Lola Aning

"Can a woman forget her own baby and not love the child she bore? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you." Isaiah 49: 15

This is the story of my grandmother. A short story. My grandmother is Irene Morada-Moral. She was born on the year unknown to us but she died last December 10, 2002 at the age of 88 in Odiongan, Romblon. Lola "Aning" as we fondly call her has 4 children: Ernesto, Arturo, Lucy and my mother, Irejean. She was married to Juan Montesa Moral (we call him Lolo Angki) somewhere in Sitio Hinugusan, Municipality of Badajoz (now San Agustin). My mother who was the youngest was left at age 6 months under the custody of her mother, our grand grandmother Rufina "Pining" Mangaya-Morada. The other three siblings of my mom were left to the care of my grandfather, "Lolo Angki." My Lola's brother and sisters are Miguel, Sebastiana, Felicidad and Daisy. Our Lola Daisy and her family is very close to us. Every year Lola Daisy visits us in Romblon.

My mom told me a lot of experiences under my grandmother. Lola abandoned them when they were young. During my mom's infancy, she survived by breastfeeding from the breasts of other nursing mothers in their barangay. Formula milk was scarce so her lola Pining just gave her a bottlefeed with "am" (pulverized,grounded, milled fine rice that resembles like a milk). She also left Lolo Angki and according to some folks Lola married to another man and had another child but the child was abandoned too. It was a talk of the town during those years.

All Lola's children were not sent to school instead Lola Pining and my Lolo Angki did the responsibility. In the late college days of my mother (1964) , her Lola Pining died and she had no choice but to stay with Lola Aning. When the time came when Lola Pining will not live long any more because of her illnes, she left an amount of 500 pesos and some coins to her daughter Sebastiana (my Lola's sister) to complete my mother's studies at the University of the East. Before Lola Pining died, her land was divided to her children. Some inheritance like the "cavan" (a big container made of wooden box) were inherited by Lola Aning since she is the eldest. Little of those valuables were given to her brother and sisters.

Lola has a strict personality. She is well known for being perfectionist and disciplinarian. All of us her grandchildren suffered a military type of discipline. She scolds us everytime we commit mistakes. We were sometimes physically hurt and cried at times. My mom cannot forget too the way Lola treated her . My mom asked for a coin for fare going to school. Lola hardly gave the coins to her to the point of running after the coins rolling under the bed. My mom was crying while trying to get the coins. It was a heart-breaking experience. One remarkable characteristic of Lola is her despising voice. Her words will surely pierce and injure your heart. She always scold us. Every one and all of us even her younger brother and sisters. Even my father Evaristo Baino FameroSr., was not spared with Lola's mighty attitude. My Dad in order to "survive the ordeal " would escape on our house or act like a "lion tamer" by buying a lot of exotic sea foods just to please and not be scolded by Lola Aning. I can recall the time when me, Nono and Kuya Bong while sleeping was whipped with her belt because according to her we were not sleeping because our eyes were open which is actually we were in deep sleep that afternoon of our elementary days in Barangay Liwayway, and one time also when Lola scolded me in San Pablo, Lucena, it was really painful so I went to her brother Lolo Miguel for comfort. I was crying while eating together with Lolo Miguel (we fondly call him Mike). Lolo Mike told me "kalain gid man ning batasan si manang." (Lola Aning has really a bad character.) Mom did not fetch me in San Pablo so it was really a sad days of my life. Every day I was hurt. My heart aches were projected into writing in a piece of paper. (Which my mom later was able to read too.) Then one day I asked 100 pesos from Tito Boy and I escaped from San Pablo going to Manila alone though I don't know where the roads in Manila are. But with my sharp memory I was able to locate our Boarding House in Legarda near San Sebastian Church.

On the other side of the coin...behind the character of my Lola ... lies a virtue. A virtue of being a disciplinarian. A virtue which was left to all of us as a legacy. A super clean, very organized and prepared Lola, a thrifty, and a good cook (you must be sure you will leave no food in your own plate because she really gets mad!). There is always a vegetable on the table. Everybody were satisfied because all her prepared foods were very delicious. We understood and loved Lola. Yes it was very hurting, her shout, but thinking it deeply it was also good. A lesson until now I am applying with my life. Being orderly and disciplined in everything you do. Of all her grandchildren with my mom, I was the one who stayed with her for at least..a long time. Not really very long. It was only month-long because prior to my entry in College in Manila some time 1990, I stayed in San Pablo, Lucena City where she temporarily resided with her nephew Miguel "Boy" Morada Jr who gave her "all" her daily needs. And with that time span I have known her very much. Physically, emotionally and even spiritually, I knew her. I have even known that she was stabbed many times by a robber yet she was able to survive in ICU of a hospital in San Pablo. I have witnessed too sometime in the year 1979, when typhoon "Atang" hit Romblon, she was trapped in the pier inside the ship floating and being smashed by big waves yet the ship beside the port did not sink. Only after the typhoon she went out of the semi-wrecked ship with a lot of bruises and wounds which made her resembled and looked like a "mummy" wrapped with sterile gauze. I have seen Lola crying while walking alone in the street going home to us. Lola really has "seven lives" like a cat according to them. That was how I have known Lola. After going to market and cooking and cleaning, I massage her legs inside her room every time we finished our supper, before retiring to bed. Every night I usually place a drop of Eye-Mo in her tired eyes.

Despite our hardships, despite what Lola did to my mom, mom did not resent. We strived hard. Mom painstakingly sent us to school. Until all of us her six grandchildren finished our studies without Lola's so much presence and support . Then one day, Lola Aning got sick of colon cancer. In the year 2002, she was confined at FEU hospital. There all of us visited her. All of my brothers and sisters, and all the family circle cheaped-in for her hospitalization. She had an operation. She's under a Colostomy bag. It was a hard day for all of us. We took good care of her. Even Uncle Ernesto came to visit all the way from San Agustin who died also after Lola's death. After her confinement, our family decided to bring her home in the province in Odiongan. In her face shows a lot of meaning. A lot of repentance. Prior to her death she asked for forgiveness. Lola Daisy told me: "though manang Aning did not treat your mommy well , still your mom loved your Lola so much."

There are still a lot of stories about Lola. These are only few. Very few. Up to her last breath I was with her. Prince John my youngest brother who was holding her stethoscope and listening to the heart beat of Lola, told me, "Kuya, Lola aning was gone." She died peacefully. A peaceful death. Only Lola Daisy went home in Odiongan to attend her funeral. Her body lies in Libertad Cemetery in Odiongan, Romblon. If Lola is reading this blog, I say "thank you Lola"- for without you..I have not seen the beauty of this world.