Inflicted Amnesia

i was on my way back to the city one tuesday morning.
while waiting for other passengers, i saw this frail looking old man
with another man at my age, who i believed was his son..
the young man was walking ahead, towards the van,
while the old man was catching up..

i thought both were going to get into the van,
when the old man said, "bye-bye na nak ha…"
that means "bye-bye my son" in our dialect..
he spoke with teary eyes and a shaking voice..
i was sitting near the door so i didnt miss those heartfelt words
that went unanswered..

curiously, i looked behind to see the young man..
mid-20's.. with big black stud earrings on his ears, and long grown goatie..
and embarrassment written all over his face..

his tatay (father), outside, was waving his hand, wearing short-sleeved barong
and a faded cap, said "adto nako nak ha.." trying to talk to his son
who was inside the van and who did not seem to hear anything..

honoring our parents does not stop even when we get older..
i cannot imagine myself years from now,
being accompanied with my dad, when he would not have much energy to do so, and just ignore his presence..

the world is changing fast, and we do our best to be accustomed to what's new..
but that does not mean we can take for granted what we already have..
because after all, when all else fails, the ppl who love us that we seem to forget,
will always be there to get us up..