Mabelle....the Beloved Kid Sister from Across the Ocean

When i mentioned the Decade of the 70's earlier, i said that it was a tumultous decade for the country.... what with demonstrations, sit-ins, political bombings, Martial Law, etc. In contrast, this decade was a decade of accomplishments, wins, and successes for the family. It was during the 70's when Daddy first went abroad and stayed a month in Europe attending a training program under the UN's International Labor Organization (ILO). They were based in Turin, Italy but had the opportunity to travel to London, Rome, Ireland, etc. As far as I know, this was the longest time that Daddy was ever away from the Family.... and needless to say, his coming home was eagerly anticipated by all.... partly, because we the children were excited for his pasalubongs for us!!! It was also during the 70's that Kuya graduated from college, got a job at the DFA, and had his first foreign assignment - to the Philippine Consulate in Kobe, Japan.... subsequently, on different ocassions members of the family would go to Kobe and visit with Kuya. It was also during the 70's that i finished my studies at the vet school and was offered a job as an instructor with the vet faculty. More significantly for the family, the 70's was also the decade when my kid sister, the 4th and youngest child of Mommy and Daddy, was born!!!

Mabelle, as we affectionately called her, was born on April 9, 1978. Her birth date is auspicious because it is a National Holiday - Bataan Day - to commemorate the historical significance the province of Bataan played in the nation's history. This is not lost to the family because both Daddy and Mommy and their families are from Bataan!!! But in spite of that, she was not named Bataana or Bataanina.... thank God!.... she was named Maria Bella A. L. instead!!! Actually, I was the one who gave the name to her..... and it was originally Maria Bella Donna A. L. .....but Mommy & Daddy said that Maria Bella alone is nice..... again, thank God!!!

Mabelle was the little princess of the family. She was loved by all of us..... maybe because she came when we, the three boys, were already young adults and will soon be leaving the nest.... which meant that Mommy and Daddy would have experienced the "empty nest" syndrome.... had she not arrived in our lives. She was so loved that we fought on who will buy her milk!!!..... Kuya, invariably won because he was earning the most among us at that time.... I didn't contest that at all... my first salary was only P965.00 per month!!! She was so loved that she wore beautiful, expensive, "imported" baby clothes. At that time, Mommy had a little business going on....she was a subcontrator for a baby wear and toddler line for export to the US. She employed 9 sewers from Bataan supervised by a seamstress cousin, Ate Tessie. In a weeks time, they turned out more than 500 pieces of dresses from a small room within the family yard in Quezon City.

As a baby, Mabelle was the best behaved that I've known.... she hardly cried or threw tantrums and she was always smiling.... she was a happy baby!!! One of the fondest moments with her that I can remember was waking up early, going up to Mommy & Daddy's room, and finding Mabelle already awake in Mommy & Daddy's bed but not crying....she would just lie or sit there and play by herself. When she'd see me, she'll give me a very big smile. I would then get her, bring her down the living room, prepare her milk and let her suckle her bottle while we both lie down on the sofa. After she finished her bottle, we'd then begin to play. Oftentimes, I'd fall asleep again and she'd just lie there and play with her bottle.... not complaining and not bothering me at all!!! I treasure those moments because it turned out that those will be the only moments of bonding that I'll be experiencing with her as a baby.... soon thereafter, I became very busy with all the requirements for graduation, followed by my immediate employment and intensive review for the licensure exams which I was supposed to take just 4 months after graduation!

When Mabelle was one and a half years old, she and Mommy would spend months on end staying with Kuya in Kobe, Japan. She'd come home having lots and lots of Sanrio items that she was the envy of children and even teen-agers in our neighborhood. Sanrio items then were the fad especially among girls and they were very, very expensive locally. If i remember right, all in all, Mommy & Mabelle went to Japan two or three times.... even joining Kuya and his new bride, Ate Liz, when they had their first child, Gwen Astrid.

In 1980, I left for Minnesota for my Master's studies.... coming home in early 1983. Then in 1984, I transferred to UP at Los Banos....leaving again for my PhD studies in Japan in 1987. Mabelle, for her part, left with Mommy for Japan in late 1983..... coming home in 1984.... then for the US in 1986. And so, during that span of time that she was growing up, we hardly saw each other. We only saw each other again when I went to the US thrice (1991, 1995, 1997) to visit them.

Mabelle only had the chance to go to school here in Manila for kindergarten studies at a school near our home in Quezon City and for her Grade 1 studies at St. Joseph College also in Quezon City. She finished her elementary and high school studies in the US. Initially in the US, Mommy & Mabelle stayed in Detroit, Michigan with Mommy's cousin, Tita Lou,..... then they settled in Staten Island, New York, when Mommy got a job in Manhattan. It was here that Daddy joined them years later after his retirement from office. Later, they joined Diko and family in California. When Mommy and Daddy went home to Manila in 1998, Mabelle opted to stay in the US. She would transfer from state to state to find her luck and fortune. Presently, Mabelle lives in Pennsylvania with a family of her own....a loving husband, Billy, and a gorgeous son, Julius....the latest additions to the family. In a way, i feel sorry for Mabelle having grown up without the complete family.... much less a Daddy (at least for a while) around her. She missed having been tutored by Daddy every night (as we were).... Daddy making us memorize things over and over and over again.... until our eyes can't hardly open!!! However, I also applause Mabelle for having grown mature and independent.... learning the ins and outs of life earlier.... and for having survived alone in the US. All these indicates fortitude, survival spirit, and strength of character!

That's my kid sister, Mabelle.... my one and only sister.... and I love her very much!!!