Mga Istoryang Sinauna: My Dear Cousin

This is about my dear cousin -- itago na lang natin sya sa pangalang Marianna. She's the youngest among six. We're almost the same age, so kami lagi ang magkalaro, plus another cousin. I remember going to her house and raiding her older sisters' closet. We would try on their heels and bags -- feeling fashionista back when fashionista wasn't even a word.

Back then, sikat na sikat ang Ly-Na, kasi nakakakinis daw ng balat or something. Yes, or something.

Minsan may family gathering yata or excursion [excursion ang usong word para outing dati]; ewan ko ba, nun naisipan ni Marianna na i-try ang Ly-Na ng ate nya. Anyway, nung nagtatawag na ang puno-abala, ayaw lumabas ni Marianna. "Bakit ba ayaw mong lumabas dyan, Marianna?" Paglabas ni Marianna, we realized why. Magang-maga ang mukha nya where Ly-Na was applied, which was the entire face. Yung naturally oval nyang face, nagmukhang ensaymada. Hindi ordinaryong ensaymada, ha? Yung ensaymada na nabibili sa Eurobake. Yung malaki na may butter, cheese, and sugar toppings and ham slices sa loob. Apparently, may allergy sya sa Ly-Na. I don't remember anymore what happened after that. I'm assuming na hindi na sya nakasama sa excursion...

From leavesofgrace.blogspot.com

♥♥♥

Next story, tungkol pa rin kay Marianna. We attended the christening party of another cousin's first daughter. Marianna needed to pee, and we were directed to a covered latrine a distance away from the house where the party was being held.

The latrine looked a bit like this, but with a tent-like cover for privacy.

Marianna squatted to do her business, and while doing so, her wallet fell to the latrine. Parang may lamang limang piso yung wallet, which back then was a lot, especially for a little kid. I don't remember who came to help us, but he was one brave soul, for he fished out the wallet from the cesspool. Ewwwww...kadirs!!! Thankfully, the [stinky] liquid of the cesspool didn't seep into the wallet, and after washing, Marianna was able to retrieve her money.

Naalala ko lang ang istoryang ito kasi I read about a man and his mother dying when they tried to retrieve the new cell phone of the man's wife (story here).