It was Christmas, and gifts had arrived from their Titos and Titas in Manila. The siblings were excited, hoping they might get a gift too.
"What are you all doing here?" asked their aunt, the eldest among their mother's siblings.
"Don't get your hopes up. There's nothing for you," replied the aunt.
It was sad to hear, but that's exactly what the aunt said.
"We're just watching, ma'am," answered Dianne, as the eldest sibling, taking responsibility for replying.
As the aunt said there were no gifts, another aunt, the youngest sibling of their mother, approached.
"Here, take this gift for yourselves!" she said, almost reluctantly, her tone sounding insulting.
Dianne happily accepted it. She was glad that, at the very least, they had gifts — some new clothes to wear.
"Come on, let's go home and see our gifts there," she said eagerly, even knowing they were probably second-hand. Her siblings followed her; she carried her youngest brother, who was about three years old. The other two held onto the clothes she carried — one was seven, the other five. Four siblings in total.
Who would have thought that despite their poverty, all of them would eventually finish school? By now, more siblings had been added, not just one, but six more. Ten siblings in total. It was almost unbelievable that all their parents survived, supported them, and even managed to send them to school.
She remembered when their mother was pregnant with the eighth child. She overheard two of her sisters talking while doing chores, and she was washing dishes.
"Ate, do you know the update?" said their third sibling, Joyce, now a teacher, talking to their second sister, Franie, now a pharmacist who owned three pharmacies in Bacolod — one in their town, one in a nearby town, and one in the city.
"What is it?" asked Franie.
"Mom's pregnant again! We have a new sibling," replied Joyce.
"What? Mom's pregnant again? How can that be? We already have so many of us!" said Franie.
Listening to them, Dianne pondered. She didn't know whether to feel sad or happy. Sad because the family would grow again, and she would have to endure whatever the aunts would say. Happy because it was a new blessing — another sibling.
The next day, while fetching water from the well near their house — which belonged to her maternal grandparents — one of her aunts approached. Their parents were from different towns, two hours apart by travel.
"Dianne, I heard your mom's pregnant again," said Aunt Sabel, the eldest sister of their mother.
"Yes, Auntie? Why?" asked Dianne.
"Dianne, please tell your mom to stop having children. You have too many already, and you can barely feed yourselves. Look at your clothes — all torn and worn. Don't your parents know better? So many of you!" said Aunt Sabel.
Dianne expected such harsh words from her aunt.
"Yes, I'll go home now," she replied, carrying the bucket of water.
"Tell your parents to stop having more kids, or next thing you know, you'll be sold off one by one to buy rice!" the aunt added.
Carrying the water, Dianne went home feeling like crying at her aunt's words. "How can Aunt Sabel say such things? Surely our parents don't think like that," she thought angrily.
It was late afternoon, so Dianne lit a lamp — they had no electricity, only a small oil lamp. Her mother had not returned yet from selling fish at the market. It would be evening before her mother got home after slow sales. Usually, Dianne accompanied her mother to the market, but today she didn't. She had come home at around 5:30 PM from a classmate's house for a group project. Her mother usually left for the market at 5 AM and again in the afternoon.
Her father had already gone fishing at sea and would eat there, bringing back only the leftovers. She was left alone at home. She cooked rice and put her one-year-old sibling to sleep. Then she planned to study for the next day's science exam.
It was funny to think that even with her voice so plain, she had to sing to put her little sibling to sleep while lying in a homemade hammock. Once the child was asleep, she grabbed her science notebook and studied. Despite the dim lamp light, she persevered, knowing they were running low on fuel for the lamp, which she hadn't bought yet because her mother hadn't returned.
Soon, she heard her mother's voice saying she had bought ingredients for dinner since the fish sold out. "Thank goodness! At least we can cook something else," she thought. Usually, they could only buy rice and cook it after her mother sold fish at the market. Any leftover fish would be sold the next morning with ice to preserve it.
After dinner was ready, the siblings ate together with their mother, while their father was still at sea.
As they sat, their mother repeated stories of her childhood — how she didn't finish school because her parents, especially her mother, loved gambling and often hurt and scolded her. It explained why she often argued with her mother since she was young. Even now, it was apparent — their aunts often insulted them too. Dianne thought as she listened.
"So as long as your father and I can, you must study hard. Education is the only inheritance we can give you — a good future. We are poor, but the wealth of knowledge will never be stolen, and it will stay with you as you grow," her mother repeated, words she had said countless times.
After eating, the siblings studied their notebooks or did assignments. Even if she had studied earlier, Dianne reviewed other subjects to be prepared for any impromptu exams. Then she lay down to sleep, as she always pondered before bed, thinking about their situation and her mother's words. Each night, she promised herself she would finish school no matter the hardships. Once she graduated, she would find a good job to help her parents and ensure her siblings could finish school. This promise repeated in her mind every night.
—–
"I don't know why, but I suddenly became curious about him. He's wearing light blue denim, fitted pants, and high-cut shoes, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. I know he is handsome."