things familiar and not anymore

dinner conversation at our house in bacolod, one balmy night, centered on how certain things in our sagay childhood in the 60s, 70s and onwards interestingly came in twos. several of these “pairs” were within the block where we grew up, and almost always across each other. 

at the two corners along the national highway, where commuters got on or off the buses from bacolod and/or san carlos, were the two main restaurants -  salbel’s and blue dahlia.  a few steps down, on both sides of the corner of the road to barrio bato, were the two grocery cum snack shops and dry goods stores of mrs. pulido and tia felicing. felicing was our mother-side lola, whom we also called nanay, thus we’ve always been known as the ” apo ni felicing” - never mind whether they were referring either to nancy or to joy. (more…)