Day offs mean I get to snuggle a littl
e bit more on my warm comfy bed. Love it when it’s even colder. Play lazy, lazier and some more. I can dream of stories to write, subjects to paint, and things to do.
Dawn is breaking early birds sings me a song. Rise up to my trusty dog named Odin calling to start my day running. Greeted by all other dogs on the way to the park; Master and Max the Macedonian pure bred show dogs. Lucy the nagging pop eyed shitzu, Phillip, the Hungarian speaking local dog, Kobi, the fuzzy white chow chow, Lady the Japanese spitz, the drooling overweight English bull dog, the senile Labrador, the stinky Dalmatian, the howling Siberian husky and the rest of the brood.
A walk in the park gives me the chance to meet the strolling golden girls and boys. The feline friends rolling on the cemented pavement waiting to bask under the sun. I then find my place in space beneath the luscious Narra tree my favourite niche. Where crickets do hum their vocal symphony washing my tired ears. I stay longer for nature to sing songs for me. Crazy is it not?
At home, fixing a cup of café latte preferred with full cream milk, a rich serving of blueberry jam and a thin layer of margarine on my toasted pan de sal is a great breakfast with claire. But Moringa bread with Quesong Puti or Queso de bola, crisp fried bacon, and a glass of orange juice is a favourite too. Bring the sun on my plate – sunny side up, well done please, makes my day.
A trip to the nearby Memorial circle for a few dance steps, it is my delight to see socialite grannies dance the rhumba, salsa and mambo. And though their beer belly is layered, augmented waistlines, flat chested or with sagging shrinked breast, that wiggly flabby arms that jiggle, their wrinkled faces show the poised passing of time but the laughter betrays the age, the smile gives it away – the ful
lness of life well lived. Grow old gracefully, don’t be an old nagging hag. Someone bitter, demanding and imposing.
After 3 hours of Latin dance and little more walking with Claire, we get to unwind and have late lunch. A quiet time and a happy meal, grateful for yet another day off to share. We get to talk big and small or tell silly stories or hugot lines, laugh as much as we can. Count our blessings first and then the subtract miseries.
There will always be something sad to bear but there are two persons who can divide and carry. In some rare occasion travel fro m the park to the mall, window shopping till you drop. It’s nice to dream and do things together, build castles in the air, wish and hope all things bright and beautiful. After all , she is my daughter. The apple of my eye.
As the day comes to an end, the road leads home for a candle light dinner. Waiting for Franco to come home with a bottle of 1.5 litre of coke.
Good bye burned calories…. Well, Hello there Sugar!!!
We three wrap up the night somewhere in Tamriel in the province of Skyrim. Lights fade from the 60 inch HDTV. Someday, I too will. B ut I already passed on the lightness of light. Those days when my Day offs are short and nighttime will turn longer and colder somewhere.
Maria Lourdes De Vera, RN
