Against All Odds,Granny Eying
She was born on March 29, 1933
in a remote area, near the open shores of Lala, Lanao del Norte to a striving
couple. She didn’t know where her mother got her name but out of curiosity, it
was of German origin and it meant famed and shining. In her younger years
according to folks, she was famous in doing lead roles in a musicale show in
the locale and other neighboring places.
In her love story, her powerful and
siren-toned voice lured the thirty-two
years old widower who happened to witness one of her plays. She was sixteen
year-old then. In her tales to her
grandchildren, she told them from that time on, Francisco never lost sight of
her which made the young children burst into laughter. In almost all of her
songs, Francisco accompanied her with his peculiar stroke of playing the guitar
and soothing musical blending. His very manly figure attracted her much, though
he was almost twice of her age. Ricardo,
her father, had high hopes and dreams of her being the eldest of the eight siblings, so he got his long heavy
cutter to drive off her suitor but she went away with him. They eloped for
quite a long time.
They went back to her hometown after giving birth to Gabriel, the eldest
of her children. The first grandchild made
the arms of her parents embraced them
with a joy of welcoming. They started to build a home for a big family.
Lucio came blissfully to the family. Then Gloria, Alijandro, Francisco
Jr.,Rufino, Adolfo, and Judith had their
historical entrances to the family stage where she and her husband bitterly
played. Gabriel at fourteen ended his life due to severe diarrhea. At a young
age, losing the first-born was metaphorically a loss of herself. She had little
knowledge of household responsibility,
but seeing her children she thought that there was a great role to perform. At
times, she could even make little grudges with her stepchildren who were of or
almost her age.
Francisco tried to make a living out
of the mean catch from his net fishing.
She then sold a pail or two of a variety
of fishes in the neighbourhood. The family moved from place to place searching
for a better life from fishing , farming, and other small businesses. Migration
made the children lost the opportunity to go to school. She could vividly trace
an account upon his arrival from selling fish and some root crops, their house
was flamed into ashes. She then searched her brood and found them in her
neighbors’ keeping. The boys were just primary graders, Gloria had her seventh
grade, only Judith pursued and finished college. She brought them to Sunday
church but none of them followed her affiliation.
Almost every night
before resting, Francisco would then get his guitar. Upon hearing the strums,
her children gathered around as she beckoned them to join in the family’s
recital. Until her children grew up and had families of their own, music kept
them intact. She was proud that all of her offspring grew up with the passion
in singing, genetically from her veins. The boys were passionate also in
basketball. She could still trace an instance where she almost slap the face of
a fan over a mockery while watching a championship game. Whenever there was a
gathering in their simple abode, Francisco Jr. would lead his siblings to sing
their favorites. She sang soberly on Francisco’s wake with their theme song
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. Her husband died at eighty of severe pneumonia,
since at old age he still made sacrifices out of a miserable life. He was
well-remembered by his line, ”Those who sacrifice and persevere shall be
saved.” He got his wisdom from his reading in their church weekly pamphlets and
magazines about the church doctrines.
Even when her
children were already married, mostly when they became weary, they would come
to her house and stay overnight for a
motherly care she could only offer to them. When the wife of Junior left him for another man, she held her
tightly in her arms and willingly adopted his children in her home. They stayed
together until the last breath of her guitar
man son. She kept herself busy until old age. She wove palm leaves for roof thatch,
made broomsticks, did some preaching, jammed with her grandchildren in their
karaoke jams, and most of all, watched(babysitting) over the little ones.
Granny Eying, as people
are fond of calling her is now enjoying her 85 years. On a toss of a medicinal
wine, she loves to jam classic, folk, mellow, pop music with her twenty six
grandchildren and the fast growing number of grand and great grand stepchildren.
She remains a lively talker, an efficient palm weaver, a tuba(fermented from
coco juice) drinker, a careful nanny, and a legendary singer of her time.
