As I was to exit the room, a small fairly skinned lady went
inside the other door. I did not recognize her for a moment but when I got to
see her in full view, I was amazed to see my childhood “yaya”. Ya Telou (from
Marylou) as I use to call her. She was my yaya from birth up to my kindergarten
years.
She went to me with a glaring
sense of excitement and hugged me tight. I hugged backed with a little
awkwardness but with a deep sense of gratitude. I could just imagine the joy
she might me feeling seeing the once baby boy she cared for, now a 22 year-old
law student. It was quite a light moment as I settled and started talking to
her. I shared to her my more significant milestones in life and fittingly
enough, her replies were insightful moments of my babyhood. She mentioned how
silent I was as compared to my older brother. In my playing time, I loved
building or assembling things as compared to more kinetic activities my other
cousins were so into. Even before my eating time as a baby, she managed to
observe that before I eat, I would prefer to be shared a story from fables to
horror stories. I did not know I was fond of listening to stories. She also
mentioned that I leaked regularly and mother did not mind to by me pampers. She
only used natural lampin – she always prefers the natural. Speaking about
natural, I was also breast fed for a relatively longer period of time as compared to my peers and
also I ate baby food well beyond the prescribe time. So I seem to have a longer
baby period.
It got me thinking. This short
yet profound reunion with my yaya as brought such a rich glimpse of a part of
my past where I can never vividly recall anything. For those who are blessed to
have these people still around, try to reconnect with them and simply share the
common past. It reveals another side of love from the eyes of people who are
entrusted to their care. It stirred in
me a deep sense of gratitude and awe at how images of life captured by these
people can aid so much in understanding where I might be heading.
1 comment:
she must be very overwhelmed of what u become from being palaihi, right? u might as well have been tease that time for being such? bet? i knew someone who does until grade school! it's a family secret as well as a family tease! hahaha.... it has always been an accepted family tease and its worth recalling after overcoming it. thanks for sharing.
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