Everybody who knows me knows that I’m a certified Papa’s Girl. It’s a thin line between stuff like being a unica hija, a favorite daughter (as if there was a choice back then) and a spoiled brat. I enjoyed every minute of it and I still do. You can never be too old to be a papa’s girl, I always tell them. Ever since I was young, Papa calls me his Princess. Many people who hears about it find it sweet and for the record, I love hearing my dad call me that. It makes me feel special and really loved.
So back to my dad, I just want to declare that my dad’s the best father in the whole wide world. When we were kids, we would get all excited waiting for him to come home from work. He would bring “pasalubongs” like Nagaraya peanuts, those four flavors in one pack. We each (including Faye) would get one each. Faye would always get the natural flavor because she was too young to choose and I would always get the saltiest flavor. Sometimes he would bring us a pack of Rainbow Bright Gelatin which we would also divide equally among us. So we’d get like 4 pieces each. And on a very nice night, it would be Jollibee spaghetti for all of us.
Being the only girl, it is given that Papa would be very protective of me. But he never got to the point that he makes pakialam especially in my love life. He lets me learn my lesson on my own. Of course, there are these advices (solicited and not solicited) like I should never marry somebody I am not passionately in love with. And there are deadma moments to the guys he doesn’t like for me (actually, he only disliked one guy out of all of my then boyfriends). He just wants the best for me, I know. And I also know for fathers, there will be no perfect guy for their daughter. The first time I had my heart broken, I didn’t tell him. He might have noticed (well, me not eating and the puffy eyes might gave me away) because out of the blue he asked me if I wanted to go to Hong Kong for a weekend so that I could cheer up. I was too depressed so I said no but I’ll never forget that super sweet gesture. During one of our heart to heart talks, he told me he doesn’t worry about me when it comes to love and I shouldn’t worry too because if in case it wouldn’t work out with my man, he would always be there to take care of me.
He’s also really supportive of me even when we were kids. If he wasn’t working abroad, he would make sure that he would spend time with us. Papa would take us out to adventures. From the Laguna overnight outings to the “hiking-picnics” at the off limit parts near the airport (behind the wall of the Access Road in Moonwalk). He would be more lenient than Mama (who’s forever a worrywart) therefore we get to have more fun when we are with him.
Papa took us around the world when we were young. I hated leaving the country back then because it would mean less time for volleyball and my friends but now if only I could only turn back time, I would cherish every moment that we spent together. It’s not everyday you walk around Venice at 2am looking for a open hotel, or running after a train and getting stuck in between cabins in Italy or, having lunch with Mickey Mouse cookie dessert in Disneyland Paris. Well, we have more than dozens of pictures to relive those times. Papa is a photo enthusiast. When digital camera was not yet in before, he would carry around his old school “high tech” camera (with the famous tripod) and would force all three of us to pose (in line, side by side) in front of all the tourist spots. It was out of duty back then but when we got older, we laugh till our sides hurt whenever we see our dorky faces in those pictures and of course the pride that in such a young age, we have gone to places other people can just imagine.
My dad saw all of us through college. It wasn’t easy. We hit the lows when he was forced to retire from PAL. But we got through it. Again I am thankful for my dad.
One of my most treasured moments with my dad was when I went to spend more than 4 months in Amsterdam last 2004. That was the longest time I have spent with him since he went abroad to work. We made “chismisan” everyday, ate Chinese takeout food (neither of us cooks so we don’t have anything for dinner), went to parties, and took a walk in the beach at Den Haag. We learned new things about each other and he got to know the grown up me (with sayad of course hehe). I remembered him lecturing me about laundry coz after I washed my clothes it all turned pink. I got pissed also because I followed his instructions: separate the colored from the whites. Maybe he got angry because he would need to buy me new clothes ‘coz mine got ruined. Anyways, I was also so happy because it was the time when he actually watched me play volleyball. It was also there where I saw how he worked really hard for us. He leaves the office at the average 10pm almost everyday. I also saw that our kababayans there really respect him and have only good words for him. I am only too proud to be known to be his daughter.
Papa saw us through college. He worked very hard for us to have good, nay, excellent education while providing us with more than what he really needs to. He is a very patient man. He puts his children first before himself. He taught me to always be nice to people no matter their stature in life. He goes to church often and always tells us to pray. And aside from his smile, I think I inherited his Mr. Friendship attitude. With all these, I came into a conclusion that a man that would deserve me must measure up to the one man I look up to all my life… my Dad..
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