IN Brown

Guerilla top, rose print skirt, guess gold stilettos, kfc hot and spicy, and What Is Insular In The Anti-Academe And Anti-Realist

I am asked by sister for a mother, “Would you like to come?”

I am told that Ate Diday--- nursemaid, widow, mother--- will be a bride once more this April. She says that Ate Diday had asked, If your Dad would be here, I would like him to walk me down the aisle to give me away. If not, the Junior would do.

I nod my consent, “That is just right.”

I add, “I was there on her first wedding you know.”

“Really?”

I nod again, A long time ago, I was in elementary, I even remember what I wore and I leave for work.

Work:

I say, “I want to see how you teach grammar first so that we know what you need to adjust in your approach.”

He says, “I want to see how you teach it so that I would know how.”

I laugh, Dude, it’s quantum physics, I swear.

He says I speak as I think--- clear, direct, fast--- “Amazing” he says after he watched me teach.

I sigh, “Time-bound goals hence the economy in troubleshooting. Been listening to them for the past three days, found out which were the dominant errors in the syntax. It’s the same problem I’ve been encountering for the past five years: plural form of nouns, pronoun usage, prepositions, verb tense and subject-verb agreement. Correct those.”

To untangle the intricacies of grammar, to smooth knots of years off language in just four hours: I smile to these “Ah!”, emptied, replete (and my womb continues to claw me). After, more hours for two visits in the world of words: one for the real and the other for the academic to be made real.

I say before I leave for the visits, “By the way, if you can come and check out that book launch of an anthology about Philippine Dragons. That is if you’re not going to tattoo anyone by then. Guess who was in his story?”

He asks, “Who?”

I say, “The protagonist is called Johnny Tato.”

He laughs, “You should invite Johnny then!”

I laugh, “By God! I wonder what Ma has to say about him!”

He laughs, “And she thought then that I was a criminal because of my tattoos.”

I laugh, “Old school. She couldn’t believe you were a professor.”

He says, “I miss teaching in the Academe.”

You didn’t fucking care when you were in the Academe.

I snort, “You don’t. You’re not challenged enough. You’ve had enough so you went where you think people really need your help. Otherwise why are you here, hmmm?”