In our life, we'll only have one mother. The one who you will stay with for about 20 to 25 years. If you get married, you get to acquire another mother -- your mother-in-law. My mother, who never had a mother-in-law because my father's mom died when he was just four years old, once told me that if I ever get married, I should love my husband's mother the way I love her. She told me that having a good mother-in-law is one of the best gifts that a woman can have.
My mother's name is Fe. If you still wonder why my name consists of only three letters, maybe you should ask my Mama. Her father was a soldier and her mom is a housewife who had an eatery in their house. Mama told me that in an early age, she would sell anything in the neighborhood -- from bananacue to balut to comics. I believe we got our entrepreneurial skills from her.
 |
| My mom welcoming my aunts when they arrived at church on our wedding. Photo from Framed-Up Production. |
Unlike her mom, she never really cooks. Maybe because she spent so much time outside selling anything. She learned how to cook when she and my father got married. She calls her recipes pacham -- pachamba chamba lang.
My mother's sense of humor is insane. She would tell us stories of how she ran so fast when she thought the banana leaf was a huge kapre waving at her one night when she was coming home from selling balut in the village. She taught me the Takure Song (which I later learned has an English version). She can speak Tagalog with an Ilongga accent very well. She loves yellow which I picked from her, too.
My mother loves Jeff. The day I introduced Jeff to my family, my mother had a few words for him -- 'Jeff ingatan mo yang anak ko ha. Basta dito sa bahay, ang mahal ng anak ko mahal ko din'. She would always ask me what Jeff wants for dinner and she'll cook it, or have my aunts cook it, or buy it. Saturday night's default dinner would become nilagang baka with corn cobs or grilled hito.
On my wedding day, my mother didn't cry at church. Or maybe I just didn't notice it. She cried after the reception before they went home. She hugged me and she just cried.
Whenever people tell me that I have a very beautiful mother, I just smile and agree. My mother is beautiful. She has a straight nose and fair complexion. Her short hair fits her small face. She doesn't sing but her voice is music to my ears. I miss her everyday. I always make sure that I see her once a week, and call her every so often.
My mother is my rock. She's my piece of sanity. Whenever I'm feeling down and depressed, I just go to her and recharge, and everything is right in my world again. I always look forward to seeing her every week. A few hours with her gives me courage to face the entire week.
Letty
It took a while before I learned to call Jeff's mother Mama. We've all been there, it was hard to shift from Tita to Mama. I met her and the rest of Jeff's family a few weeks after we became a couple. Mama ordered a lot from Conti's that night for dinner. I would later learn that Conti's is actually the extension of the Tagle kitchen -- they always order food there.
Mama is a partner in an accounting firm. She works from 8am until around 7pm. If she doesn't have too much work, she can leave at 5pm or 6pm, but that's really rare.
She's a very religious person. She goes to church every morning and never misses a Sunday mass. She also serves as a lector at the parish here in the village.
Mama does the grocery every week. When I moved in with them after the wedding, she would always buy white rice because I'm a rice eater. They don't normally eat rice at home, and if they do, they eat brown rice. No offense, but I really think brown rice tastes like paper. Haha! A few months ago when I had a bout of the hives, she bought so much meat and vegetable because I can't eat seafood and chicken. Again, they don't really eat a lot of meat.
The original Mrs. Tagle has this contagious laugh that I really love. Sometimes, she would tell a story and then she would laugh before she even finishes. It's insane! Haha! I guess Jeff got his happy self from Mama. Mama would sometimes let out a joke which Jeff would note is a Joy kind of joke. Well, maybe that's why he married me. :P
Having a mother is a gift. Having two is a blessing.
 |
| Photo from Tito Bob Gamboa's Facebook. |
Mama is a partner in an accounting firm. She works from 8am until around 7pm. If she doesn't have too much work, she can leave at 5pm or 6pm, but that's really rare.
She's a very religious person. She goes to church every morning and never misses a Sunday mass. She also serves as a lector at the parish here in the village.
Mama does the grocery every week. When I moved in with them after the wedding, she would always buy white rice because I'm a rice eater. They don't normally eat rice at home, and if they do, they eat brown rice. No offense, but I really think brown rice tastes like paper. Haha! A few months ago when I had a bout of the hives, she bought so much meat and vegetable because I can't eat seafood and chicken. Again, they don't really eat a lot of meat.
The original Mrs. Tagle has this contagious laugh that I really love. Sometimes, she would tell a story and then she would laugh before she even finishes. It's insane! Haha! I guess Jeff got his happy self from Mama. Mama would sometimes let out a joke which Jeff would note is a Joy kind of joke. Well, maybe that's why he married me. :P
Having a mother is a gift. Having two is a blessing.
0 comments