On Family

I was scratching the cat in the Faculty Center earlier this afternoon when a certain professor briskly walked past me, a little girl held in his right arm. Instantly, I lost track of what my companion was saying - which was pretty irresponsible, considering we were discussing how we would handle our report next week given two of our groupmates have completely evaporated - and got to my feet, following said professor with my eyes as he walked on, completely oblivious of the stare glued to his remarkably clean blue shirt. (Ehem. Let me clarify he wasn't exactly Best Dressed Faculty Member of 2007 when he taught me.)

I thought he would keep that pace until he reached SC, which is where I think he goes whenever he walks via the Freshie Walk, but when I saw him again - I was momentarily distracted by the perfunctory goodbye I threw at my groupmate - he had turned left of the road, down the literal untrodden path, into the woods, and whatever cliche you wish to use for Diliman's lagoon area. He wasn't exactly talking to the little girl, but I'm sure he didn't just wander off that way because he was looking for the proverbial fertility tree. Seeing him, the little girl held close, I thought of my father, what we must have looked like fifteen years ago...

And then, yes, perhaps the thought of a certain friend being a dad did cross my mind.

***

Eiga Sai is here again; it's depressing my schedule won't allow me to watch everything I wish. Good thing though, that my father came for dinner late, so I managed to watch 3/4 of TOKYO TOWER Mom and Me and Sometimes Dad starring Odagiri Joe.

It was honestly bizarre, seeing the guy whose name I'd been playing in my head forever - fine, ever since I discovered Kashii Yu was married. Surprisingly, he's not just a handsome face; he actually made me cry. Or maybe the actress playing his mother did. Either way, it was heartrending to see the cancer slowing sapping away his mother's life. I never want that to happen to my family, to anyone I love. And just when he was starting to make it up to her, too....