Recuerdo

Lazy days of summer

basket full of fruits, and sweet-smelling flowers .

days... spent on outings, travel, discovering new friends.

forty-seven summers ago

i met a city boy named Nario, a grandson of my Lola's friend

he was already in high school while we were still in the elementary

he knows so many things

that we always listen to his stories

without even questioning him if it's true or not.

he was a good runner

and we could not race against him, no matter what

he could also swim... not afraid to meet the big waves by the sea... frolicking

He could also climb trees, from guavas, to tambis, to balimbings and macopas,

we made little ellises out of jackfruit leaves

and balls and watches of out coconut leaves, too'

in the afternoons, we take turns in grating coconuts for our merienda

beco, binignit, majalia, suman, puto or bibingka... you name it...

these we cook and Nario learned to cook too.

Then rice harvesting came. Lola asked us to help in the ricefields,

A walk in the rice paddies is something new for Nario

we were laughing as he stumble every now and then, mud up to his knee.

Cutting the rice stalks, pounding them, gathering the grains into the sacks.

But, winnowing was my favorite task...

whistling... calling out the wind to come by as I shook the grains back and forth, by and by.

Then summer came to an end

Nario left and gave me his handkerchief as recuerdo

and all the good times we had.

More summers came

more fruits and flowers and games

but Nario has not visited us since.