The night my Tita Loleng passed away, me and her grandson, Immanuel, were talking about death and coffins while waiting for his lola's remains get picked up by the funeral service. After talking about how he thought it would be cool to have a coffin with a varnished wood finish (like the ones in 6 feet under) and having his guitar with him when he died, he casually asked me a question that honestly made me think (considering it was only a couple of hours after his lola died).
"Ano kaya ginagawa ni lola ngayon?"
I couldn't think of a really good answer except to share the story of "the five people you meet in heaven" by Mitch Albom.
That night, when Mama and I went home, I couldn't sleep. First, because I was worried about Mama feeling so down. 2 sisters dying on the same year was really too much for her and her feeling overwhelmed at the fact that there were 10 of them, brothers and sisters and, now, there are only 2 of them, the eldest sibling who's 90 in Davao, and her, the 9th.
But the other thing that couldn't make me sleep that night was Imman's question. What was she doing right that very minute? Was she in heaven already?
The day after she died was Tito Nand's birthday, hers & mama's brother. And an idea struck me. Tito Nand was gonna have a birthday party in heaven and he had to have Tita Loleng over to supervise the cooking.
All the memories about Tita Loleng's cooking flooded me that night. When she was younger, she was a cook at the then Ramada Hotel and Manila Midtown Hotel. She even had the chance to cook for the Sultan in Brunei.
She was the one who introduced me to pickles and had me falling in love with them. When I was still a kid I'd go to their house in Cainta and, oftentimes, whenever she had a bottle of those preserved pickles, she'd open a jar for us kids and let us take one each. I'd always have a second helping if I could!
I remember the first time I tasted her home-made chicken curry. It was so yummy! I don't think I've ever tasted chicken curry as good as the one she made. So, for everytime she made chicken curry, she made sure I had some. I'll miss that chicken curry.
Family reunions (and birthdays) of the Marquez clan were never complete without her Arroz Valenciana. I think I knew her Arroz Valenciana ever since I celebrated my first birthday! And if she wasn't around to cook it, it would be Marie, my cousin & her eldest daughter, Mama or Tito Duard to substitute. Ok, now, I'm beginning to miss Tito Duard's dinuguan too... Hay...
Anyone's birthday was always special for Tita Loleng. And she likes baking birthday cakes. I remember she would bake me a birthday cake even if I didn't have a party. She didn't mind. For her, birthdays only come once a year and it has to be special. And it won't be special without a birthday cake.
And the best memory of all was her coffee. Yes, I had a first hand experience of home-roasting coffee through her. Since she lived nearby (yeah, like, next door), I would always know whenever she roasted her special blend of coffee beans because of its wonderful aroma.
I remember watching her as she roasted those coffee beans and I'd be so engrossed at the popping and the smell of the roast I didn't mind being so near the very hot "kalan". And then she'd ask us kids to help her put the roasted beans in brown paper bags to give away. Now, I regret not remembering when I last tasted her coffee.
Oh, there's so much to remember about Tita Loleng. Her stories of her travel, about the Sultan of Brunei, about the celebrities she's seen at the hotel she worked in. How even on weekdays I would hear old Spanish songs being played on the radio because she would play it loud and sing along with it and the day would seem like Sunday afternoon siesta time. How she loved family reunions (which often happened on my birthday). How she loved going to Divisoria (oftentimes & lately, accompanied by Mama). How she always thought I looked like a flight stewardess in PAL and would convince me to apply as one. I would've, if not for my poor eyesight.
I fell asleep at dawn with a vision in my head. 8 of my Mama's siblings, all busy doing their thing for the day's party. Tito Boy bugging them to give him coffee. Tito Duard preparing to cook dinuguan. Tito Beng preparing the 'lutuan'. Tita Ched fixing the hapag-kainan. Tito Nand and Tita Inda singing heartily at them. Tita Lyd prettifying herself for the party. And Tita Loleng cooking up a feast.
God waited 88 years to have one of His best cooks come back home. I can just imagine her homecoming party...
(Tita Loleng and Immanuel when he was just a year old. Picture taken while on a ship going to Davao)
