The Blue Rain

By Virginia Jane Brown

This novel is a story of a young girl, Camila, who defied poverty through self-sacrifice, strong determination, and perseverance in order to succeed in life.

Camila is a dreamer, but in her journey and quest for work and education in Manila, she met horrendous obstacles that one could never imagine.

Camila secluded herself for seven years, but a great awakening in her occurred. It was her turning point in life, so she struggled to rise and shine again no matter what in order to achieve her dream of changing the course of her shattered life and to become an agent of change in the life of others. This is the question: will she succeed, or will she not?

Embedded in some chapters is a combination of the Filipino cultural heritage and historical touch that occurred during the 1950s (most especially during the 1970s) up to the modern time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984543882

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

They say that the seventh born is LUCKY! That’s me!

But wait, I am just like anyone else who has ups and downs

in this world but I guess, I am just born very stubborn NOT to quit

when the going is tough and rough and

when everything seems so bleak and impossible.

Yes, I am a persistent, a persevering, and an optimistic person who has a strong faith in our Lord, God, The Almighty, that HE will always catch me whenever I fall and ONE who teaches me to soar and fly high up in the bluish and beautiful sky, rising and shining like the brightest star in the whole universe.

This world is a beautiful world to live in no matter what lies ahead.

YES, I AM

the RISING STAR and the LUCKY ONE.

PROLOGUE

This novel is a true-to- life story of a young girl who defied poverty through self sacrifice, strong determination, and perseverance in order to succeed in life.

This is also a story of her journey in quest for quality education in order to change the course of her life.

This is also the plight of a young lady who fell so much in love

with the only love of her life but has experienced betrayal and deceit,

so her search for an honest and purest love continues.

Will she be able to find one? That’s the biggest question!

This memoir is also a story of a strong and courageous woman who did not just stay in one nook and watch her fate pass by, but instead created her own destiny through her strong belief and faith that there is the ALMIGHTY POWER who would guide her journey in quest for a better life.

Embedded in every chapter is a combination of the cultural and historical evolution that occurred during the 1950’s up to the modern time.

The author in this novel has unveiled some of the cultural heritage of every Filipino, so if you have not yet gone to the Philippines, this is one great opportunity for you to be able to travel to the Philippines through the author’s vivid description of the Filipinos’ way of life, as well as, its historical and cultural heritage.

This is based on a True-to life story and in order to protect the people involved in this novel, names, people, and places have been changed. (Except, of course, the touch of Philippine History and Philippine Culture.)

Any similarities of names of persons, names of things, names of places or any similarities of events are purely coincidental and have no direct bearing on my novel, The Blue Rain.

This novel is the author’s masterpiece which she started a few years ago.

She became busy with her teaching, so her finishing this story had been on and off until one day, she just decided to follow her dream of becoming a great novelist.

CHAPTER 1

I Am a Child of the Universe

What is in the month of May? That is the question!

The May morning sunshine glittered and sparkled on the tiny waves of the greenish-blue sea as the bancas (small boats) of the fishermen were calmly approaching the beach. The fishermen’s faces appeared happy and excited as they slowly and gaily paddled their bancas to the shore to show to their buyers all that they had caught. The townsfolk had been waiting along the beach for their coming so that they could select and buy the best fresh tanigue (tuna), blue marlin, yellowfin, salmon, crab, shrimp, lobster, squid, and other seafood. As the boats were approaching, the townsfolk one by one submerged their feet in the water and helped their favorite fishermen pull their bancas on the beach. Some fishermen gaily raised their best fish while some just joyfully let their customers look and select their choice of fresh fish and other seafood inside their bancas.

On the other end of the beach, some townsfolk were helping the fishermen of a huge boat pull their huge fishnet from the sea and along the soft and sugary white beach. The townsfolk held the two fishnet ropes parallel and opposite to each other as they aligned themselves on each of the fishnet’s ropes and pulled them in rhythm as they all counted together.

One, two, three! Hoooops! One, two, three! Hoooops!

As the fishnet was approaching the beach, large and medium-sized fish were jumping and bouncing like metallic balls. The fish glittered as the early-morning sunrays glowed like sparkling silver on their skins. The fishnet bulged heavily with the abundant fish, and as soon as the whole fishnet was on the shore, townsfolk rushed curiously to see what the fishermen caught. The fishermen unselfishly gave freely what they had caught to those who helped them pull the fishnet’s rope, while the onlookers paid the fishermen for what they wanted to buy.

