SITIO KUMUNOY

by: Uel Ceballos

I.

Standing there on their rooftop, Vince savored the sight of vast town lying on the east corner of the city. An urban civilization that mushroomed on the stretch of land, Bagong Silangan was long defined as the boundary between Quezon City and Rizal Province. Assortment of houses stood there upon the immense land, with some areas consisting of sloping roads, quite an indication that the place was used to be a part of the mountain ranges that surrounded the entire Rizal plains and Marikina banks.

Centuries ago, Bagong Silangan was a complete formation of rocks, hills, plains and woodlands. Very few people lived here, most of them gathered in the area which they now called Sitio Pugot. The origin of the Sitio’s name was believed to originate from a horrible incident that took place from long time ago. A lady who lived in the place was said to be raped by a group of men one evening. The woman was brutally killed and decapitated. The next morning, the people of Sitio shrilled in extreme fright as they saw the head of the poor woman, bathed in its own blood and dangling on the old Ipil-Ipil tree. Struck by the sickening bestiality of those undefined men who committed the merciless killing, the Sitio lived in fear that any of them would be soon the next victim. The paranoia lingered for a long period of time and the place from then on was called Sitio Pugot. The ghost of the woman was believed to haunt the place up to the later years, showing up to any passersby at deep night hours.

Sitio Pugot was situated in line with the other Sitios in the Barangay. In later time, some of the residents of the place would transfer to the far end of the land where the river was close at hand, in the place called Sitio Kumunoy. Near the Sitio Kumunoy was the sometimes placid, sometimes foaming water of San Mateo River. No definite story was passed on according to how the place had its name. Some believed that the woodlands of the Sitio were consisted before of perilous quicksand, making it a dangerous place to tramp. Sitio Kumunoy like any other neighboring Sitio, nurtured on its rich soil an array of fruit trees like mango, bananas, star apple, makopa, ala-tiris and a lot more fruit-bearing trees. Only few houses were stood, all of which were set in tremendous distances from one another. Before you could go to the next house, you would have to walk the long dusty road that scorched at summer and becomes a mud pool in the rainy season.  

Skimming through the entire town that he hadn’t seen for three years, Vince reminisce the yesteryears in the place where he had spent his younger days. He was in the midst of his sentiments when a glimpse of woman down from afar caught his attention. He saw a figure of woman at the river bank, she seemed to be dancing alone while holding a scarlet scarf that flowed freely on the air as she glided and twirled with the poise of a contemporary dancer. She must be insane, dancing at the river bank like some wandering nymph. Vince thought while taking a sip of his coffee. He was about to go back inside the house when suddenly a thought stroke hard on his senses. No way… could it be…

II

Gael woke up early that morning and laid his round eyes to the empty bed of his mother. Sniffing the morning balm, he decided to go out of the mosquito net in feather light movements. He wouldn’t want to awaken his sixteen year old uncle Osep whose snoring was thunderous all throughout the humid night. Gael gave one last glance to Osep in his worn out and faded Voltes V pajama, then he strode forward to the kitchen sink and gurgles water on his mouth. He lifted the thermos and its weight told him that their mother had already filled it with coffee before she set out for her morning walk. Gael had learned to be a coffee person at the early age of eleven. He was always drawn irresistibly to the strong aroma of coffee whenever his mother was boiling the ground beans. Gael poured the sweet smelling drink to his favorite disfigured mug. It was given to him by his friend, Lara for his eleventh birthday. The mug was deformed on purpose to bear it an odd look. It was like a tin can mashed badly on one side so the other sides were stretched out to various directions as well.

Right after filling his cup to the brim, he moved out of the house and gently closed the door behind him. While holding the mug on his right hand, he inhaled what seemed like a large container of fresh air, flavored by the icy mint morning dews. He gazed upon the mother-of-pearl gray sky and saw the small crack opening where the rays of lights were starting to seep through.

The morning scene at Sitio Kumunoy was always full of energy, similar to that high spirited prologue in a major Broadway Musical Production. As Gael proceeded on his way to the nearby San Mateo River, he waved and smiled to few people he met along the newly asphalted road. Most of them were the industrious morning vendors who dynamically stretched out their vocal chords for a forceful musical shout out of the goods they were selling. Gael came across two of his favorite celebrities in Sitio Kumunoy morning stage show. One was Mang Kanor with his suave bass tone that shouted “TahoooOo!” Gael thought that if given the right opportunity, Mang Kanor could become a celebrated Radio News Anchor or an excellent voice talent in radio dramas he followed every afternoon in the AM Radio. He often mimicked Mang Kanor’s tone, right after the old man delivered his prolonged single line of “TahooOOoo!” His second favorite was Nathan, a dark-skinned boy who was two years younger than him. Every morning at the break of the dawn, the whole Sitio would hear the Soprano pitch of Nathan shouting out “Pandesaaal” in sweet and soft delivery of notes. Nathan’s voice rang nicely to the ear that he could possibly be casted for another Oliver Twist musical film.

