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Consuelo

Consuelo …. Consuelo? Names ending in “O’s” like Benigno, Manuelito and Fernando are masculine names. Names ending in “A’s like Mara , Teodora and Editha are feminine names. But how about Consuelo? Is it a boy’s name or a girl’s name?

Consuelo practically grew up in the company of six boys (four elder brothers and two younger ones) …seven if we would include her father…She has a sister named Lollie who was adopted (though not legally) by their aunt and was raised in Leyte.

She did not play with Barbie dolls. Why? (Ask me why…) Maybe there were no Barbie dolls that time yet. But most probably, her family could not afford to buy one. Her father was just a postman while her mother was a plain housewife. In her spare time, she played basketball, volleyball and softball with her elder brothers---, rough games for a young girl …”Nene” , as her elder brothers would call her , could even do carpentry works. She could hold a hammer and a saw like a real pro.


Although she did not have Barbie dolls and the big walking dolls like the typical young girls her age, her nurturing spirit was developed and practiced by watching over her younger brothers while her mother Ursula was busy with the household chores. She practically raised and loved them dearly like her own babies. They fondly called her “Manay Connie”

The tomboyish Consuelo metamorphosed into a fine young lady. She became the “Miss Commerce” when she was in her second year in college. Because of her captivating beauty and grace, she became a young bride at 21 to a dashing debonair from Buenavista, Agusan. After more than two decades of wonderful married life ( well, let us just presume it was all wonderful) she became a young widow at 42. She panicked! How would she raise her brood of six? She really did not know. One day she just realized that all of them have finished their respective college degrees. Because of her sacrifices, she deprived herself of a social life and devoted her time with her work and her family

At 65, right after her retirement from the government service, Uncle Sam summoned her to America. From a smalltown girl, she now lives in a posh subdivision in Florida, USA. From a woman who was even afraid to hop into the escalator in Gaisano, she now hops from one place to another ( Canada, Mexico, New York, Washington, Bahamas, to name a few ).


Among the things that she sent us in her first balikbayan box were Barbie dolls with names to whom they were for. A note said: “Please distribute the dolls to all the girls in the family. I want them to have their own Barbie Dolls”… When I held my first Barbie in my hand, I cried…..At 40, I finally got my own Barbie doll, I cried. When I glanced at the corner, my helper Gina was jumping up and down kissing her own blonde Barbie doll.

One day she called me on the phone. I asked her how she was. She said that God was truly good to her. Everything was so amazing, except that she could hardly understand the way the Americans talk… including the children of my sister . Due to her advancing age, she has difficulty in hearing already. One evening when she was alone with the kids of my sister, ten-year-old Bajec went to her and said, “Lolo, lola, my pair of pajamas is ripped” .. She panicked! “What? Oh, my God! Rape? Rape? Who was raped ?” “Lola, I said ripped”.

One time , while she was having her morning walk in the park, a black-American caught up with her and said, “Hello, good morning. How are you today?” She was startled and said : “no, no, no… I’m not talking to strangers…” She hurriedly went home and told my sister to buy her a threadmill instead because she did not want to be courted by the black-american… My sister said, “Mama, the guy just said hello!!”…. “Nevermind, I don’t want to be courted by a Blackman. I am looking for a papa with blue eyes.”

My sister would call me. “Ate , she is so naïve…(in the dialect… tagaw…) She would stare at the tall buildings and said “wow”… to pretty women , “wow”…at gorgeous men with blue eyes,”wowowee” …..When she saw Mickey Mouse in disneyland, she embraced Mickey and in teary eyes she told him, “ Mickey Mouse. I’m from the Philippines. I’m so happy to finally see you.”

My sister said that she love her even more. She is glad she is in America enjoying a good life in her twilight years.”

Consuelo, Consuelo… her name suggests someone with a strong personality. She may appear tough in the outside but she is soft in the inside… like “ MENTOS”…


She is 100% woman, I should know, she is my mother. Happy mother’s day Mama. I love u.

cheri

Wow! super Grandma ka nga gid, Connie.
Nice sexy photos.

Joanie