Mainly Mita

My husband and I are going to a birthday party for my mom’s youngest sister tomorrow.  We’re all expected to go.  It’s RSVP and all our names are on the list to make sure we all go.

My Tita Mameng (Carmen) already called to make sure we’re going because she just flew in for her annual visit.  She’s the aunt who migrated to Australia after her husband retired more than a decade ago.  I love my Tita Mameng.  She’s the most colorful of all my aunts.  In fact, I wrote about her in my cooking blog.

The birthday celebrant is my Tita Chato (Rosario) who is another vibrant woman.  I loved how she told stories when it was just family and friends around, with her arms flailing and her face all animated as she suppressed a premature laugh.  Standing in the middle of the room, all eyes were always on her.  She’s a beauty too I always thought…a beauty with brains … always the level-headed member of the family you can rely on were there was a crisis.  There’s always one in every family, for ours, it’s Tita Chato.

But she’s also the aunt who always dresses just so and always smells pretty as she looked.  She’s also the only aunt who dropped by my office, not once but twice, and tried to enticed me to take the day off to make “lakwatsa” or fool around.  I should’ve taken her up on it.

My godmother, Tita Remy, won’t be there.  She passed away a few days after the last birthday party.  I’m still in denial about it so this is difficult to write.  She was the matter-of-fact eldest sister who seemed unperturbed by anything.  But she showed me she cared in so many different ways as I was growing up and later, as a grown-up.  I miss her.

It will be nice to see the aunts again, along with the cousins.  It’s been too long.  There’s a new generation already starting their individual lives and a few who are just learning to take their first steps.  It’s their turn to be introduced to the rest of the family.