“Good morning Nathan, how’s the business going?” Gael greeted the younger lad.

“Still got more pandesal to sell here, people of Sitio are not buying much today.” said Nathan while balancing the box of pandesal over his small head.

“Here give me ten pieces please,” handing to Nathan five peso coin.

Nathan took out a brown paper bag from his belt bag and put there ten pieces of pandesal, freshly baked from the oven. Gael smelled it with his eyes closed, savoring the inviting scent of bread that Nathan and his father have prepared very early in the morning.

“You’re gonna sell out those pandesal as always. Just keep on serenading them with your musical voice,” Gael said while backing away from Nathan. The lad just waved back to him and proceeded on his way to the talipapa where people were starting to grow in numbers.

III

Gael walked his way along the rough paving. His frail figure was cutting through the dense of mist while whistling the merry tune of Batibot’s opening song. It was his favorite show on TV where he always waited for Kuya Bodjie’s stories.

He was walking on his cardigan short and faded shirt, holding on his left hand a mug of coffee and clutching on the right a bag of hot pandesal.

He halted on a distance from where his mother Magdalene was standing. Magdalene was there standing closed to the edge of the river’s bank. Her hair cascaded down to her waist on soft, large curls of ink-black, glimmering on the kisses of sun rays. She was facing the silent water of San Mateo River, arms outstretched in the horizon with scarlet scarf hanged loosely on her slim but muscular shoulder. Gael watched her mother glided and twisted gracefully along the grassy bank. Her arms swayed soft and light as chiffon brushing through the foggy air. At several times she would hop on pointed toes and wheeled on feather-light movements like some fairly-brown fairy, clad in silk, which flowed down freely to her smooth brown ankle. She leaped above the green meadow like an elegant doe in the forest whose beauty was famous on the woods realm.

“Mama you’re such a marvelous dancer,” Gael spoke out as he approached her mother on the bank. Magdalene was startled by his coming but managed to paint a smile on her thin lips as she saw her son.

“Am I really child? Why wake up too early today?”

“Tito Osep woke me up with his loud snoring.” He has already prepared this answer because he knew his mother would ask. He handed her the mug of coffee and the pandesal. They squatted down on the grassland near the edge of the water. Her mother laid down her scarf for them to sit on. She was a true Filipina beauty with her fair color glowing in the stream of sunlight.

“Nathan and his father provide our Sitio with tasty pandesal. I just can’t imagine a morning without a bite of it.” Magdalene expressed in delight as she helped herself with some bread.

“Nathan told me once that his father was no match to his uncle. The best baker here in our Sitio, he made the best-tasting pandesal ever,” Gael remembered the conversation with Nathan while they were walking home from school.

“Yes, I’ve heard about that also. Too sad Nathan’s Uncles has been long dead now.”

“Nathan’s uncle has been long missing now mama. But there’s no proof that he’s already dead. There’s no dead body of him that has been found.”

“He was missing for ten years now without a single trace. What best could his family think of but assumed that he was already dead?” Her mother answered without the least of emotion but just staring blankly to the silent water.

“Nathan said his uncle was both a great baker and a professor in a State University in Manila. During those times, his uncle Ron was a member of an activist group who fought against the Marcos administration. Nathan’s family believed that their uncle Ron was jailed forcefully among the other leftists. It was said they were brutally tortured…and some were killed by the Marcos loyalists. Mama, did such bad guys really live in this world?” Gael asked with his eyes full of questions.

“Son, nothing’s fair in this world. You will understand it better when you grow up soon. ” Magdalene brushed off the dust and grass from her son’s clothes and pulled him up to stand from where he squatted.

“We owed to those Quarter Storm heroes our democracy system today. I just hope things will turn out a lot better or else their death would result only to waste. As for Nathan’s Uncle, there are small chances for him to be still alive now. He should have shown up long before to his family, he must know so well that they are worrying. But he never did show up.”

“Why, maybe he had amnesia and was adopted by a good hearted family. Maybe, it was in a too far away land, a long distant from here and the family who fostered Uncle Ron hasn’t got the money to send him home. Well, how could they even help him if he can’t remember anything?” Gael was looking sadly on his half eaten pandesal.

“And now you’re too influenced by the dramas you watched on TV. Child, leave that worrying to the older folks. At your age, you must be focusing only to the matters that suit an eleven years old lad like you. Don’t force yourself to grow up too soon because I’m telling you, by the time you reached your adulthood, you would be long to be a child again so while you still have it, cherish childhood and make the most out of it. Do you understand your mama?” Magdalene asked while softly lifting Gael’s head up to look into her doe-shaped eyes.

