We went to visit Chikoy's doc yesterday for our long overdue immunization schedule. (Thank the government for yearend bonus! ) Based on our experience, it usually takes at least two hours of waiting time before getting served. And so the plan was we eat early lunch then head for the clinic.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one with a plan, flocks of mommies with children in tow came almost the same time as we did. There were already 28 early birds waiting to be served before us and the doc just got in!
A "Notable" Interruption
A drug company had this irritatingly creative way of promoting their products to the people in the waiting room: get a free balloon for every purchase of bundled vitamins! The balloons were in bright orange screaming "take me home! take me home!" A very, very good marketing strategy, I should say, resulting to kids in the room jumping up and about, whining and throwing tantrums pushing their guardians to buy whatever the reps were selling in order to get a balloon! Tskato na bala?
Lucky for them I wasn't around during their sales pitch, else I would have lashed out on them! Indirectly of course, with a little bit of sarcasm. Because I wasn't around, our nanny got a boink on the head after Chikoy hit him with his toy car as she made an alibi for not buying. A desperate act which ended in remorse, tears and sleep. Hehehe, and the nanny had to deal with it all by herself! (I'm so evil!)
Hate Talk
To break the ice, our seatmate engaged us in some hate-talk about how long they've been waiting to be served. They, Manang in green and boy in red, arrived before us and they were just as anxious to get things over and done with. Manang was already insinuating that the secretary was perhaps doing favors for some patients and making "singit" their names on the list, hence the long wait. I wasn't bothered by her remarks but just so to appease her, I went to the secretary, checked on her list, made sure that the checks were in chronological order and verbally noted that 8 patients more and it will be our turn with the doc. I then went back to my seat, told Manang about it and saw her relax a bit. Then the exchange of getting-to-know-you stuff. I wasn't really in the mood for a chat so I conveniently shoved the nanny to do the talking in our behalf. (Bwahahahaha, the devil in me!)
Toddler Talk
The kids started bonding too! Little boy in red, Paul, was guiding his Power Rangers toy in flight when he bumped into Chikoy with his Hummer and police car. "Transformers, Robots in disguise." Then Paul went, "Power Rangers, wachaaa!" Then they became instant friends.
From the little bonding time that the kids had, we learned a few things about Paul, he liked the color red, he's four years old, also in nursery and he like Power Rangers toys. He even told Chikoy, "Gusto mo dal-on ko di bwas ang akon na Mystic Force pakita ko sa imo?" As if makitanay pa sila pagkabwas!
Paul later grew weary of his Power Ranger toy, gave it to Manang and played with Chikoy's matchbox cars. They were so immersed in their play that for a fleeting moment I had my thoughts to myself and not to my son.
While Manang and the nanny was busy sharing stories I stated to eavesdrop at what the two little boys were talking about. Nothing really short of little boys and their toys until their conversation fell on the topic about their fathers. Chikoy shared with Paul that his papa bought him his toys and that he would be angry if he'd lose or break them. Then Paul blurted out a truth that I didn't expect to hear from a four year old boy, "akon ya papa patay na, gintiro siya. Ginlubong namon siya sa Banate." (my Papa is already dead, he was shot. We buried him in Banate) And he said that in a very matter-of-fact tone. Kibot man ko ba! The kid was talking about death as if it was just any other daily event, something adults can't normally do, not with all the emotional baggage that go with it. While I was busy processing my thoughts, Paul's name was called and they headed for the clinic. "Sin-o nagtiro sa papa ya?" (Who shot his papa?) Chikoy asked. "La ko kabalo, baby, " (I don't know, baby) I replied but my thoughts were already far away...
Anime Encounter
"Pikachu, ya, ya ya!" I was brought back to reality by the sight of this 10year-old boy doing some kungfu stunts in the middle of the room. He was then joined by another boy who shouted, "Power Rangers, Mystic Force, cha, ya, cha!" with matching hand movements. Then, behind him a smaller boy creeped in and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Zaido blue, raaaaaar!" poised with the claws ready to strike. Chikoy joined in, with his much rehearsed lines, "Optimus Prime, a-eee-ooo---aaaa!" Hence, the animefest began. Each kid saying the name of a character and executing some complicated kungfu step one after the other. Then came some sparring (but never hitting the other) then some chasing, running around, and shouting of more and more names from their favorite shows. I was laughing because the boy of 10 looked like the chubby guy in Kungfu Hustle and the little Zaido blue boy was like this little monster growling, following him around. Chikoy stopped chasing them after a few runs. A few more minutes and our name was called, we collected our things and headed for the clinic. The whole anime encounter came as a jolt of energy for the adults in the room. Mayo man kung bata ka, hapos maglingaw sang kaugalingon mo, maski mabinu-ang ka wala may masaway sa imo basta wala ka lang may masakit sa gina ubra mo, pero kung tigulang ka na kag mag amo-amo ka sadto, wala na, either nasup-ay ka na sang gutom or loose thread ka na gid ya daan.
Hay Salamat (?)
After a few minutes with the doc, our ordeal was finally over, Chikoy got his anti-typhoid shot, a jellyace snacker, sample meds for fever and a star on his shoulder as a diversionary tactic to get his attention away from the needle. All that for the good price of P1,400.00. Next month, HIB Booster naman. Hay.... tiligan-an na naman sang Gloria bonus. Sige lang a, kung sa salakyan pa, preventive maintenance! Better safe than sorry!
When he saw her, he just knew - he'll marry her someday.
While answering the exercises I prepared for him in anticipation for his final exam.
