Dreaming of Planting Some Chili Peppers and Tomatoes

 

      So we’re trying to sell our house in Manila and thinking of relocating to, possibly, a far-flung province, hundreds of miles away from Metro Manila, like someplace in Mindanao or in the Visayas, where hopefully I can finally fulfill my dream of being a low-key farmer, planting some fruits or vegetables and taking care of some goats. I don’t care if the place has no Wi-Fi or Facebook, as long as I can go to the nearest town once in a while to update this blog. Lol. Then, I’d go back to my small farm, sit under a huge mango tree which leaves are rustling in a gentle breeze and meditate or think of names for my goats. And maybe, I can meet a pretty lady farmer there, I don’t care if her skin has been burned by the sun from working overtime in the field or if her hands are rough and calloused or if her hair smells of onion, as long as she’s willing to plant chili peppers and tomatoes with me and is willing to share her produce with me, and that she doesn’t cozy up or flirt with other men, especially married men, who would only want to try to sneakily taste her pechay.

     We’ve talked to some potential buyers; the only problem is we don’t own the lot and it has a bit-complicated papers. You see, the real owner, an old bachelor, died without transferring the ownership of the land (to his nephews and nieces), so it is still registered to him, and as we all know, it’s a little hard to deal with a dead person. Alas, potential buyers don’t want complicated documents, which we fully understand.

     Anyway, they’re trying to fix the documents—while I can’t wait to meet my lady farmer and hold her lovely rough hands, one who would cuddle with me even though I smell of goats. Lol. But I am so motivated and inspired for a possible new life, a bucolic and quiet one, that I find myself singing a song every day…

     Bahay kubo, kahit munti, ang halaman doon ay sari-sari, singkamas at talong, sigarilyas at mani, sitaw, bataw, patani…