Si Marie,Ako at ang Puno ng Bayabas (Marie and I and the Guava Tree)

One of the childhood memories that I would always treasure was the time when I can still run and laugh and climb a tree with one dear friend, Marie.  Marie and I are childhood friends. 

Her mother is actually a niece of my mother thru her cousin so that makes her my niece?  We were classmates throughout elementary years.  We were inseparable.  We would always to school and go home together. On weekends we'll go to their house to get heko (a smooth fish paste) and go to our favorite tree --- the guava tree at the back of the bungalow of Anda Isko and Anda Ising.  We would climb the tree without any fear of falling.  All we cared then was the joy we got from climbing that tree, picking up the guavas and eating them while we sat and clinged to its branches.  Dipping the guava to our heko was sooo yummy.  We would stay up in the tree without a care...time was not important to us. I'm sure Marie still remembers how we would go down the tree whenever an old lady shouted at us.  She's not from the bungalow so probably she's a neighbor.  Well anyway, we would ran so quick with our pockets or plastic bags full of guavas. 

My parents had forbidden me to climb trees or go near the river but this rule was soooo difficult to follow.  I would always break the rules hehehe (the joys of childhood).  They would always look for me....and when I went home with guavas...they knew that I broke their rule again hahah.  Oh how I wish I could climb guava trees again.  We used to have 3 guava trees in our backyard. The guavas were soooo sweet and juicy.  I don't really know  what happened that they all died.  Nanang Abe and Nanang Osang said, Ate Susan (my oldest first cousin) craved for them when she was conceiving.  At that time I really tried to understand why...I mean what's the connection of the death of the guava trees and ate susan's craving during her pregnancy?  They said, "napaglihian".  How I wish we still have those trees. 

A comment or two will be appreciated...