Ruperta Judith D. Galleros   © Copyright 2018 by Judith D. Galleros

She was born on March 29, 1933. She didn’t know where her mother got her name but out of curiosity, it was of German origin and it meant famed and shining. In her younger years according to folks, she was famous in doing lead roles in a musicale show in the locale and other neighbouring places. In her love story, her powerful and siren-toned voice lured the thirty-two years old widower who happened to witness one of her plays. She was sixteen year-old then. In her tales to her grandchildren, she told them from that time on, Francisco never lost sight of her which made the young children burst into laughter. Her father had high hopes and dreams of her being the eldest of the eight siblings, so he got his long heavy cutter to drive off her suitor but she went away with him. They eloped for quite a long time.

They went back to her hometown after giving birth to Gabriel, the eldest of her children. The first grandchild made the arms of her parents embraced them with a joy of welcoming. They started to build a home for a big family. Gloria came blissfully to the family. Then Lucio, Alijandro, Francisco Jr.,Rufino, Adolfo, and Judith had their historical entrances to the family stage where she and her husband bitterly played. Gabriel at fourteen ended his life due to severe diarrhea. At a young age, losing the first-born was metaphorically a loss of herself.

She had little knowledge of household responsibility, but seeing her children she thought that there was a great role to perform. At times, she could even make little grudges with her stepchildren who were of or almost her age.

Francisco tried to make a living out of the mean catch from his net fishing. She then sold a pail or two of a variety of fishes in the neighbourhood. The family moved from place to place searching for a better life from fishing , farming, and other small businesses. Migration made the children lost the opportunity to go to school. The boys were just primary graders, Gloria had her seventh grade, only Judith pursued and finished college. She brought them to Sunday church but none of them followed her affiliation.

Almost every night before resting, Francisco would then get his guitar, Upon hearing the strums, her children gathered around as she beckoned them to join in the family’s recital. Until her children grew up and had families of their own, music kept them intact. Whenever there was a gathering in their simple abode, Francisco Jr. would lead his siblings to sing their favorites. She sang soberly on Francisco’s wake with their theme song “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. Her husband died at eighty of severe pneumonia, since at old age he still made sacrifices out of a miserable life.

Even when her children were already married, mostly when they became weary, they would come to her house and stay overnight for a motherly care she could only offer to them. When the wife of Junior left him for another man, she held her tightly in her arms and willingly adopted his children in her home. They stayed together until the last breath of the her guitar man son. She kept herself busy until old age. She wove palm leaves for roof thatch, made broomsticks, did some preaching, jammed with her grandchildren in their karaoke gigs, and most of all, watched over the little ones.

Granny Eying, as people are fond of calling her is now enjoying her 85 years. On a toss of a medicinal wine, she loves to jam classic, folk, mellow, pop music with her twenty six grandchildren and the fast growing number of grand and great grand stepchildren. She remains a lively talker, an efficient palm weaver, a tuba(fermented from coco juice) drinker, a careful nanny, and a legendary singer of her time.