Juliet

"Sa susunod na buwan?" suggest ni Don Luis na nakapag-panic sa akin.

Ghadd! Kanina usapan sa susunod na taon around January tapos naging December, naging October, tapos ngayon next month na??!!!

Kanina pa kami dumating ni Niño at masigla rin naman kaming sinulubong ng mga magulang namin. Grabe ang kaba ko kanina habang papunta rito na naimagine ko pang masasabunutan ako ni Ina pero total opposite ang nangyari. Tuwang-tuwa sila nang makita kaming magkasama ni Niño na pumasok sa mansion ng mga Enriquez at inasar-asar at kung anu-ano pang mga malilisyong tanong at salita ang binitawan nila, jusko.

Bakit ba parang tuwang-tuwa silang ipakasal ang anak nila huhu kung sa present 'to malamang nakalbo na ako ni Tita Mommy at nalibing na nang buhay ni Tito Daddy si Niño.

"Kailan ang iyong kaarawan?" pasimpleng bulong ni Niño na katabi ko lang sa akin kaya binigyan ko siya ng seryoso-ka-ba-sa-tanong-mo look at based naman sa expression niya ay hindi niya talaga alam.

Ghad! Magpapakasal ako sa lalaking hindi man lang alam ang birthday ko, jusko po!

"Papakasalan mo ako, eh ni hindi mo nga alam kung kailan ako pinanganak?" sumbat ko sa kaniya.

"Kapag kinasal na tayo'y mayroon tayong habang buhay upang malaman ang mga ganiyang bagay kung kaya't ang pinagtutuonan ko ngayon ay kung paano ko masisigurong makakasama kita habang buhay." sagot naman niya na nakatitig sa akin.

"Setyembre..." simula ko sa sagot ko at inisip ang Tagalog o kahit Spanish man lang ng 30 pero dahil likas na tungaks ako sa ganito...

"Basta 'yung huling araw ng Setyembre."

Tumangu-tango naman siya at nakita kong sumenyas siya kay Kuya Ernesto niya.

"Bakit hindi natin pagdesisyunin ang mga ikakasal?" biglang sabi ni Kuya Ernesto na kapalitan ni Niño ng mga makahulugang tingin.

So, mukhang kanina pa sila nagsesenyasan dahil ang gulo nga ng mga magulang namin na inabutan na kami ng dinner at sa point na petsa nalang ng kasal, eh hindi pa mapagdesisyunan. Napatingin sa amin ang mga thunders atsaka nagsalita si Ama.

"May naisip na ba kayong petsa, hijo? Juliet?"

Tumingin sa akin si Niño bago sumagot.

"Nais po sana naming sa huling araw ng Setyembre." saad niya at muling sumulyap sa akin pagkatapos magsalita.

What??! Nais 'NAMIN'??? Eh, siya lang naman nagdecide niyan atsaka huling araw ng Setyembre edi 30... birthday ko 'yun, ah!

"Nais niyong ganapin ang kasal niyo sa kaarawan ni Juliet?" tanong ni Caden at um-oo naman si Niño.

"Kaarawan naman ni Niño sa unang araw ng Setyembre. Mukhang maganda nga ang buwan ng Setyembre at ang araw na napili nila." nakangiting saad ni Doña Isabela na mukhang sang-ayon sa prinopose naming araw.

September 1 birthday ni Niño?

Gaga ka rin Juliet at hindi mo rin naman alam ang birthday ng papakasalan mo!

"Bueno! Ang kasal ay magaganap sa huling araw ng Setyembre." desisyon nila Ama na sinang-ayunan agad ni Don Luis at ng iba pa.

Tumuloy kami sa pagkain ng panghimagas at nagdaldalan pa sila sandali at nagpaalam na rin kami.

Pagkapasok ko sa karwahe ay siyempre, si Niño ang sinilip ko mula sa bintana. Nakatingin din siya sa akin at nakangiti, the usual slight but genuine smile ng isang General Enriquez Luis Enriquez IV. Nang umandar na ang karwahe ay sinundan pa namin ng tingin ang isa't-isa hanggang sa hindi na kami magkakitaan kaya umayos na ako ng upo.

Nagulat naman ako dahil nang makaayos na ako ng upo ay nadatnan kong nakatingin ang buong pamilya ko sa akin na may mapang-asar na mga ngiti, lalo na si Caden.

"Buti hindi naiwan ang mata mo roon." pang-aasar ni Caden at bahagyang natawa sina Ama at Ina pero inirapan ko nalang si Caden. Lagi nalang nang-aasar, eh. Maganda ang mood ko ngayon kaya ayaw ko na sirain.

