall range from the mundane, such as this one today, to the postcard-worthy. I believe that there is beauty everywhere, even in the seemingly unbeautiful. I take inspiration from Marcus Aurelius who wrote that "baking bread splits in places and those cracks, while not intended in the baker's art, catch our eye and serve to stir our appetite" (Holiday and Hanselman 26).
My first article for this series is found here. I wrote about crispy fried sweet potatoes.
You may read about me more. Please click here: Get to Know April: A Self-Intro Blog
Perhaps you might also like to read my other creative writing samples:
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Images: All photos are owned by the author unless otherwise indicated.