It was one of those nights when I was still up with my uncles. All four of them were already intoxicated with alcohol and I was busy munching on an Ice cube. Uncle Ramon was pouring down a drink wen I remembered he had diabetes. "It's the only cure, hehe.. " He laughs while he tells me that alcohol was safe for diabetics, and he's had a ;pt. "I'm 52, I can't get sick can't stop working and beer is my only cure".. He smiles as he keeps drinking and all I can do is stare sleepily at him and hope he doesn't die of drunkenness.
I was getting really sleepy and I thought conversation would be the perfect thing to keep me up and awake. "How about your kids? Doesn't Pipoy work?" He looks at the bottle as if he was checking for dirt "Yes, he's working at PAL". Taking another Ice cub to munch on I asked him how much his son was earning "He doesn't earn anything at PAL." He replies. I looked at him with a puzzled look and asked " How can he not be earning anything at Philippine Airlines?", "Philippine Airlines? No, he work at PAL-Amunin hehe.." he chuckles on. Palamunin in our language means someone who doesn't work for food but just eats at home. "He used to work, but then he realized tht with or without working he'd still eat so maybe he thought, what was the use of both of us working? hehehe.." He laughs happily.
"You're very positive about it though.." i looked at him with a smile. " At my age you can't afford to be pessimistic, you could die, of stroke or heart attack or neighbors!", even his laughter couldn't wake my other two uncles from the soothing trance of intoxication. My fourth uncle was becoming sober, washing the dishes and not drinking too much was probably his way of avoiding hang-overs. The rain was calming down but through such a cold night i kept munching on ice like it was a hot summer afternoon. My uncle asked why I was doing that, he asked if I wanted to catch a cold. "Ice helps me keep awake, the cold atmosphere is making me sleepy and I still have to clean up after you guys are asleep here.." He looked at me and said "Wow, try eating fire when it's a hot night hehe..".
"Some people live without ever seeing the beauty of life because they're too scared to drink beer!" Amazingly, uncle Henry was serious. " Some people have kidney and liver problems man you can't dictate on that hehe.." uncle Marlon laughs at his own jokes while washing the dishes. Uncle Henry had just woken up and he seemed liked he was in strong belief that Beer was the source of happiness. After a few minutes of arguing with the rest of the guys on the table uncle henry decides to go home, even if it was raining. "Don't be such a sore loser, hehe, we have our own beliefs, hehe.." uncle Ramon took him by the shoulders and sat him back at the table.
I had a feeling I didn't even belong on the table, I thought it may have been better if I just sat inside the house and waited for them to finish drinking so I could clean up. "Want a good magic trick?" uncle Ramon asked me, although reluctant I agreed. "Watch me work and live everyday and you'll see a world class act, hehehe" he chuckles on. I can't recall exactly what I learned that night aside from being with a bunch of drunk old men being a bad idea. They may live a difficult life, but it's amazing how positive someone can be even when they're struggling or drunk enough.