“Yes mama. I will do as you said,” answered Gael, returning a sweet grin to her mother.

“Good, now we need to get back home,”

“One last question, would you really let Tito Osep pursue his college years on that same University where Nathan’s uncle has been?”

“Your Tito Osep, childish as he may be when he’s with you, is no longer a child. He knows what he wants and I don’t want to get on his way about his decisions in life.”

“He will soon join those activists who rally on TV.”

“He will only get worse than those leftists if I would dare to stop him now. Besides, that poorman’s University is his only key to pursue college. Our parents haven’t got the money to send Osep to expensive University. Maybe this would end the issue now child, c’mon we really need to go,” Magdalene started her way ahead of Gael. She wanted to hear no more of her child’s curious questions. When Gael finished his high school, she would also have him take the examination to several state universities. Gael would need to pass one of those entrance tests because Magdalene could think of nothing else on how to send him to college.

IV

They were walking their way home with Gael leading the road doing the swirl and leap like his mother was doing on the bank. His black rounded eyes crinkled sweetly as he giggled and danced his way to the street. He made a perfect cartwheel and landed on his feet unwavering. Then in sudden movement he lifted himself up to the air in a swift turn, his front knee folded and the back limb angled to a beautiful bend. His arms were thrust up to the sky with all fingers stretched open.

“Whoa! Look mother, I’m leaping like a stag,” Gael shouted in joy while throwing himself up. His face was kissing the cold damp air.

“My child, stags don’t swirl on air when they leap,” Magdalene said while watching his son. Her scarf was hung on her shoulder, swaying gracefully as she walked.

Magdalene studied the face of her son. For all those years, she had thought that Gael was her male version. But as the years were adding to his boy’s life, it was getting clearer to her that she was entirely wrong.  She could hardly deny now that his Gael was growing to the like of his father. The young lad’s hair was as black as hers but the thick strands were wavy as the ocean’s water. While hers were line of thin grasses, Gael’s brows were as broad as healthy bushes and underneath it were long, black, thick lashes that made his eyes more impressive. His cheeks were starting to get a bit gaunt and its mild sharpness matched his towering nose and soft, red lips.  Magdalene was quiet aware now that his child’s face would sooner look so much alike his father’s features.

“What’s the problem mama? What made you stop there?” Gael said while walking backward, his full profile facing his mother.

“Gael, look where you’re going! You’ll go against someone,” warned Magdalene but too late because his son has already bumped into a man, barely half his size.

“Ooopps, I’m sorry Mister,” Gael apologized to the man he knocked into. The tall, lean man towered over him, but he was smiling.

“It’s okay young lad,” Vince was smiling but he quickly shifted his eyes to the woman standing behind Gael. “Magdalene”

“You,” It was all that Magdalene could utter. Vince was smiling to her, but not a sort of joyful smile. She forced back a smile in return and tried to regain herself from the unexpected meeting. “It’s nice to see you again after a long time. I never knew you were back,”

“Neither my father until he saw me on the rooftop early this morning. It’s been years Magdalene but your looks never change save that your eyes weren’t as innocent and eloquent as before. It seems like they are hard to read now,”

“The same I must say with you old friend. Now if you would be so kind to excuse us, we’ve got some errands to do,” Magdalene said, averting Vince’s eyes. It melted her on the very spot where she was standing. The man’s presence made her feel so uneasy and the morning suddenly got warmer as her beads of sweats trickled down from her forehead.

“Not until you introduce me to this young gentleman with you. How old are you sweet boy,” Vince kneeled down to face with Gael, the boy’s eyes met his gaze and it suddenly distracted him.

“Eleven, Sir”

“He’s Gael, my son. Gael, meet Vince, he’s the son of our Barangay Captain, he’s back here after he was gone for such a long time,” Magdalene interrupted.

“Where’s your father, child? He’s so lucky to be married to your mother,” this time, Vince’s eyes were already meeting the stares of Magdalene.

“He’s not with us Sir and my mother’s not married,”

“Ah, I see,” Vince glanced back again to Gael, studying the boy’s features.

“Let’s go Gael. Your uncle Osep must be looking for us now. We have to go Vince,” Magdalene didn’t wait anymore for Vince’s response but took Gael in the arm and gently tug him forward.

“I saw your great moves Gael, just a while ago when you were swirling and tumbling here on the street. You reminded me so much of my childhood. I know you can be a great dancer in the future,”

“Thank you Sir,” Gael said with his head looking back to Vince. Magdalene needed to stop as Gael said thank you but she never cared to look back as her son did.

“Small wonder, your mother’s a graceful one and I’m sure your father’s a great dancer too. 

....to be continued