Ang bahay ni Lola (Gary)

It was a laag (adventure?) I have been looking forward to these past months. And after several aborted plans we finally agreed to push through that laag.

Huh! As if I was talking about a tour to Europe. It was only in barangay Tejero, specifically in Gary Lao’s beloved home.

It was last Saturday when Gary, my gay friend/workmate, asked me if I wanted to go with him and Tina to his old mansion. As I told earlier this was a laag I’ve been looking forward to so I jumped at the opportunity before Gary could change his mind. Actually he almost did when he remembered he had not cleaned up the house. But heck! He knew how I loved old stuff. One time he showed me his aunt’s collection of stamps I could not take my eyes of them. And he gave me some of them and a few very old mailing envelopes that are now enshrined in my album of stamps. He also showed me his aunt’s friends’ directory circa 1962 (more or less).

Back to the laag. Just a few minutes from Colon, where our office is was Gary’s place.

Inside a populated area was his mansion. It was a two-storey 105-year-old Spanish-era house, which, Gary told me, was used as a “school” during the Japanese occupation. He inherited the house from his aunt, who died last year.

My tour was only up to the second floor since the lower part of the house was turned into an “apartment-for rent”. Nevertheless, I had a grand tour. I may be exaggerating but this is what I become when I talk of things I really love.

It was already dark and we were only three. Gary, by the way, is living alone in that huge house and I envy him for having such an environment-the old house with antique furnishings and displays.

His kusina (kitchen) was located at the rear portion of the house. And because his power supply in that area was temporarily cut off so we had to bring candles to light us there. Mind you, Gary was carrying candles with their old-as-time “crystal” candle-holder. Spooky!

There at his kitchen, with only a total of three candles to illuminate the entire place we cooked some food for dinner. It was really a feat. First, the light was limited. Second, there was no water from the faucet (bec his water tank only works in the morning when it’s full) so we had to use his water “reserve” (a true-blooded insik. That’s Gary!). And lastly, my talent in the kitchen is only eating. And because I was only limited to that I used garlic in cooking corned beef. I only remembered I was supposed to use onion when I tasted the food.

Minutes after, we had our sumptuous dinner of noodles, garlic-sautéed corned beef, bread (pandelicious!, which reminded me of San Joe’s canteen), fried chicken (from Gary’s ma, who lives just inside the compound) and coke (we had a big antique crystal water goblets each, except for Tina, who opted for the tumbler).

And while eating the ever-tihik (thrift) Gary said we were soooo fortunate he served us food when most of his visitors, if not all, left his house without his offering them snacks even if he never ran out of junk food, biscuits, etc. So Garyish!

He actually wanted us to bring food before we got to his house but we insisted we were his visitors so he had no choice but to “welcome” us.

After eating I proceeded to examining the contents of the many shelves in the living room. There were at least six of them. Most of which were filled with antique china wares: plates with “paintings”on them, cups and saucers, big dolls from different parts of the world, among others.

There were also two shelves displaying very old bottles of perfume. This was actually the part I was stuck, as most of the bottles were still full of the scented liquid. There were numerous Christian Dior in big and very tiny assorted bottles. I read familiar names. I opened some bottles and smelled their contents. Some still had scent but already faint.

At the bottom part of the shelf, where the bottles of perfume were displayed, was a case of lil coke bottles. Very little, I think 1 ½ inch tall. The wooden case was, of course, also sized to accommodate the lil softdrinks, of which content was already dried by time although there were still traces of the dark liquid.

At the opposite wall were two cabinets full of old toys, china dolls, small trinkets, figurines which dates back during the WWII, and many others.

Then I came across two gold-plated kucharitas (teaspoons). And guess what, Gary gave me the other one to my delight. The entire time last Sunday while watching TV I was grasping it. I’d have loved to post its picture I took using my phone but I’m still learning how to email an MMS.

There were actually so many little old things like the tiny bottles of perfume I wished to take home with me even without Gary’s consent but his great grandpa, the full-blooded Chinese, was staring at me. His portrait, already graying, was pinned near the door and he was like “hoy!” (yup! That’s Chinese too.) This picture, according to Gary, was discovered among piles of old photos in frames from one of the rooms in the house while he was cleaning the place after his aunt’s death. His family actually did not know who that Chinese-looking man in that photo was. It was Gary’s constant search for answers of his family background that led him to the discovery that that man was his father’s lolo. Sad!

There was no four-poster bed in any of the rooms. Gary told me those kinds of beds were taken by his relatives like what they did to some of the furniture.

Gary’s room, which used to be his aunt’s, was very huge. You could actually play tubig-tubig there. And like in the kitchen there was no lighting. There used to be a fluorescent lamp but a few months back it flared up while he was sleeping. Scared the same might occur again he never bothered to replace it and transferred his single bed to his sala.

It was so dark when we got inside his room. There were at least two big aparadors with life-sized mirrors in the room. I wonder how he manages to go about the place without knocking down some of the furniture or "other occupants" there.

I was really amazed at how vast Gary’s ancestors’ collection was. There was even a glass case full of empty chocolate boxes, softdrink cans, soap boxes (plum blossom, safeguard, etc), small scented soaps (still with soap bars inside) his aunts took home from hotels, and other stuff that when in disarray are trash. But they were uniquely arranged inside that glass case, another attraction to visitors.

I asked Gary if he would sell any of the items ‘cause I’m sure many collectors would pay a good price for most of the antiques he had there, but he said he never would. The house and everything inside it were his family’s, his past. Well, that’s one good thing about him and I’m very glad he’s keeping and taking care of the entire collection, which I would be visiting again soon. There was one abandoned room I still have to see. I’m excited!