Luis

My son, my 6-footer son, turned 17 today. I did not have a camera with me this evening, but my heart took a picture. There are moments in one's life that just cannot be captured by a two dimensional image. That moment happened this evening while we were walking towards the car in the parking lot in Greenhills, after his birthday dinner. It was raining in a very 'nostalgic' sort of way - pa ambon ambon - there was Nikki happily chatting away, there was Luis in the center holding the umbrella with his right hand, his left arm resting protectively around his sister's shoulders..and there was me on his right, clutching on to his elbow, my head leaning lazily on his shoulder. And the three of us were just walking in the rain bound to each other this way, walking slowly towards the car. I felt an incredible sense of peace and that breathless sort of feeling you feel when you're half happy half scared... scared because the moment seemed to be too perfect. We reached the car, and even the car became incredibly beautiful too in our eyes.. with all its bumps and dents and 'character' it had become a part of our lives. And when Luis turned to me with his smiling eyes and said thank you for his birthday... the very simple (and cheap) dinner at Luk Yuen which was all I could afford this year - of congee and siomai and fried pancit..and when he said those were all his favorite dishes ever since he was a kid .. and I could see how sincere and how happy he was...and I could actually feel the love - BAM!! My heart took a picture.