For my followers, no matter how few you are, I am so sorry for not being able to post on my blog the past week (or is it weeks?). Anyhow, since Father's Day is fast approaching, I deemed it appropriate to write a piece about fathers.
You may wonder, what prompted to write on the subject. Well, it's because I saw an old picture of my father and my lolo, which left me teary eyed because of missing my dear grandfather so much. Cousins and siblings who didn't have the opportunity to get to know Lolo Ipe like I did should envy me, as well as other family members who spent a great deal of time with lolo, just like me.
Crispin Gamboa Ocampo, or Ipe to people close to him, was a great man, in my opinion. I didn't know how he was as a father, a husband, a friend, or a brother - but he sure was a fun and loving grandfather to his grandchildren. That was an enough gauge for me.
He was strict, which was just normal, because he didn't want any harm done to us. I remember whenever I went to the store to buy candies, I would be startled to find him behind me, waiting for me to finish buying sweet treats. He was like a bodyguard. Whenever I missed the school bus trip (that I usually take), I would find him waiting for me 'sa kanto ng J. Ruiz', looking disappointed. He would lecture me, but that's all.
Lolo acts as Santa Claus every Christmas Day
My cousin Dennis receiving one of his Christmas gifts.
My fond memories of Lolo Ipe were mostly the ones that made me laugh. He was a really funny guy. He farts at strangers in the streets, and even tells them after, "umutot ka no?" Even if those scenarios embarrassed me back then, it was hard not to laugh. I imagine myself red from both embarrassment and laughter.
My lola, unlike my lolo, was more of the disciplinarian. She would often ask us to wash the dishes after eating. Once my lolo sees me doing the dishes, he would ask me to stop, and he would take over the said chore. When my lola saw what lolo did, she would get angry at lolo for spoiling us. What Lolo Ipe would do whenever Lola Chedeng catches him (because he often did that, doing things for his apos) was, he would motion for me to go back to the sink and do the dishes again, and tells lola, "sabi ko nga hugasan nya." Hahaha! Who could stay mad at a guy like that, right? I am actually (literally) laughing and crying right now.
I have one big regret in my life, and that's not spending a lot of time with him before he died. When he got sick, he told me at the hospital he will send lechon for my 18th birthday. I knew that it hurts for him to not attend my birthday, or not to be able to contribute for it. Lolo was always present during birthdays. Months passed, he got sicker, he became bedridden, almost catatonic, and it pained me seeing him like that, a man who was full of life - a man who I always thought would live to be a hundred. That was the reason why I would just peek at him from the bedroom door, instead of sitting beside him and talking to him.
A few days, up until the day he died, I was sick. I couldn't get up, but I tried with all my strength, so I could kiss his hand for the last time, before the funeral parlor guys take him. I cried so hard because I wanted so bad to show him my first set of grades (in college), I knew he'd be so proud.
Lolo Ipe was an extraordinary guy. He gives as much as he can, he visits his children and grandchildren even when they're far away, especially during birthdays. He was not expressive, he wouldn't tell you, "I love you, apo", or hugged us often back then, but through his actions and his sacrifices, I knew how much he loved his children and his grandchildren.
Me and my papa on my wedding day.
Now that my father is also a grandfather, he reminds me a lot about lolo, because they are very much alike. Just like Lolo Ipe, he puts himself first before others. He loves his grandchildren very much just like lolo, and my children, nephews, and niece - they are all lucky to experience the kind of love Lolo Ipe gave us through my Papa. It's almost the same, or even greater.
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