I miss you, Papa. I wish you could've stayed just a little longer...

 Pa!!!

I saw this photo of you with Mama and the rest of the Perez family.

Nakakatuwa, ang babagets niyong lahat. These photos warm my heart; to see Nanay and Tatay here still so young. I reckon this photo may be around circa 1979 or 1980 because in the photos, Kuya is sitting on Tatay's lap. It seems he has not yet turned one year old here. 

I see you here Papa, still so young, probably around 30 or 31. And there's Mama by your side. You two look so good and happy together. 

I wish you could've stayed a bit longer here with us, Papa. I want to tell you so many stories. I want to share with you all my experiences here living in the US, pursuing my PhD dream. You and I are alike in many ways, most especially in pursuing further studies. You would always tell me you could've been a great doctor if only your family had enough money to send you to medical school. Nonetheless, you graduated from UP College of Law, the country's premiere law school. Even if you did not practice law, you channeled your intelligence and creativity in so many things: you are an inventor (paddle wheel, dyeing process) ; a holder of both Philippine and US patents; you are an artist and exhibited paintings at the Ayala Museum; you are a technical writer (wrote so many consultancy reports, feasibility studies, and a book on tidal power); you are a farmer - tried your hand at farming in Cavite; you are a builder, electrician, plumber, all-around fixer-upper - you supervised the building of the Victoria market; you are a teacher/professor; you are a hardcore activist and became a human rights victim of Martial Law; you are an entrepreneur; you are all of these and more, Papa. 

When Mico and I stayed with Tita Babeth in Seattle, Tita Babeth regaled me with stories of your youth, how you were as an older brother to your siblings. Tita Babeth was all praises about you. You were a great older brother, very protective of the family, and an upright man. She also told be about your biological father, si Lolo Ben Ulo as he was called. He was a foreboding figure of Manila, but he was called Ulo because of his superior intelligence (but definitely not his dark side). I guess that's where you got your intelligence, and your perseverance, courage, and pagiging madiskarte and creativity from Lola Mommy.

I miss you so much Papa... I wish you could've stayed a little longer here with us... I would love to hear your responses to my stories...