Kaniadtong Huwebes sa gabi-i human manihapon akong nahinumdoman nga dun a ako’y gipasalig nga himuon alang sa pipila ka mga paryente nga nanginahanglan sa akong tabang aron mugna-on ang usa ka dokumento nga gikinahanglan sa pagtukod ug kooperatiba. Mao nga inay mag-abli ko sa akong e-mail nagdesisyon na lang ko nga pangitaon ang mga “file” sa mga dokumento nga akong gitago-an mahitungod sa kooperatiba.
Samtang nangutingkay ko sa baga nga mga papeles, nagkalingaw pud ko ug higop sa init nga kape nga gitimpla sa akong Misis. Ang alisngaw sa kapeng barako gikan sa Benguet nga nanuhitsuhot sa akong ilong mao ang naghatag nako ug kaabtik sa mata aron dili makatugon samtang mobasa sa mga ulohan sa matag usa ka dokumento nga akong makita.
Human seguro sa mga lima ka lad-ok sa kape, dunay akong naukayan nga naka “folder” ug sa pagpakli nako sa maong mga dokumento akong nahibaw-an nga ang sulod didto mga “files” sa e-mails nga alang sa ako-a mahinungdanon ug dako ang papel sa mga mensahe didto sa pagbag-o sa kinaiya sa usa ka tawo. Usa na ani ang e-mail nga gipadala sa ako-a ni Monica Llamas, anak ni kanhi City Administrator ug akong higala nga si Atty. Antonio “Tonying” Llamas. Si Monica kanhi akong kauban sa Davao Light and Power Co. kinsa akong nahibaw-an nga miadto na sa Australia.
Sanglit kaniadtong Hwebes mao man ang pagsaulog sa Valentine’s Day kon adlaw nga gihandom ang paghigugmaay sa katawhan, ang mensahe sa e-mail ni Monica mora ug dako ang kalambigitan ani sa maong selebrasyon. Bisan pa man ug ang mensahe naghisgot sa paghigugma sa usa ka anak ngadto sa iyang inahan ug sa inahan ngadto sa iyang anak, ako mitu-o nga mahinungdanon nga akong ipaambit ang maong e-mail niining semana sa pagsaulog sa Valentine’s Day inay sa paghandom sa kasaulogan sa Adlaw sa mga Inahan kon “Mothers’ Day.” Usa usab kini ka temporaryong paghiklin sa naandan nga unod niining akong lindog binisaya matag Sabado nga kasagaran mga huna-huna ug panahum sa akong mga pag-umangkon nga tu-a sa gawas sa Pilipinas nga kanunay naghandom ug naniid sa kahimtang dinhi sa nasud labi na sa Dabaw.
Mao kini ang kinatibuk-an sa e-mail ni Monica nga akong ipaambit sa pinulongang Iningles. Ang ulohan “The Other Woman.”
“After several years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago, I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife’s idea.
‘I know that you love her,’ she said to me one day, taking me by surprise. ‘But I love you,’ I protested. ‘I know, but you also love her.’
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
‘What’s wrong? Are you well?’, she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
‘I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you’, I responded. ‘Just the two of us.’ She thought about it for a moment then said, ‘I would like that very much.’
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was radiant as an angel’s. ‘I told my friends that I am going to go out with my son and they were impressed,’ she said, as she got in to the car. ‘They cannot wait to hear about our date.’
We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she’s the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large prints. Half way through the entree, I lifted my eyes and saw my mother sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. ‘It was I who used to have read the menu when you were small,’ she said. ‘Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,’ I responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation-nothing ordinary-just catching up on recent event of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, ‘I’ll go out with you again but only if you let me invite you.’ I agreed.
‘How was your dinner date?’ asked my wife when I got home. ‘Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,’ I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her. Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place my mother and I had dined. An attached note said: ‘I paid this bill in advance. I was almost sure that I couldn’t be there but nevertheless, I paid for two plates — one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you.’
At that moment I understood the importance of saying in time, ‘I LOVE YOU’ and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than GOD and our family. Give them the time they deserve because these things cannot be put off to ‘some other time’.”
With the above these could be the words to live by:
“The hardest and loudest cries in a wake are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”