From afar, you could see the townsfolk smiling as they clustered around in every fishing boat and then one by one left the beach with their choice of fresh seafood, which were all placed in their baskets made of native rattans. Afterward, the whole town of Barrio Mauswag emitted smoke from their native stoves made of three medium-sized stones placed in a triangular position with dried clay placed like a thick mat underneath the rectangular native stoves. Everyone inhaled the mouthwatering aroma of the freshly grilled seafood. Other townsfolk prefer their fish and other seafood just being cooked plainly with water, ginger, onion, tomatoes, lemongrass, green peppers, and some vegetables. This is called tinola, which is cooked like a beef stew with a different ingredients. Some made their tinola a little bit sour by adding lemonchito or calamnsi (small native green lemons). Because the fish and other seafood were fresh, they always tasted delicious and sweet once they were cooked and prepared.

Some townsfolk just preferred their foods to be cooked raw. This kind of Filipino cuisine is called kinilaw. Kinilaw is made up of sliced cubes or strips of fresh tuna or other kinds of fresh fish, then mixed with other ingredients: vinegar, ginger, onion, lemon (or lemonchito or calamansi), pepper, and fresh coconut milk.

At the bank of the river, juxtaposing the soft and sugary white beach, were coconut trees, palm trees, and other shady tress that were swaying joyfully as the soft wind blew on their flexible stems and green leaves. They too seemed to be one with the happiness and gladness of the townsfolk’s abundant blessing of seafood. Yes, the sea has been so generous to the townspeople.

Because this was in the month of May, native flowers were sprouting like mushrooms all around the whole town of Barrio Mauswag. Very rampant were native Orchids, bougainvillea, camia, (aromatic white flowers), native sunflowers, native daisies, and other heartwarming native flowers.

Yes, it was indeed a beautiful and abundant sunny morning of May.

Meanwhile, the whole household of the Pilonoto-Yamihan family was so anxious but at the same time so excited waiting for the announcement of the kumadrona (native midwife) as to whether the mother had safely delivered a baby girl or baby boy.

The sun was slowly peeping above the horizon and radiating its beautiful early-morning sunshine while the head of the family was going to and fro outside the small nipa hut’s master bedroom, incessantly blowing the smoke from his cigarette pipe. He could not wait for the announcement. He slowly murmured a silent prayer that his wife would safely deliver a baby girl. Yes, a baby girl.

On the other hand, their oldest daughter and five sons were busy in the kitchen preparing for food for the whole family; they were also preparing for other necessary things needed by the midwife.

Yes, it was in the early, bright, brilliant, flowery, and fragrant morning of May 26, 1955, at about six o’clock in the early morning when a loud but beautiful cry of a newly born baby reverberated and echoed in the small but beautiful nipa home of the Pilonato-Yamihan Family. The parents decided to choose the name Camila, which they took from the old calendar. From then on, the name Camila bloomed and became so fragrant not only in the household but also in the whole neighborhood of Barrio Mauswag for a young, beautiful, intelligent, and lucky child emerged from a tiny cocoon and transformed into a pretty female butterfly—that’s me.

Beautifully and strategically situated, our first and old native home was in a small town of Barrio Mauswag, Samar, Philippines. Barrio Mauswag was named after a town in Spain, I suppose, for the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards for 333 years after the coming of the European explorer Ferdinand Magellan in March 16, 1521, whose troops were defeated by Lapu-Lapu, a native and the chieftain of Mactan Island, who fought for Rajah Humabon of Cebu. Ferdinand Magellan, though, paved the way for the Spaniards to colonize and to Christianize the Philippines. To be exact, Spanish colonialism in the Philippines lasted until 1898, upon the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.

I was so thankful that our very first and old home was beautifully and strategically located right next to the sugary and whitish beach on the west side, and on the north side was a long, winding, crystal-clear and clean river. The beautiful river cascaded from the peaceful upper mountain of Barrio Mauswag, going down to the deep, bluish-green Philippine Sea and flowing joyfully to the Pacific Ocean.

Furthermore, on the aerial view, our home was like inside a Right Angle where the awesome West view of the fascinating beach looked like the base of our house. On the other hand, the cascading river was located on the North view of our house and it looked like a vertical line that was connected to the beach. The silent and serene sea coupled with the silvery bubbles of tiny waves that gently kissed the spectacular beach, and the glorious and melodious river, beautified the whole town of Barrio Mauswag.

Our Old memorable native house which was beautifully built and erected on the lower side of the beautiful river made me have all the opportunity to walk barefoot on the sugary and soft White sand early in the morning. Normally, I would play with my sister, Luciana, and my friends on the beach under the evanescent Sun. Our house location also gave me the best opportunity to feel and to listen to the cascading crystal clear river that goes out to the scenic and beautiful ocean.

