‘SISILIM Diosdado P. Macapagal, a great figure in Kapamy d letters, Was much involved in the growth of his native Wiens e literature litician. In hi: pofore He became a po in his short stot ir ili yses the epic ‘fiashbsck for the mutual recogaion rot ie bee oh ers, ending their more than sixty years of searching for cack other. Synopsis To the old man who sits at the other side of the bench which Lilia auone of the parks of the city, she narrates her long and sentimental re ma Only in the milieu of the third decade of the twentieth century it ee ee tate aay ee in choosing their daughter’s husband, where a young woman could be safe walking the streets alone the whole night, and where one’s pledge ‘binds her to its fulfill vant no matter what frustrations and heartaches it may entail A communication gap between the lovers — Lilia, the daughter of a ric family, and Carlos, her sweetheart, is the cause of their failure to elope in t! aiviyg of Lilia’s birthday on May 15. Carlos believes the news about Lili forthcoming marriage to a wealthy man chosen by her parents. Disheartene ‘Rice Lilies birthday, he leaves the town. Lilia, not wanting to marry a mans Goes not love, also escapes from home — thus begins her odyssey. (Excerpts) Il “Mfitulupa ta palad.” ngana ning matwang lalaking makatukluk a makiburi king salitang bisni ning kalukluka’na, Ngening peki- ramdaman ku ing bye yu, e yu naman During damdaman ing bye ko?” i id king mat- Dinatang ya ing anak a mepagal makyalung a tataid king m wang babaing migit nang walung pulung banwa twa. Minimpis la ring taung sasangap king angin ning aplaya. “Tara pu, muli tana,” ngana ning anak. F ne pekiramdaman ning matwa in anak, “Bat ¢ ta dere daman ing bye yu?” ngana ing ‘mayna nang gamat pinulis ne king balamu makilwa nang mata146 EFFULGENCE AND EFFLORESCENCE 1921-1941 IV, kas mu king katandanan ku, Anti mo sinabi ku mekipalsinta ku naman, Pilsintan keng maruruk at bane! oer pieett masalapi la at mening kung Kaluha mune ulteg ing sinta Tate, RON matibe ring pusu mi tng daklat ning sinta mioney mit 'anam a pulung banwa: Depot asaita la king makuyad, Pablasang ing kapalsintan maralas milupalupa, dakal a kalupa King Kekayu. Mipalsinta kami naman ‘king metung. hardin, menagtal kung dakal a sampaga at binili ko king kandunga’na at ilang inulunan ku kanitang bengi inyang misimpaman kaming Tae eas ding batwin kapilan man at ala nang tumubung bulake RK une pawa na lang suksuk karing tanaman rung ating pang, Bulut kekami,” ° Davot pepainggulut ya, ine sinta mekad makanyan talaga; maglapo king katapatan nung susumpa, dapot mayna king kate. silan rung tutupad king keang pangaku. Anti mo ing asabi ku, ‘masalapi lang sapni at musmus kami: inya mekad Pialung na ku. Anti mo ikayu, mituldwanan keng tumakas misan a bengi at ya a ing tinuldu king kayaldawan, at ing kaladwa kung metumud Ja king ligaya; dapot mu, uling Kitan inyang akit ke ing larawa'ra-at ing mabilug a balen mak alu king pamalsinta mt kaylyan na ku. Inya inyang ume neng ssunikat ing aldo ning paryasawa ra a hayag mabilug 2 balen © Ku na agyung panayan a isunu naku king maynang kapahamakan at meko kung marayu, marayung marayu, ban ¢ ku na sangapen ing angin nang lesunan ning mipahamak. Pilan banwa itang ine Unolito ku king Kabisayan at mipayangga ku Mindanao, darayung pilit king anino tukituki kaku ning mepirait a Kapalsintan. Dakai ‘ku akilalarg dalaga; dapot ing legwan da sulu lang diedulik king sugatan kung katandanan: eku mewii uling ing pusu ku mengar! Jang kalubkuban; metwa ku, migkanlung king Ranwan ka ing maputirg uban, dapot ing pusu menatili yang matuling king keang Pangabalu at angga ngeni e ku biryan ing makyasawa,”” “Ing sinta mayunau yang diling sangkap ning bye agyamang ing kabigwan. Ing pait na lalasang mayumu, Ing katak- silan na magagawang mamu king malugud a kapatawaran. Pi taksila’na kung Lourdes, dapot rung kapilan na ku pigtaksilan Karin wart meging makaba yang silab tng pusu ku King kau na at pakamal kea. E na ku mekyasawa, uling pigtaksilan na ung mare Lourdes a mekad ngeni matigayang magkabyayan king sepupul ning pibandyan kambe ning piniti nang kalupa nang ee aku pakamalan kya rin at ing lalaking tapat king keang sri be ya malyaring makikasi king aliwa mung atin yang © mamaraa! an aliwang babai king pusu. King f em nbat wling atin na Kung waking pa ung kamatayan 10 er bukud @ makabie timan karing dime 0 tw n et piburulan ya ing Dapasikan kaku NG abi ki ing yee ge leone malar Kintan ming owns eee ena grok.” vi “Makalurus mu naman ing bye yu anti mo i * ing matwang babai kabang king mayna nang ae bey mga