3/10/2015; Angkong's birthday
home, let me go home
home is wherever I'm with you
My grandfather turned 93 last March. The whole family kept it from him as we prepared, and my parents told me it would be nice to take photos of the night. So I happily did.
There are some things you should know about my grandfather, some things I should never forget. He is the first Pascual.
He's the reason for my family, for the house we live in, and for the lives we live inside it, outside of it, or wherever we are.
He's raised aunts like Si-ko, who arrives and cements things into place.
He's raised my sneaky cousins who drink at the far table.
He has crazy camera phobic grandchildren who will run to you for pictures, then hide.
He has an amazing, strong wife we call Ama, who ran with him and ate kamote in the villages they hid from the Japanese in during the war. Or so I've been told.
He has the best in-laws on the face of the planet who will come from any part of the world to surprise him, and then surprise each other with drinks.
I think it's the drinking that unites us.
My angkong also has my father, who never moved out, and raised an entire family in the house he grew up in, so that my grandparents wouldn't be alone.
Happy 93rd birthday, Angkong. Something we were never taught was how to love each other, because I don't think that's what the Chinese do.
The Chinese wake up early with the sun, and work until night. They find nice girls and nice boys, and get married.
They keep face, and make sure all the gossip is good. But thank you.
Happy birthday.
We're all here, and I think we always will be.
I've let otherjoseph go into the land of permanent irregular programming. But events and people that are dear to me happen, still. And when they happen, you will know.
Bye for now.