2 Chapter 2: The Weekends

I wake up around 6am, school is about 7:30am, and my Dad gives me 1 peso for my lunch money. "Don't spend all your money on gums Rob", my dad always say. Geez, 1 peso? That is around 1986 so yes, 1 peso at that time can buy me a bread and some candies as well. Anyway, when I was about 7 or 8yrs old, I can already play some tunes without looking at my piano notes. And you could say that at that age, I'm into showboating a lot. I'm a cocky boy. I love to go to our music room which has a piano, and just play Ballad por Adeline (my school mates know this song because of the popular tv show "Lovingly yours, Helen") and some other tunes I now remember playing even without a piano piece. I love when they clap and cheer afterwards. It's like I love the attention given to me.

During weekends, Mom would visit us and stay with us for a night or 2, depending on the situation. It is one of my favorite days cause I would be able to see my mom and dad at the same time even though they don't talk to each other. Mom would bring us some candies and food and will tell us that someday we will be together everyday. Sometimes she will fetch us and go to Manila for a quick weekend stay at her place (Manila is about 2hrs travel from Bulacan) and have a great time. That was our routine for the next couple of years.

Aside from Don, I have also Steve, my best friend, to hang around with. We are of the same age and Steve was my classmate from 1st to 5th grade. Oh we love playing different outdoor games, which are very popular during those days. And of course, we played basketball until sunset and it was the game that truly bonded us together. We will not go home until we are dirty enough to make our parents cry. We also met more friends along the way and they were all our childhood friends. Those were the good days where every kid on our neighborhood are all friends and knows each other well. Even our familes know each other.

Last 2018, I decided to remove my Facebook account. I just couldn't handle anymore seeing all my friends' status, how they become very successful, what did they do to having a great life, and enjoying themselves. I'm not jealous, I just don't want them to see what happened to me. Maybe I'm jealous. Whatever. I'm not really fond of having so little to none attention in my life. Ever.

The Beerbellies Band. The best rock band the Philippines never heard of. That was my band. After high school, John and George decided to put up a rock band and I was invited. They were my school mates and damn, they were so good. I've never seen such talented guitar players and the way they play lead guitars, man they were special. I was still a keyboard/piano player during highschool and could sing some tunes but I never played Bass guitar yet. But since we couldn't locate any good bass player, and since I could also play some accoustic guitars and my background as a piano player might be useful, I said I'll play the bass. I'm that confident with myself. Weekends were a blast during rehearsals. We're jamming, rocking, and having such wonderful time. This was the best years of my life. Or so I thought...

Back in 1989, i was on my 5th grade, me and my sister, Alice, were asked by our parents to come to a local attorney for a brief questioning. I forgot the place exactly but I still remember what happened. The attorney asked us whom we would like to stay with. My Mom or my Dad. What? I was really having a great time with my Dad in Bulacan. I have great friends there, my school crush is now a friend of mine, and I also have a circumsition schedule in the summer. I dont know what happened, I said I will go with Mom. My sister chose Dad. She was only 5 or 6yrs old that time. We were just kids being asked something unfair. Can we choose both instead?