raison. Ing anak a malati matudtud ya king kandunga’na. E bubulad ing ‘matwang lalaki: at anti mo king kaluktuka’ 1a, ating pamigunam malamlam gogalo kilub nang kanwan, me! “Mako na ku,” gana ning matwang babai. “Ditidili tana mu, Dapot bayu rako dakwan, yarin itang pibusnyan ta la ring kekatang milabas, ipabalu ku na kekayu ing lubus a katutuwan at sabyan ke ing tune nang lagyung Claudio, Ing lagyu na Carlos.” Minatna ya king pangaduku na ing gugupung matwang lalaki at ngana: Nung makanyan ika i Lilia?” “Carlos!” “Lilial ” Lubus nang sisitim. Ing tindag ding kabaitbatt a batwin maka- andung king kikislap a dagat. King maputlang dalumdurn ming bayung Kkabengyan, mumuli- ya ing metung a makapatukud matwang babai a nandin tatayran nang minta king hardin balen ting metung a anak: rgeni king paruli na ¢ anak ing mamalale, mune metung yang matwang lalaki ut (“We have the same fate,” the old bench began. “Now that I have listened to the don't you want to listen to mine?” man sitting on the same story of your life, The child who guided the old lady returned, tired of playing: The people in the park became fewer. “Let’s go home,” she said.paid no attention to her, te life story?” she asked the peu ha eyes that seemed to have teary theokt by don't we list man ewok an Iv. remember it, Like I told you, I, too, fell in love. I loveg ash aaa, not because they were wealthy and] ut because love firmly held our hearts together, This a tinued for sixty years but all of it I can now recount feaing contre ores run similar plots, mine is similar to yours, is sr pals born ina garden. I picked many flowers after we pledged that the stars would stop twinkling, that thorns instead of Feears would appear on plants if either of us would break our Yow of love.” “But she violated our pledge. Love, perhaps, is really like that; * i overflows when Vows are made but it weakens with faithlessness, ‘As I have already mentioned, they were wealthy but we were poor; so perhaps to her I was just a plaything. Like you, we also agreed to elope on her next birthday, and my soul that loved her was overwhelmed with happiness, but because she accepted to marry the man chosen by her parents, one who like them was rich, what she promised me was all a pretense. I was suffocated with agony when I saw her picture and read about her coming marriage in the newspapers; I felt that the whole town that knew about our romance was laughing at me. So before the coming of the dawn of their wedding day, which was known by the whole town, when 1 could no longer endure the scorn heaped on my misery, I left the town and went far, far away that I may no longer breathe the poisonous air of the scorned. For many years, I wandered in the Visayas until I reached Mindanao, going farther away from the shadow of my cheated love that followed me everywhere I went. I met several maidens but their beauty was a light that burned my bleeding memory. I was not enticed by them for my heart was ~2 vacuum. 1 grew older, white hair covered my head but my heart remained mourning for my dead love, and up to now, I have not “Love is the sweetest ingredient of life although it is fearful ences Its bitterness is sweet. Its catey turns to wauveness. Lourdes deceived me, but with that my heart — re inflamed in its desire for her love. I did not marry permene, for although Lourdes deceived me, she who may now of her wealth and that of the equally rich man, INARRATIVE IN VERSE, SHORT STORY, NOVEL AND ESSAY still love“her and a man who is true to himself cannot marry another as long as there is another undying image in his heart. At my death, which shall not be far for I am now eighty-five years old, the only source of joy to my dying lips and which sustained me throughout the years — is the glory I might have found had Lourdes not deceived me.” Vy “Your life has also been a pitiful one like mine,” the old lady said while in her weak mind there awakened a feeling of regret. The child fell asleep on her lap. deeply. “1 am leaving,” the old lady said. “We are alone. But before going, after we have exchanged life stories, ‘I shall tell you the whole truth and the real name of Claudio. His name was Carlos.” The old man raised his head and said, “In that case, you are Lilia?” “Carlos!” “Lilia!” ‘Twilight had fully come, The sparkle of the newly born stars was reflected on the luminous sea. In the pale darkness of the early evening, the old lady who went to the town park aided by child now returned aided not by a child, but by an old man.) The old man remained silent; like his seatmate he meditated 149