My Cousin Rosa

I, Ondes, on the left of the table, holding on to my cousin Rosa.  Other children in the picture, clockwise, are Rosa's sister, Nida, Bebeng, my older sister, Boyet and Mita, my Kaka Viring's children, Lorie, my Kakang David's only child and Anton, my late brother.  The priest on the left is Monsignor Agcaira.  Behind Rosa is Ely, a family friend, the adult with glasses at the table is my Kaka Edong and the guy at the back is Rosa's father, Kaka Ruben. The title Kaka is uncle or aunt in Tagalog. This was taken during the annual fiesta held on the feast of the Immaculate Concepcion in Malabon.

My cousin Rosa is one of the many children of my prolific Kaka, uncle in Tagalog, Ruben and his wife Kaka or aunt Iska. Rosa just died of a heart attack this past Sunday in Malabon Philippines at the age of seventy.

Rosa's family lived just a block from my grandmother's house where my own family stayed till I was 10 years old. She and her siblings were my playmates till I was ten.  One fond memory I had playing with her was pretending we were pregnant by stuffing our dress with newspaper.  At this time, both our mothers were getting pregnant almost every year in her mother's case and every two years in mine. This past Monday morning when I was in the bathroom my grandchild came in with her tummy stuffed with a blanket. It made me think was this a sign from Rosa? My sister and I were just talking on the phone just a few minutes before about her passing.

When I was seven and she nine years old, the company my grandmother owned had a huge party to celebrate the mechanisation of the bottling step in the making of the fish sauce or patis.  It was a big event since it was the first time that this condiment was being bottled untouched by human hands.  A photographer was hired to take pictures of the guests including government officials and also the American manufacturers of the bottling machine.  I convinced Rosa that we photobomb every picture that was taken and we indeed did. You could see us squeezing ourselves into every picture.

Rosa is on the extreme right in this picture.  The children featured in this picture are from the left, Connie, Rosa's sister, me, Edna, another of Rosa's sister.  Behind are my Kaka Uring, my grandmother, Nanang Pina, Kaka Viring and then Governor Rodriguez.  This was taken during the inauguration of the newly installed bottling facility at compound number 1 of Rufina Patis in Malabon.

Every year the Catholic school we attended had a Christmas pageant which included coming in different costumes and offering a gift to the Child Jesus at the stage. I still could picture in my mind the year Rosa came in an all white Indian sari with a diamond pasted in the middle of  her forehead like the princess in the Aladdin movie.  She was gloriously beautiful and regal.

Time flew and we got married, got pregnant, this time for real, and had children who eventually grew up.  A few years ago, we were together celebrating my late brother's birthday at a casino buffet in California.  We even shared a room after the buffet at my sister's house in Los Angeles.  My sister is a very clean person and when I visit her she always offers to launder my clothes.  One day as I was putting away my newly laundered clothes, Rosa saw me folding my underwear in a haphazard manner.  I remember her showing me how to fold with the crouch part over first and then the two sides folded over the middle to form a square.  I was really impressed.

This was taken during the joint celebration of my brother Anton, Vicky, Mama Sol and Bubut's birthdays.  From left seated are Mama Sol, Chet, Anton's wife, Anton, Chet's aunt, and Vicky, Rosa's sister.  Standing from left are Rosa and my sister Bebeng.

Rosa arriving at my sister's condo in Los Angeles.

Rosa was famous for her Pancit Malabon, a noodle dish named after the town we grew up in. This dish is characterised by its sauce but most importantly by the trimmings one puts on top including crushed pork rind, shrimp, boiled pork belly, smoked fish chopped and sometimes boiled oysters plus green onions and boiled eggs.  Rosa masterfully concocted this pancit in such a way it was rich but not overbearing.

She lived her life just as admirably.  I seldom heard her say a bad thing about anybody.  Neither did she complain about the trials and tribulations she had to go through in life.  She was a wonderful example on how to carry them with dignity. This was what she and her life taught me.  Thank you Rosa for all the things I have learned from you and for the warm memories. Rest in peace.