Strangers in Sweet Disarray

Prologue

The sounds echo throughout the car, and they're all singing along. Ngayon ko lang pinagsisihan na sa sasakyan ako ng mga adults sumakay, it's because of the chismis pero hindi ko naman alam na wala naman pala akong mapapala rito. Kahit naka headphone ako ay rinig na rinig ko pa rin ang hagikgikan nila.

I'm with Mom, Dad, Dad's twin sister — Tita Karen, and his husband— Tito Zeke. My brothers and our boy cousins are all in the other car, so when they asked who would voluntarily go with the adults, I automatically raised my hand.

Well, I don't regret it but I don't love it either.

I could not help but be in awe of the stunning panorama that unveiled itself before us as our car wound its way through the ideal countryside that defined our Dad's hometown—a breathtaking blend of Jeju Island's calm beauty and Ilocos Norte's raw charm. Rolling green hills gave way to wide meadows, while high cliffs framed the blue waves of the neighbouring sea.

"Welcome to Avillero!" Sabay na sigaw ni Tita Karen at ni Dad.

Their faces glowed warmly with memories as they looked out the windows with looks of genuine joy. Their eyes gleamed with nostalgia for gone times, and they shared recollections of their youth spent in our hometown's breathtaking scenery while pointing out well-known locations.

"Ang ganda diba?" Mom asked me habang tinuturo ang napakalawak na beach sa harapan namin. Mom took a picture of Dad's reaction.

"I love the calmness of it Mom, hindi tulad sa atin na sobrang ingay." Sagot ko naman dito.

However, I felt a wave of uncertainty as I saw them. Moving there? The thought of leaving behind the familiarity of our existing lifestyle for a place that I had only ever heard about in pictures and stories seemed absurd to me. To put it mildly, the idea of uprooting our life and beginning again in this beautiful but strange place sounded overwhelming.

However, as I kept witnessing my relatives' contagious happiness and excitement, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement and curiosity rising inside of me. Their hometown might have had a certain something special about it, something that promised fresh experiences and hidden gems. And I couldn't get rid of the impression that our journey was only getting started as we continued to drive, the scenery opening up in front of us like a blank canvas ready to be explored.

"I've been seeing this place in Tita Karen's photo album, but I never really knew it would be so beautiful like this personally." I told them.

"People here are also great Sem, and also yung school. Apat ang universities dito and ibat-iba sila ng focus kaya hindi ka talaga mahihirapan pumili." Dad told me kaya tumango-tango naman.

They told me na kapag nakakita ako ng dagat sign na daw na malapit na yung bahay namin, they actually bought a land here ten years ago. Bata palang kami ay plano na talaga nilang magmove here after building a house.

"Are the Riofloridos also going here right now Karen?" Dad asked Tita Karen and she just nodded.

"I think yung mag-asawang Rioflorido lang pupunta rito, their children are actually very busy with some things in Mindanao. I heard some of them are running some businesses, kaya baka sumunod nalang sila." Mom told us.

Ganito ang gusto kong topic, yung may makukuha akong chismis.

In my whole life, I memorized their high school journey because every single time Dad and his twin sister, Tita Karen, would talk about the old times together. They're always bragging about their hometown and their squad from back in the day.

That's the story where I heard the surnames Dela Vega and Rioflorido, too. They said the Dela Vegas, Riofloridos, and Silva, which is our surname, were definitely the most popular circle of friends back then. It was usually composed of three boys, but Tita Karen got part of it because she is my dad's twin.