Sunday, January 27, 2008 Gil: Who am I By Sandy Gil Sunday Dunes
(Last part)
WELCOMING the New Year with an entire caboodle of a family at a beach resort in a region where I have decided to spend the rest of my life can actually inspire a confusion of emotions. Greeting a new year is something I love to spend with those I truly love. And I do love my family; it's just that there are too many of them!
I have been known to possess a heart as big as our tour bus. My heart can accommodate many people. But really, my family is simply too big to fit all at the same time in my heart; I will surely end up with a congested heart! Yet, it was with pride that I shared with them the luscious land that I had decided to adopt as my home more than ten years ago. By New Year'' Eve, I did not know which emotion to focus on... I was a bundle of confusion!
-o0o-
So I decided to go with whatever flow was currently facing me. I decided not to think (which was expectedly easy anyway).
Video clips of the family's New Year's Eve celebrations since time immemorial were shown that night. I smiled as I watched my children on film: when Toni was just a toddler, bouncing instantly and without care to holiday music; when Diego was a skinny little boy, joining his cousins as the letter "I" in a hilarious rendition of "C-is for the candy cane" song; and when Alex would go into a fit for losing in a game of Musical Chairs. Years have indeed passed. The children are now bigger and taller than me.
Then video clippings of Dad and my sister, Vicky, were shown, reminding me of how much I missed them. It kind of gripped my soul for a while -- until someone said that poor Dad and Vicky are now quite happy that they are no longer part of the family chaos -- and still we persist in making them part of the revelry.
-o0o-
Invented versions of Jeopardy, Family Feud and Name-That-Tune followed, with lots of dancing, singing, eating and drinking. My family was noisier than a city full of firecrackers. Other beach resort guests wandered into the pavilion, thinking ours was a public celebration -- but only to be disappointed in learning that it was a family affair.
As the clock struck midnight, everyone kissed and hugged every one. Toni made a bet with me that I could not memorize the chronology of relatives I kissed and hugged that night. I could remember who I kissed and hugged; I could also remember who I missed kissing and hugging. But I could only remember the first three people I kissed and hugged -- Toni, Diego and my Mom. The rest of forty people were a blur. But it felt good, warm and secure to be with all of them.
-o0o-
The next day was a relatively quiet one -- hangover from New Year's Eve. Everyone was recuperating. The day went by without much incident. Silence... more or less. My siblings were walking around like zombies. They must have actually thought that we were too old for all these partying! Mom however was still into it...
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The second of January finally arrived. My family's flight was at seven in the evening. There was a lot of time to kill. Some went swimming at the waterfalls. After lunch, half the expedition went to Aldevinco to do some last minute shopping; the other half decided to laze around the beach pavilion.
I had initially just wanted to say goodbye to them at Sasa Pier and take a taxi home. But that was not to be for those who were going to the airport from Aldevinco decided to leave their luggage with me. And so, I had to accompany their luggage to the airport, while the rest took their own luggage.
-o0o-
At the airport, it was a mad house with family members strewn all over the place. The question "Where is my bag?" was heard in different pitches, emotions, beats and volume. Those from coming from Aldevinco came intermittently. Task Force Davao could only stare in disbelief.
As soon as each found their luggage, I -- and I alone -- was besieged with hugs and kisses once more, thanking me for the almost perfect organization and so on. And then suddenly, they were all gone.
-o0o-
And I was alone. I did not know if I was relieved or sad. I did not know who I was. At home, I lit a candle, poured myself a glass of red wine and let out a deep sigh of relief. Then I began to decompress...
