She Turned Eleven

I can still remember the night when I got known about our Mother carrying our little sibling inside her womb. It was a year before Mama and Papa met a road accident. I was just a 10-year old kid that time who was studying on her fourth grade in primary school. Meanwhile, my 17-year old brother was just 7-year old by that time. It was a night wherein I was still in the process of learning on how to wash our dishes in the sink. I was along with Papa when he whispered this words to me, "may ading ka na." (English: "you already had a little sibling.") And I was like, what? Because, I can't still digest the words he said. Then he added, "buntis si Mama 'nyo." (English: "Your Mama is pregnant.")

I was so happy that time. Finally, I will have another sibling again. As far as I remember, I immediately said it to my little brother who was also so happy as he will have another playmate. Well, because I was not that playful when I turned by the age of ten.

After nine months .....

On the night of the twentieth day of July, year 2010, our brave Mother had given birth to a very healthy and a bouncing baby girl. Inside the labor room of one of the hospitals in our province, a smooth and pleasing cries came out from a baby girl. It came out from the fifth member of our family, our little sister.

I can still remember how I helped in taking care of her, especially when Papa and Mama was not around as they need to work in a bakery, five barangays away from our home. Lola was the one who was taking good care of us. After school hours, I will immediately go home. To clean a lot of her dirty and used feeding bottles. I mean, a lot of it. She has less than fifty feeding bottles that time, in different shapes, sizes, colors, and designs. (I just realized by now on how tiring it is. HAHAHA!) Most of the time, she was asleep when I was going home. So, I will do the cleaning of the house so that I can play with her after I do my home works. Sipag ko no? :D

Naalala ko pa na minsan pinapagalitan ko 'sya kapag ayaw 'nyang matulog. Kasi gusto kong makipag-laro sa mga pinsan namin. To the point na nasisigawan ko 'sya.

Kapag naaalala ko 'to? Sobra akong nagi-guilty. Kasi, bakit ko 'sya kailangang sigawan? When in fact, it was not her fault that she can't sleep yet. And, that she was literally so little that time.

So, I started making it up when I got matured little by little. Maybe I was 11 or 12-year old that time. I played with her every time I have a free time, prioritized her and lil bro more than my friends, comb and tie her hair, attend her and lil bro's meetings when Mama can't come, and more.

Until the three of us grow along with each other, our bond as a siblings gets tighter and stronger. We got closed to each other so much.

So close to the point that ...

I'm bringing them (or one of them) whenever I'll go in some places especially when there were no one to look for them.

Lil sis always come with me whenever I'll go in the supermarket to buy ingredients for my dishes in school. I graduated as a Home Economics student in Senior High School. I always keeps in mid to keep her safe whenever we'll go there. Naaalala ko pa na lagi ko 'syang kinakandong kapag sasakay ng xlt (jeep) para isang bayad lang. Hahaha! Then dapat lagi akong may extrang pera para mabibilhan ko 'sya ng meryenda. If there was no pandemic and there were no virus circulating around, I'm sure that she was always going with me. Maka-Ate 'sila ni Kuya 'nya ih. Soooobra.

After more than a decade ....

I was now a fine lady (for me!) in the age of 20-year old (going 21 this September) and my little brother was now 17-year old (will turn 18 this October). Looking so manly and tall, much more taller than me. XD

And, that baby girl eleven years ago? Just turned eleven yesterday, on the twentieth day of July, year 2021. Here's how she looks like now. So tall that she nearly get's near my and Mama's height. So pretty and so much into fashion, kikay for short.

On the 19th day of July, a day before her birthday, we were teasing her that she will have no foods presented on her birthday on the next day. She was laughing with us but I know that she's hoping. And, she said that, "ipaghahanda kaya ako ni Ate." Then, I was like, "may pinatago ka bang pera sa'ken?" Then, I laughed. No one knows that I had kept some money for her day. No one, but .... only me.

The day that she was born came. She stayed with me in bed for more than an hour before we get up from the bed. Everybody in the house greeted her ... but no one told her that she will have her birthday presents. No one ... even our parents. Because they don't have enough money.

Afternoon came, I asked Mama and Papa to go in the market after we ate our lunch. Why? Because I will buy her some foods. So, we prepared and go.

We first bought the veggies and the chicken meat in our city's wet market. Then proceed to buying the noodles and other ingredients. And, when we are near to our family's service vehicle, I said this to Mama, "Ma, una ka na. May bibilhin lang ako 'dun." (English: "Mama, you go there first. I will just buy something in there.") No one in the family knows that I'm gonna buy lil sis a cake, no one but just me and you guys in Noise.cash.

After 2-3 minutes of walking, I got in inside the Goldilocks' store. I go near to look for the cake that was fitted in my budget, and tadaaaa! I finally had chosen a cake for her, though it was just a cake roll.

Mama and Papa doesn't know that I will buy a cake. But, Mama said when we are on the way at the house that she was thinking on where did I go because I already took a minutes. And that she even asked Papa that maybe I bought a cake. And, yeah. She was right. HAHA!

When we got home, Tita was outside and shout this, "Net, may cake ka." (They used to call her 'Net', short for 'Venice.') And, I saw that happiness in her eyes. So much happiness. That when I (we) was busy preparing the ingredients, she hugged me and said, "Thank you, Ate!"

So, after more than an hour of preparing and cooking. Eating time was next in line.

We got ...

Sopas and Pansit. (One of the most common Filipino celebration foods)

Chocolate cake.

Some drinks.

I was also planning to buy some Filipino delicacies like cassava cake and biko, but the heavy rain won't let me.

But, hey. We got a cutie little girl (our 3-year old cousin) who keeps on dipping her fingers in the icing and shoving it on her little mouth.

And, here is me. Just ate two slices of cake and just eat some pansit after I wash the dishes.

Since that I was not fond of posting a celebration greeting on FaceBook, I just posted it as my 'my day.' As of now, I already had received a hundreds of reactions (both hearts and likes) and random replies with greetings especially from our friends and relatives in other places. And, Tita do the posting after two hours.

Thank you BCH along with both noise.cash and read.cash for helping me make this happens. I'm indeed soooo grateful! :)

Again, HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY, SISTAH! LOVE YAHHH! <3

Remember that Ate and the whole fam will always love and support you. Either you want to be a nurse, an engineer or architect, a fashion designer, and now a teacher. Just like what you had said. Continue to soar high and dreaming.

Maybe you would want to read my previous articles:

Never Have I Ever: My Edition!

Another Goal Unlocked: So Happy!

My July Goals: What I Want To Achieve This Month?

For more articles, just visit me here in read.cash:

imanagrcltrst: https://read.cash/@imanagrcltrst

And, we can also have a chitchat in noise.cash:

imanagrcltrst: https://noise.cash/u/imanagrcltrst

LOVE LOTSSSSS!