It’s a depressing day. The lovely Autmn Sun has been kicked out by its kin Gray Cloud and Bitter Wind. I love gray days but not today. My nose is runny and it hurts from too much wiping. My throat is sore and I’m cold.
It’s a sad day. My brother,Joel, is now flying to Abu Dhabi to work there as Art Director. He’ll be gone for a year. It’s not about transferring to a better company but more about saving enough so he could secure the future of his family, so we can build a house for Mom. To do for her what we weren’t able to do for dad when he was still with us.
We’re middle class, we have enough to go by. But still we are part of the Filipino disapora.
It’s funny, my brother and I only see each other a few weeks each year since I live in the Netherlands. But it still felt as I was there watching him disappear into the Customs area. I could see my Mom and my brother’s wife holding back the tears. I could see my brother pretending to be unaffected. But I know him – he’s libra like me. Bet he cried in the plane.
I wish he didn’t have to leave my mom, his wife and his kids. Who’ll be making the fabulous pasta and steaks on Sunday? My nephews will have to eat their midnight snack of milk chocolate and warm pandesal with their mom, I guess.
They’ll be chatting everyday, I’m sure. Thanks to the internet, separation won’t be too lonely. It offers more comfort compared to what the earlier generation of OFWs (Overseas Filipino workers) had to bear. But still, it won’t be the same come Christmas time without him or me. Our family has to wait for next year’s noche buena for our family to be complete again.
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