Born in Pinamalayan,
What is life like at 103?
At 98 she suffered a fall that required a hip operation. She has not been able to walk much since, so she is bed-ridden and, on good moments, chair-bound. She seldom leaves her room to avoid the risk of infection which in her physical condition could be fatal. Nevertheless, her mind is lucid and there are moments when she can engage visitors in conversation.
In one of our recent visits to her, Baby compared her own slightly arthritic hands with her mother’s, and my mother-in-law’s fingers were more slender. I remarked to my mother-in-law, “Matanda na ang anak mo” (your daughter is old) to which she laughed and replied: “You are always joking”. So although she often repeats her questions, I know her mind along with her sense of humour have not abandoned her.
A song that she probably learned when she was a young lass clings somehow into the bodega of her mind and whenever I request her to, she sings it to me:
Pregunta a las estrellas, si por las noches me ven llorar
Preguntales si yo no busco, para adorarte la
Pregunta al manso rio, si el llanto mio. no ve correr
Pregunta a todo el mundo si no es profundo mi padecer
No olvides nunca que yo te quiero, que yo me muero de amor por ti…
That’s as far as she remembers. I googled the song and the words differ here and there but I would attribute this to sea-changes over time through various countries. I recall hearing this song decades ago in Zamboanga and my mother-in-law’s words run closer to that version than those I googled.
To be 103 is practically a full circle to childhood. God’s blessings on Caridad Morente Pineda, Miss Mindoro 1927. – ?