Stories from a Guy

Yesterday, I tagged along to the Chinese Cemetery.

My mother and her sisters or more known to me as my aunties, went to the Chinese Cemetery yesterday to visit their grandfather and other relatives. So, I went there to visit my great grandfather, beside him were his two wives. At the mausoleum, my great uncle and another great uncle plus his wife also resided there. (Sofia's grand parents)

I brought a book with me to kill boredom but then I didn't get to read that much there. Of course folding paper money was a sure job for whenever we visit the mausoleums of our dearly departed and my mother began telling stories of the old people. LOL. 

My great grandfather had a total of three wives. He was born 1892 and yes, his surname was 'Guy'. He first went to the Philippines when he was 14 and when he made enough money, he sent for his other brothers in China to go to the Philippines as well. 

There's a story about one of my great grandfather's brothers, it's about his landing here in the Philippines. He was a carrying a bottle and when my great grandfather saw him with that bottle, he thought maybe it was ginseng or some expensive Chinese herb he preserved and treasured; after all he brought the bottle with him all the way from China to the Philippines only for my great grandfather to find out that it was a bottle of soy sauce. His brother was so thrifty that when he was already rich and able he would not ride cars to go to places. He would wear slippers and walk on his way while his son rode a Mercedes Benz. One day one of my great aunt's saw him and thought he was a beggar because he wore slippers and walked, he's that thrifty.

My great grandmother was also there, and I wasn't able to find out how old she was because they didn't know as well. My mother has this burnt scar from way back when she was a kid all over her right elbow. It was only when I first visited that place that I found out my great grandmother was responsible for that scar. She accidentally tipped the pot full of hot water that was poured all over my mother's elbow. My great grandmother was also said to be pregnant while my grandmother was pregnant with my eldest aunt. So my mother has aunts who are more or less the same age or older by a few years. 

The second wife of my great grandfather was also there. She was young when she passed away due to a tragic car accident. She died only about thirty years old. She had a son who was also there at the mausoleum. He's my great uncle who also died early. I forgot how he passed away but I know that he departed from this world at a young age as well. 

My mother told me how she was so excited when November first came because it was like a fiesta.There were tons of people and tons of food. Back then they had no television of computers to amuse them so I guess going to gatherings like these made them happy. But it sounds wrong that my mother got excited for when November first came. :))

I love hearing stories about the past and about my relatives. I hope that it would be like the movies where people tell stories and flash backs would appear out of nowhere. :))