Somehow, ang gaan ng pakiramdam ko sa mga nangyayari ngayon. Para bang smooth sailing lang ang lahat at para bang wala na akong problema sa buhay although kung iisipin ko ay medyo nabobother pa rin ako sa fact na ikakasal ako sa edad na 22 years old or well, technically 23 na ako no'n but still, 'di ba?

Atsaka naiisip ko rin na... paano kung bigla na akong bumalik sa present? Nasanay na ako rito at parang... ewan. Parang gusto ko na ring magstay kahit pa sobrang miss ko na sina Tita Mommy at Tito Daddy. Parang gusto kong bumalik sa present pero ayaw kong iwanan ang buhay ko rito.

Minsan naiisip ko paano kung panaginip lang ang lahat? Kasi feeling ko, this is too good to be true pero kung panaginip nga ang lahat, may parte sa aking gusto nalang matulog habang buhay.

Napailing-iling ako. Gusto kong i-enjoy lahat ng nandito habang nandito pa ako. E-enjoyin ko ang smooth sailing na buhay ko rito sa ngayon kahit pa may parte sa akin na nagsasabing baka isa lang itong calm before the storm.

♤♤♤

Maraming salamat sa pagbabasa!

Colonel Francisco "Paco" Roman (1869-1899)

On October 4, 1869 in Alcala, Cagayan,  Francisco “Paco” Roman was born to Pelagia Velasquez and Jose Roman. He came from a well-to-do family, and his first cousins were none other than the Palma brothers, Jose and Rafael.

The Romans moved from Cagayan to Manila when his father, Jose, a licensee of the tobacco monopoly system, decided to put up a factory there. An Ateneo graduate who also studied commerce in Hong Kong, Roman took care of the business after his father died. He transferred the factory in Ilaya Street in Tondo and named it “La Comercial.”

Interestingly, Roman, being the son of a Spaniard, initially took sides with the colonial regime. He reportedly volunteered in the Spanish cavalry for fear of being implicated in the Katipunan whose discovery by the Spaniards marked the beginning of Philippine Revolution in 1896.

Things took a new turn at the beginning of the Filipino-American War: Roman, in addition to providing financial support to the Filipino revolutionary forces, also volunteered to join General Antonio Luna’s staff.

Soon, Roman earned Luna’s trust and the latter made him his aide-de-camp, with the rank of colonel. It didn’t take long before Roman officially became a hero in the quest for Philippine independence. The young colonel led some 500 men against the American forces in Tondo on February 23, 1899 as part of what has been known in history as the Second Battle of Caloocan. Were it not for the Philippine army’s lack of coordination and ammunition, the war would have favored the Filipinos.

Four months later, General Luna received a telegram from Aguinaldo inviting him to confer with the President at a convent in Cabanatuan. Accompanied by his military escort, Luna traveled several miles from his headquarters in Pangasinan to Aguinaldo’s camp in Nueva Ecija only to be met by the members of the Kawit Batallion–the same men he previously relieved of duties for not following his orders.

We all know what transpired during that day, as was reported in the June 14, 1899 issue of the San Francisco Call:

“By a preconcerted plan, he (Luna) was kept waiting at the door of Aguinaldo’s headquarters until his patience became exhausted. After demanding admission several times he attempted to force his way in. He drew a revolver, but before he could use it was seized by Aguinaldo’s guards, and one of them, named Ney, stabbed him several times.

General Luna’s aid, Colonel Ramon (Roman), who was near him, rushed to the general’s rescue, but was seized and disarmed and cut to pieces with bolos. Luna and Ramon both died a few minutes after being stabbed.”

And that was the end of Paco Roman, only 30 years of age, and whose family was left fatherless–his wife Juliana Piqueras and children named Juan (a future doctor) and Carmen.

As for their remains, a testimony of  eyewitness Antonio Jimenez was published in the Tagalog newspaper La Sampaguita on July 20, 1926:

“I was one of those who were present at the funeral which took place the following morning. Two graves were dug side by side to the left of the entrance to the cemetery and about eight or ten meters from the passage that is found at the middle of the pantheon. In those graves were buried the cadavers of the two deceased military chiefs. General Luna and Colonel [Francisco] Paco Roman, who were placed in their respective coffins, with their feet to the south. The coffin of General Luna was in the grave nearer to the said passage of the cemetery.”

Antonio Luna’s remains were exhumed in the early 1900s as per the request of his brother, Dr. Jose Luna. His bones would later find their way into the Quiapo Church. Roman’s, on the other hand, were lost to history in the same way his name has been overshadowed by the general whom he loyally served up to the last minute.

Nonetheless, the sad tale of Roman’s forgotten life pales in comparison to his and Luna’s murders–a tragedy that keeps repeating itself 100 years later.

source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/filipiknow.net/francisco-paco-roman-biography/

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- E