RIP - RRP

after a very long week, i decided to file for VL last friday, feb 13. i’ve been busy with work since the start of the year and i needed some time off. a lot of things (work and non-work related) happened and i haven’t had the time to really let things sink in. there are only a few things i do and places i go to whenever i need to think, going to visit my dad was one of them. so, i woke up early on a cloudy and a bit gloomy friday morning, took a bath, my coffee and yosi breakfast, got in my car and started driving towards everest hills. it wasn’t very far from my place, just a 30-40 minute drive from makati (everest hills is located at susana heights).

i arrived at everest hills at around 9am. One thing that i really love about this place is the peace and quiet. the day was starting to be less gloomy and a bit more sunny by this time. like any other day that i’ve come here, there are only very few people around,most of them are the maintenance crew of the cemetery. i parked my car under a very tall tree (narra, i think) just below the hill where my father lies. close to my dad’s grave is another tree, which is very convenient because i usually spend the whole day here and its good to spend it in the shade. i sat down on the grass and leaned against the tree. Ricardo Ramon Pena, RRP. A Richard Pena is written under his name, an older half brother. He died a month after his birth. My dad was 33 then he passed away, i was 7. i’m not one for traditions but it has been somewhat a thing between me and my dad to smoke together everytime i visit. i don’t bring flowers and/or candles. just 2 sticks of marlboro reds, one for him and one for me. i know it sounds corny, but its the only thing (as far as i know) that my dad and i have in common. i didn’t have the chance to meet him when he was still alive so i can’t really know for sure how he was as a person. but judging from how much my mom loves him, i’m guessing he’s a pretty decent guy. anyways, so i lit one stick and placed it over his gravestone then i lit another one for me. now, this is usually the time when i share with him recent and significant events in my life, but i don’t have anything to share today. i just came to spend time here and relax. so i turned my ipod on and closed my eyes. The rest of the day was spent in silence and some walking around. Next thing i know, its past 5pm and starting to get dark. i don’t know about you, but i don’t like spending nights alone in a cemetery. hehe.. i stood up, gave my dad one last glance and headed towards my car. as i started to drive away i realized something, smoking isn’t the only thing we had in common. i smiled as i looked back and promised, “i’ll bring beer next time dad, i’ll bring beer”