no superman part 1

the elderly couple lolo heny and lola felicing are our quasi-relative, friendly neighbors. they have always been here for us, acting like boy ang girl scouts. we don't even have to ask for their help 'cause their hands are just there always extended by default. all we need to do is grab them.

lolo heny has always been our landscape artist. naks. that simply means he takes care of the plants surrounding our house. he loves plants and flowers and it is his pleasure to arrange and take care of our plants. everything is lush and pretty. oh, he does this knowing he gets nothing in return - nothing but sheer bliss that is the product of his tending to green life.

growing old means certain body parts will eventually fail to function as expected. for lolo heny's case, his gall bladder (if i remember it right) is failing. he was rushed to the hospital for an operation that almost took his life. thank God he's now getting well in his daughter's house in muntinlupa.

it was here that we visited him last sunday, and what i saw devastated me. the usual upbeat, mestizo lolo heny is now so thin. there's a tube that's connected to his stomach that secretes the bile. he manages to walk, but it is very evident that it's not easy for him. top it all with words that signify he's almost giving up. he said hirap na hirap na sya. and i'm not used to hearing pessimistic words from him.

when somebody is constantly there, you don't notice that they're just people who are also subject to wear and tear, that they get weak over time, and that no matter how wonderful and great their souls are, they're no superman at all. that's what makes us human after all. we bleed, we cry, we learn to say good bye, and we adapt once we are left behind - no matter how painful the whole process is.