(These letters were exchanged between me and my brother Rudy who lives in California before my retirement from UNDP.)
From: Cesar Liporada <cesar.liporada@undp.org>
To: Liporada, Rudy <rliporada@gowebway.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 6:39 PM
Subject: May 18 - Dioscoro's Birthday
Dear Utol,
It just occurred to me that you are really my closest living relation. Thank God! And i want to acknowledge that you've been a good brother to me (the best and incomparable in reality). So, thank you!
Last Sunday, May 13, Salud, Patricia Mae (my eldest apo), and myself visited the tomb of lolo Coro and lola Rosing. I did thank them to for bringing us both into this world.
Last Monday, May 14... a most beautiful butterfly of violet (velvet? purple?) color stayed for a while in my hand. Then I called Salud to look at it. I permitted it to transfer to her hand. Then it flew, leaving us at awe.
I remembered your story of the fly and Karl. I remembered a lot of things about mom and dad. How, in the night, in the midst of a stormy weather outside our little room in Mabini St., (in Baguio) i would transfer from our bed to sleep between them, and i would feel so safe and secure. Well, i feel so safe and secure in our little world now, i suppose, because we were given the jump start by mom and dad. They brought us into this world and did their best, despite their limitations. Isn't that grand?
So I am sharing this with you and with our clan, to highlight a wonderful blessing and gift. We have wonderful parents. And they are still around. Regards
Sunday, May 20, 2001 12:23 AM
From: "Rudy D. Liporada"
To: "Cesar Liporada"
If I were to die and be born again, made to choose who I would have siblings, I would choose you again as a brother. We could use a little sister who we would have been very protective about...as I believe I was protective of you. It was actually only lately that it sank to me that you never really needed protection. Up until lately, I was saying with Au. "Kawawa naman ang utol ko...." I realized that all challenges you had were part of your strengthening evolution from those times of sandwiching yourself between our parents during stormy nights.
Looking back I always have been in defense for you against playmates who might have wanted to harrass you..., etc. One incident that you might not forget is how I confronted that bully while you were in the grades. Since then, in campus, there is the air that you must not be touched because you are the brother of Rudy. My most formidable challenge was when you were in the… stage where our parents were beyond comprehension of what was happening to you. Au and I had to do all the explanations…. But in the blur of things, there were times, too, that I took advantage of you.
The guitar story is really hilarious. And when you broke your arm when we fell down the bed because we were ag-gabgab-bu, that was killer. I hid under the bed for fear I might have killed you. Everytime I am reminded of your balikong na elbow, I am reminded of the shivers that I might have lost my only closest kin now.
Why I feel this way about our relationship? Thank the purple butterfly.
From: Cesar Liporada <cesar.liporada@undp.org>
To: Liporada, Rudy <rliporada@gowebway.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2001 6:39 PM
Subject: May 18 - Dioscoro's Birthday
Dear Utol,
It just occurred to me that you are really my closest living relation. Thank God! And i want to acknowledge that you've been a good brother to me (the best and incomparable in reality). So, thank you!
Last Sunday, May 13, Salud, Patricia Mae (my eldest apo), and myself visited the tomb of lolo Coro and lola Rosing. I did thank them to for bringing us both into this world.
Last Monday, May 14... a most beautiful butterfly of violet (velvet? purple?) color stayed for a while in my hand. Then I called Salud to look at it. I permitted it to transfer to her hand. Then it flew, leaving us at awe.
I remembered your story of the fly and Karl. I remembered a lot of things about mom and dad. How, in the night, in the midst of a stormy weather outside our little room in Mabini St., (in Baguio) i would transfer from our bed to sleep between them, and i would feel so safe and secure. Well, i feel so safe and secure in our little world now, i suppose, because we were given the jump start by mom and dad. They brought us into this world and did their best, despite their limitations. Isn't that grand?
So I am sharing this with you and with our clan, to highlight a wonderful blessing and gift. We have wonderful parents. And they are still around. Regards
Sunday, May 20, 2001 12:23 AM
From: "Rudy D. Liporada"
To: "Cesar Liporada"
If I were to die and be born again, made to choose who I would have siblings, I would choose you again as a brother. We could use a little sister who we would have been very protective about...as I believe I was protective of you. It was actually only lately that it sank to me that you never really needed protection. Up until lately, I was saying with Au. "Kawawa naman ang utol ko...." I realized that all challenges you had were part of your strengthening evolution from those times of sandwiching yourself between our parents during stormy nights.
Looking back I always have been in defense for you against playmates who might have wanted to harrass you..., etc. One incident that you might not forget is how I confronted that bully while you were in the grades. Since then, in campus, there is the air that you must not be touched because you are the brother of Rudy. My most formidable challenge was when you were in the… stage where our parents were beyond comprehension of what was happening to you. Au and I had to do all the explanations…. But in the blur of things, there were times, too, that I took advantage of you.
The guitar story is really hilarious. And when you broke your arm when we fell down the bed because we were ag-gabgab-bu, that was killer. I hid under the bed for fear I might have killed you. Everytime I am reminded of your balikong na elbow, I am reminded of the shivers that I might have lost my only closest kin now.
Why I feel this way about our relationship? Thank the purple butterfly.
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