Through the years...

In line with Valentine’s Day, allow me to get all mushy and share the most romantic love story ever told…

They both lived in a small town in Pangasinan. Asunscion grew up in a typical family of farmers. In the afternoon, she would always help her father in the farm. Mornings are allotted to help her mother sell the harvests in the market. It was always like that. They have to work hard in order to survive. As a matter of fact, she wasn’t able to finish her grade school education because she knew that being the eldest, the load was on her shoulders.

On the part of Leodigario, things were different.
He grew up with practically everything within his reach. His family owned a huge part of the town’s land. He was the only male child and in line with the patriarchal set-up, he will inherit everything. Yes. He became a prominent Haciendero. He was well educated and grew up as a certified chick magnet.

On his many visits to his farm, Leodigario would cast an admiring look to Asunscion, I guess poverty did not do much on her beauty. It was always like that for quite some time until Leodigario finally had the courage to court Asunscion. Good thing, his love was not unrequited.

It wasn’t easy for them to make the relationship work. Their social status was the major concern for them and their respective families. But love really has its way. They ended marrying each other and were blessed with 6 beautiful children.

The song “Through the Years” is really apt in order to show how these two loved one another. They stood together against all odds. They fought for their love and won the war.

My mother would always tell us this romantic love story of her parents. Our inang and tatang.

I was also fortunate to become a witness of their pristine love. My cousins and I would always smile whenever tatang teases inang notwithstanding their “unromantic age”. We were also silent witnesses of their many lambingans through the years.

When tatang died, I also witnessed the endearing look from inang while lovingly touching my tatang’s coffin. As if her touch conveyed all the love that she had and a promise that someday, somehow, love will once again find its way…