From Dawn Till Dusk

I could hardly move my legs the night of Saturday. They were aching as I pressed my hands through my legs’ muscles with a gel-based pain reliever. Ouch! This was what I got after spending the entire day relentlessly trotting the Mall with my Mom.  Actually, we didn’t planned going to the Mall that day.  It was just incidental that I need to pay some of our due utility bills (as Jun was out accompanying our pahinantes in the business) and Mom, (who made a brief visit in our home to hand the shorts and sandos she bought for her apo from a maglalako near my parents’ home in Morong), needs to buy something for herself, so off we went to the Mall for a purpose.  But then we knew that a Mall-wide sale in on going, so Mom and I didn’t mind at all scavenging and hunting for some good finds.  Knowing Mom as a bargain hunter and an addict for items on sale, I’d expected that we’ll be going home late as she would have the tendency to do boutique hopping from one to another.  And I was right, she did.

That now explains my somewhat sprained aching legs.  But I didn’t mind it so much as I knew Mom and I enjoyed the entire day together.  While slacked in front of the TV watching PBB late Saturday night (with my aching legs reclined above the arms of our sofa), I enjoyed reminiscing in between commercials the “date” that Mom and I had the whole day.  It was indeed a “rare” bonding moment with Mommy that I’d like to forever remember in my heart.  I’d say “rare” because it was only that day again, after so many years, that the two of us went out.  You see, most often than not, we go out as a family, either with my Dad, my brother, with my sister and her 4-year old daughter, or with Nico, and Jun or even with our Yaya.  And most of the time, our companions are such KJ (kill joy) when it comes to pag-gagala. We never had a chance to go for some Mommy-daughter day out since I got married and had my own family.  Only last Saturday.

I’d like to remember that day with Mom and me so contented and happy with just three blouses (two for Mom and just one for me) we bought (finally, after hours of hopping from one stall to another looking for the best buy we could find though we were so tempted to buy so many girly, fashionable clothes).  I laughed alone as I vividly recall how Mom almost gave in to buying a kinda old stocked piece of white blouse at a pricey boutique (you know, the store where it smells like baby powder when you go inside?), but I advised her not to buy not just because of the nisnis in some of the blouse’ stitches, but definitely because of the blouse’ price—it’s too expensive, as for me.  “Ay naku Mommy, masyadong mahal yan.  If I were you, I won’t buy that.  It’s not worth it,” I told Mom.  So Mom took my advice then prodding me to the next women boutique beside it.  While we were inside this boutique, Mom shook her head and said, “Ikaw talaga, ang kuripot mo na. Samantalang dati nung dalaga ka pa, every week meron kang bagong branded na clothes”.  I just smiled. I know Mom only wanted to test if I would give into temptations. She very well knew me already, most especially now that I am a Mom na. She knew that I’d rather prefer to buy something worth for Nico than for my self.  She often teased me to be kuripot but it makes her proud knowing that I learned be frugal and knows to discerns what to prioritize–to buy not what I want, but what my family needs.  Oh well, she did not succeeded in her test though as I chose to purchase an old rose blouse priced just P389, saving me some 30 percent of the original price.  When I was still single and solely enjoying spending my earnings, I would always insist shopping with Mom as she was my most reliable consultant when it comes to choosing clothes that are just fine for me.  She has an excellent taste for fashion that even my close friends envy and admire whenever they get to see my Mom.  But now that I already have my own family, Mom and I rarely do such bonding time.

I missed these moments with Mom so even as our legs are already tired, we even afforded to visit a trade fair at the last floor of the Mall.  Good thing, I brought with me several officially-stamped flyers from the organization where I am working so at least, we need not pay fees to be able to enter the trade fair.  Mom, being a frustrated interior designer, was so excited seeing the furniture on exhibit in the booths of exporting companies that she insisted that I took a picture of a bench made of bamboo which was reinvented into mixing the ethnic material with sand-blasted iron rods.  Mom said she plans to copy the concept for her mini Bahay Kubo in her backyard.  “Mommy, bawal mag take ng photos dito sa loob. We still need to get permission from the exporter to be able to take pictures,” said me, explaining to her the rules that apply in the trade fair.  Though Mom was a registered nurse by profession, interior designing, furniture and furnishings are the next fields of interests that never failed to excite her.  And I am proud to say that she has a very superb taste when it comes to arranging furniture in the house.  Whenever my classmates and friends get to visit my parents house way back in my school days, they always praise my Mom for her sense of styling our home.  She’s a very good sewer that all of our hotel-typed curtains and sofa covers at home were custom-made by her.  She was enthusiastic about all these until she retired from the working world and had apos.  (Oh my, this is already out of topic…) Going back to where I was, still related to the fair, we went to the selling area of the trade fair and bought some native bags and foodie goodies like Vigan longganisa and tuyo.  Mom and I somehow quipped on our kababawan and mutually remarked, “Ang babaw natin no, tuyo lang, dinayo pa natin sa Mall”.

We were too occupied tripping almost all of the boutiques we liked so we didn’t notice the time and our grinding empty stomachs.  “Oh my gosh, it’s almost evening,” as I confirmed the time at my cellphone and said, “Lagot ako kay Nico nito”.  “Masyado naman itong praning, merienda muna tayo,” said Mom with a naughty smile on her face while inviting me for a rush merienda before we separate ways and go home.  After a good munch of pansit sotanghon and sansrival (our faves), we went home tired but so so happy. 

A rare bonding moment with my Mommy indeed. Sana maulit muli ang moment na ito, kahit once in a blue moon lang!