Don't Tell My Mother by Brigitte Bautista

Author:Brigitte Bautista [Bautista, Brigitte]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9786214201846
Publisher: Anvil Publishing
Published: 2017-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

MAMA WORKED ON a holiday to have me. Labor Day of 1996, while the rest of the world took a break, Mama labored to bring me to life. I was difficult, she said. It took a doctor’s ultimatum – I must emerge from the womb before midnight or it was a CS for Mama – to smoke me out. After that, Mama stayed at home but never stopped working. Most mothers hammered talents into their children. They spent a fortune on piano lessons, sports camps and art classes, just to wring out a prodigious skill that isn’t there. Mama was different. She didn’t care about these things. All that mattered is that I was a Christian woman, a servant of God. Bonus if I become a missionary. Our family routine was built with care to serve this purpose.

Back when smartphones weren’t the end-all-be-all they are now, we kept ourselves preoccupied by listening to praise music on the radio. Mama said TV was the Devil’s playground and kept viewing hours to a minimum. Only Dada was allowed to watch as long as he wanted because 1) he needs to relax his mind after work and 2) he is the head of the family. 1 was totally understandable but 2, well, we all know that wasn’t the case.

Mama only allowed me to watch TV on specific times of day. These coincided with Fatima Ocampo’s daily reflections (morning) and The Christian Channel’s Conversations with God (after dinner). Conversations with God was about people sharing their moment of epiphany, how God revealed Himself to them and turned them away from a life of sin. My favorite was of a former starlet who was the queen of adult films back in the day. She suffered an existential crisis while shooting a scene naked. I think Mama secretly considered starring in an adult film, just so she could have her own episode of Conversations. One time, the show ended with a call for submissions. ‘Tell us your stories,’ the TV said. Mama scrambled for pen and paper like a schoolgirl arriving late to class right smack into a pop quiz.

Mama also stressed the importance of waking up early and starting the day with prayer. The call time during school days was 5:30AM. On weekends and vacation, I get an extra half-hour of sleep. We pray in the garden, Dada and I standing behind while Mama knelt and bowed her head. Mama believes the Lord puts priority on prayers from the humbled and bowed. So, she always kneels when praying. The family prayer is short. Each of us takes turns thanking the Lord for another day and praying for His will be done today. Mama stays a little longer for her own practice of prayer and meditation. Right about the time she prays for the sick, I start setting the table. I used to wait for her to make breakfast. But, when I learned how to cook, I took the task upon myself. During breakfast, we listened to Fatima read the Scripture of the Day in a voice fit for angels.

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