My Lola Mommy.

How do you start a love story when it begins with death?

Life will be so different without her. Since the beginning of my time in this world, Lola Mom always had a very strong presence in my life. She always told me and everyone in my family that I am the only in the Dizon family that will take after her. Now, that is not a bad thing. Lola Mom was a great business woman. She handled mega-construction contracts that most men can't imagine handling. While my toys are diamonds and precious gems, hers were forklifts and bulldozers. But despite working with tough businessmen and a hundred construction workers, she was still a lady with a gentle heart. But when she said that I am the only to take after her, she actually meant her physical frame. We always had a laugh about that.

She loved to laugh. To talk about her sons and daughters and what she went through to raise them properly. She is Kapangpangan and that can only mean that she is a great cook and an even greater eater. And that passion to eat good food was, for sure, passed on to the next generation and fell entirely on my lap.

She is not the knitting on the rocking chair kind of lola. She never read us books to sleep either. She did, however, go to Boracay, Palawan and just last month, plan a Meditteranean cruise with her children and their wives. We were all shocked to hear of this plan of hers and were a little apprehensive about making her go through this kind of physical activity at her age. But if you know Lola Mom, nothing can stop her from what she wants.

10 day cruise and a few days in Barcelona was how she spent the last days of her life here on Earth. The last time I saw was half a year ago. And I can't believe that I won't ever see her again, alive.

Her jokes.
Her soft white hair
Her flabby cheeks
Her flower printed dresses
Her voice, her loud and strong voice that I can hear a mile away.
Her smile...