Leader Of The Band

Bobby Goldsboro.

Nana Moskouri.

The Bee Gees.

Nat King Cole.

Tom Jones.

Sue Thompson.

Those are just a few names in music that my father introduced to us when we were growing up. He has a collection of old cassettes at home, he bought when he was working in the Middle East. The reason for my passionate love of music.

My father is not the typical one.
He doesn’t smoke. He doesn’t drink alcoholic beverages. I don’t know why, we, his children, turned out to be lasenggas. Lol

He never wears T-shirts or long-sleeved shirts.
He never wears denim.
He always wear button down short-sleeved shirts and slacks, preferably crisp and creased.
When he is at home, he is topless 50% of the entire day.

He loves to doodle on electronic/electrical/mechanical stuff and his old set of wheels.
He wakes up early, picks up the dustpan and walis tingting and sweeps the leaves that have fallen overnight from our backyard.
He hates garbage.

When we were younger, he never allows us to go on beach outings, thus we never learned to swim.
He loathes the beach, even until today.

Even before I went to school, I knew I was a bit different from the other boys but my father never told me to behave ‘appropriately’.
I hang out with my sisters more often than my brother.
I had my first Barbie in grade school.
Whenever I play dress up with it, my father never scolded me like other fathers may do when they find out their little boy is playing with dolls.
I had one gay friend from our neighborhood and he is always welcome to play with me at home.
My father has spanked me just once in my entire life using a walis tingting. It was the first and last time he hurt me physically, for a reason I could no longer remember.

His favourite sport is boxing. No, he doesn’t do that as a hobby, he just likes to watch boxing matches on tv.
I also love boxing and this is our way of bonding. Even if I would scream a lot, he doesn’t mind.
After the game, we would always share our views and comments. His, from a professional point of view, and mine from a clueless audience.

Whenever there’s a Miss Universe broadcast, he would never interrupt by changing the channel. Even during commercial breaks and replays. He knows how devoted I am to the pageant.

During the time when we were financially struggling, he sold his collection of mechanical devices and portable gadgets so that I could pay for my school’s tuition until I finished.

When I decided to lengthen my hair, he did not disapproved of it.
He told me not to get any piercing though.

The first time I wore a small feminine tee, his only reaction was, “your t-shirt is too small”. It was his way of disapproving my choice of wardrobe.
Eventually, he became lenient.
Once, he complimented me when I wore a white Kamiseta puff-sleeved blouse with pleating details in the front, “you look good and clean in white”. I was so overwhelmed I wore white all the time for three straight years.

The last time we attended a family reunion (his side), I was sporting a high ponytail and I wore the same white top and flared jeans.
My father and I went from table to table and introduced me to my uncles and aunts,

“Oh, eto na ang pamangkin niyo”, with a grin in his face.

I knew he was proud of me.

I have never said “I love you” to him in person. Too dyahe to say it but God knows how much I and my siblings love him.

I have hugged him just once but I’ve always wanted to hug him everytime I would leave home.

Maybe I’ll do it this Sunday, June 21st.



Happy Fathers’ Day Daddy.