Clemencia N. Quiban

A Great, Great Aunt!

Whenever my family went to Tarlac, my mom would take me to see her aunt and was told to call her Lola M (Lola means grandma). And "M" (sounds like a James Bond character) meant Minching which was Clemencia's nickname. Clemencia was my grandmother's older sister. She is the third child among four daughters.

I remember climbing the stairs to the second floor and by the door was an older lady with her husband on a wheelchair. You could hear her warm voice and saw her genuine smile as she welcomed us to her home. Their living room was facing F. Tañedo Street, which was the busiest street in Tarlac. It was also a great place to watch the parade during the town's fiesta. Next to her, was Lolo A (Lolo stands for grandpa) and "A" was short for Armando. Lolo A, as I would learned, was a WWII veteran and fought alongside the American Army where he lost a leg.

On the ground floor, was a Sari-Sari (convenience store) ran by Lola Fannie, Clemencia's older sister. She and husband Gerry lived there too.

And today's lunch was brought to you by the letters M and A.

Lola M would cheerfully tell me that she had prepared my favorite meat - SPAM. During lunch, she would tell stories and listen to yours as well but would barely eat anything. Lunch was just a reason to talk to us. Meanwhile, I was just happy to eat. The couple never had any children so she was living vicariously through family and friends who visited them.

After the meal, it was time for a game of chess with Lolo A. It was his favorite past time. He was good at it. Their bedroom had the convenience of what was considered modern back then: a colored TV, a ceiling fan, an air conditioning unit and conveniently located by their bedside, were buttons and switches that controlled the lights, the fan and a buzzer to call their maid Nympha. Those buttons and switches resembled those from James Bond's car. I used to think that one of those buttons will fire a missile or something.

Whenever we visited my grandparents during Christmastime, we would also see them. Lola M was my godmother from my confirmation. That's why I had a little extra during Christmas, or at least that's what she made me think.

A few years later, they moved to Fairlane Subdivision, where they had a two-bedroom bungalow built. I also found out that the house on F. Tañedo was my great grandparents and they had to sell it. The visits continued on in Fairlane. Throughout the years while I was growing up, I never saw her in a bad mood. She was always happy and excited to see us. She happily stood next to her husband as they grew old together.

Sometime in 1994, Lolo A passed away. Lolo M was not the same - she was still happy to see us, but you can sense she didn't have the same energy. I wasn't sure if it was old age, but I think it's mostly because of her husband's passing. She devoted all of her adult life caring for Lolo A and she was lost without him.

The last time I saw her was at Saint Luke's Hospital, there were bruise-like patches on her arms and she looked frail. My mom told me she was doing okay and responding to the treatment. Two weeks later, we got a call that Lola M had passed away.

Almost two decades now since she died, I came across Lola M's photo while I was creating the Memorial Site for my mom. Then I remembered, Lola M never had any kids. I think I should share her story too.

This story was brought to you by the Letter M who loved the Letter A.

You Mattered Lola M, you were a great, great aunt!