I am the youngest of the 11 children in the family. I was born late but I witnessed how my parents crawled just to make sure we had food on the table. My father was just a fisherman and my mother was a housewife. I could say that my father was a farmer as well and a labourer. He worked on the lands and worked on construction sites. Whenever someone would call him to work. He didn't refuse any of it. He knew that it was a good earning while waiting for the plants to grow and no catch in the sea.
My mother helped my father in raising the eleven of us. It's hard just to rely on my father for that many children. That's why my mother washed clothes for those who would let her. Sometimes she cooked food in different houses during festive. She cooked well.
I would say that our life before was at the poverty level. I remember how our house looked like before. It has too many holes. From the rooftops and walls. It's expected since the roof was made from a nipa hut. The walls were made of a bamboo tree that was being hammered. We called it "sa-sa" in our dialect Bisaya. The bamboo tree was not cut into pieces but remained whole. We just then smashed it until it got flattened.
How will I forget those times during the month of December. That month rained a lot. There were typhoons as well that blew a strong wind. When the wind was strong and our roof was a nipa hut. The wind almost blew away our roof. Of course, the droplets of the rain came inside our house. My father was repairing the roof even in that condition.
I didn't cry but I just told my mother.
"Mom, I want to sleep."
I don't understand why I said it. As a child maybe I was just not that aware of what would be the effect of my words. My mother just placed plastic cellophane above me. That way the rain would not fall into me.
Compared to our life now. It was extremely different. Unlike now we had leftover food sometimes on the table. But before? There was none, in fact, the food that was cooked would be divided. When you already ate your food. There's nothing left for you to eat again. Even if we were still hungry. We had no choice but to forget it. No food in the pot already.
Just like what happened a long time ago. My age was six or seven at that time. We had no electricity so we used a lamp lighted from a gas. All of us seated and ready to eat on the table. That night the weather was harshed. It was so cold and that was the reason my mother cooked porridge.
After serving every plate in the table with porridge. We prayed before we started eating. We finished praying and opened our eyes. My brother cried and my mother got mad at him. My father just closed his eyes seeing the plate of my brother. A lizard fell into my brother's plate with porridge. He cried because he knew there was no porridge left in the pot.
He cried and cried. My mother just placed a little from her plate. Then all of us followed my mother. It's really hard, especially as young children. Who couldn't resist the hunger yet.
Life became so hard because before no one could help my parents yet. When my brothers and sisters grew older. They decided to help my parents to support us, the young ones. Most of my brothers and sisters who are older to me didn't finish studying. They prioritise us but maybe they're just lucky. As of now, they have a better life.
They are sending money for my mother regularly. My mother is old already and she needs medicines. Before she got older like now. My brothers and sisters made her feel how to have a better life. Like she could eat delicious food. A better house even though not that pretty. The important thing is no rain can pierce the rooftop now. She can sleep without the disturbance of rain and cold.
Once in a while, they visited our mother. They have their own families now. It's understandable in that state. But I have sisters who live next to our house. I have a brother who is not yet married staying with her. For now, life seems not hard for my mother now. She soaked with rain before but it won't be happening now.
END...
mrnightmare
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