Vera

Family here is noisy, messy, and sweet. It’s inescapable, endless, and sacred. Where we could, we gathered. A house, a beach, a farm of coconuts and pineapples and guavas, 7-Eleven, night markets, our Tatay’s home. We also paid our respects to Nanay and others who went before us. We talk fast, cook fast, eat fast. Logistics is tricky for a big family, so we have a steady stream of ins and outs at mealtimes, but always, always still together. Of course we took our time with karaoke, and loudly we sang, and still, restfully, others napped in the same living room. Stories overlap and sentences are interrupted not even halfway through, but everybody’s generous with their time, and everybody looks out for everybody else.