She Wasn’t Supposed to Die Alone
“Who’s your companion?” Manang Marisol asked me whenever we spoke on the phone. It was always the first question she’d ask during our weekly phone chats when I wasn’t able to see her in person. I’d usually answer with whoever was at home at the time: “Bong is here, Manang,” referring to my older brother, “Mama is sleeping…Papa is at a poker game.” Manang always wanted to know where everyone was. After she received my report, she asked the second most important thing she needed to know: “Have you eaten?” or “Kumain ka na ba?” It was among the handful of Tagalog phrases she taught us when she took care of us as kids.
