Celebrating Me
Growing up happens in a heartbeat. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. - The Wonder Years
Growing Up
14. Growing up, I was English-speaking. Mum wrote on my baby book that I would choose clothes after a bath, Mummie, dis one wid pawers.
15. We lived for a while in the Llenado home with Mum's six sisters. They said that at an early age, I could recognize which bakya (6 pair for the sisters, one for the maid) at the foot of the stairs belonged to whom.
16. It was there that Blackie the dog bit me, for which I had to endure anti-rabies shots.
17. Mum always adorned me with real jewelry. I had a silver bangle and a pair of hand-crafted earrings with blood red gemstone that was supposedly my birthstone.
18. Sort of a tomboy? Yes. I wore t-shirts and shorts when it was unbecoming for girls to be so attired. Hated dolls. Didn't like getting dressed for photos.
19. On Saturdays, Mum sometimes gave money to the maid so we could go to Cine Rosie to watch cinema heart throbs Amalia Fuentes and Romeo Vasquez.
20. My godmother Auntie Tessie was my idol. I wanted to be like her. She was unmarried and drove her own car.
Pouting Don't-Want-To-Be-A-Girl in overalls, a birthday hat, and dollie. Llenado House on Trabajo Street (now M. de la Fuente), Sampaloc, Manila. Circa 1948
21. Once, Ninang took me to the air-conditioned Life Theater to watch Lana Turner's blockbuster movie Imitation of Life.
22. Mum told me to never forget that I was Llenado, a landowner family with old money.
23. Dad always teased me about my butt sticking out when I walked. I must have been thinking about my Llenado lineage.
24. Mum lectured me on the importance of owning land. It is immovable property, she would say.
Maria Francisco Llenado and Gregorio Llenado Sr. Sepia photograph of my grandparents: Llenado House on Trabajo Street (now M. de la Fuente), Sampaloc, Manila
25. Because I was fair-skinned, Mum always chose bright orange and yellow fabric for dresses that she sewed for me.
26. For Christmas, when most girls wore pink dresses, Mum had me wear an apple green dress. You'll be different, she'd say.
27. For New Year, she would sew a light blue dress for me, her idea of an appropriate welcome hue for the year.
(To be continued)
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