Oh, how I loved to swim every day and to immerse my healthy body in the cool river water or in the warm and salty sea water, which really made my skin so dark but beautiful, silky, and shiny. I discovered that after swimming daily in the sea, my skin was made fine, soft, and sparkly by the salty water. I also learned from the townsfolk that the sea salt could heal sickness by walking on the beach under the early-morning sunshine. I so loved having our home situated in those strategic places. Barrio Mauswag was indeed a tourist spot.

When the ocean was calm and peaceful, it would look like the twin of the serene and tranquil blue sky. In the afternoon, it was always my joy to go to the beach and sit on the rock while watching the magnificent sunset. I would also listen to the whispers of the tiny little waves that were splashing on the sand and rocks. The tiny waves looked like they were chasing one another before retreating to where they belonged; then, they would come rushing in again like little kids who were joyfully playing.

To relax, I used go to the beach and sit on my favorite rock while watching the captivating, warm, and magnificent Sunset. I would also listen to the beautiful sound of the splashing tiny waves, gazing at the varied and colorful fish swimming under the seaweeds that grew on the tiny little rocks and corals under the very clean and crystal-clear seawater. At a part of the beach toward the southern edge, there was a huge rock that looked like a sleeping elephant; at the base of it were smaller rocks that were clustered together. I also had one favorite spot there on the smaller rocks, where I could see different colorful and beautiful corals and seaweeds underneath the salty and warm water. The seaweeds would usually appear like a small garden of flowers where they danced and swayed as colorful fish, shrimp, crabs, and small octopuses passed by or just stayed under them or around them. Sometimes, I played with the seaweeds and small fishes by submerging my feet in the water and by slowly swinging my feet alongside them while sitting on the rocks.

My favorite rock was also the same spot where I could freely enjoy watching different kinds of sea vessels sailing and passing by like big and smaller ships, old fashioned yacht and native boats, and oh, what’s beautiful was that, a little bit farther away in the ocean, when the fish were happy and gay, they would joyfully fly up above the water in groups that as if they were trying to catch my attention by their little show through jumping up above the air then diving in the water again then, jumping up again in synchronization. Sometimes too, they would swarm the water then would show their unity and synchronization by forming different shapes as they swim fast altogether. What’s amazing was that sometimes, the big whales which were farther away in the ocean but clear to see would slowly pass by in groups as they would alternately emit their waters coming out from their heads which looked like beautiful fountains.

On the other hand, it was as if just ordinary and normal to see the fleeting sharks passing by so swiftly. One would know that they were sharks because only their huge dorsal fins would emerge and could be readily seen almost always. But they were very far. I haven’t remembered getting nervous of sharks while swimming in the sea because they really didn’t go near the beach. They were always like in the middle of the bluish greenish ocean.

Barrio Mauswag beach was so rich with seashells and sea food. When the tide was low, the beach that abundantly carried the embedded shell food underneath the sand and rocks would stretch back to the sea for more or less than fifty yards. It would go in cycles. Sometimes, low tide would happen in the morning or in the mid or late afternoon but most of the time, it was most beautiful when it would occur in the late afternoon with the matching sunset.

Most of the farmers in Barrio Mauswag would go up in the mountains to their farms early in the morning and would go down to the barrio in the afternoon, so majority would go to the beach to gather seafood during the time that the sun was slightly warm and was setting down. That time of the day was the favorite time of almost everyone for the townsfolk would be in unison to go to the beach with their native woven baskets, small ladles which were made of coconut shells, mother steel spoons along with the knives, and native arrow called Pana. Those were their tools for digging in the sand to gather the shell foods like Kaykay (Clams), Tahong (small and medium Muscles), Lapas, an oblong shaped shell food that sticks on the rock and for detaching the Talaba (Oysters) that would stick and would grow in small rocks. Kinhason (Shellfood) specifically called Suso (Sea Snail) whether rounded or pointed ones were very rampant. One could just easily pick them up while they were abundantly crawling on top of the small stones or on the sand in between the stones. During dark nights, Pugita (Octopus), Noos/Pusit (Squids), Alimasag/Kasag (Crabs), Pasayan/Hipon (Shrimps), and, of course, various species of Isda (fish) were rampant. But they were also along the beach in the afternoon, so Pana, the native Arrows, were used by the townsfolk to catch them.

I and my younger sister, Luciana, who was born after me, would usually go to the beach to gather seafood not for food but for fun but, of course, I love to eat those shell food, so we would cook them with or without the coconut milk in it and would eat them. We really didn’t have to get those as a major source of food like those poor townsfolk who depended their food on their own farm crops and the sea for food because my family, during the time that I was growing up, started to have one motor boat which was used for fishing in the evening and during the day, it was used to carry passengers going to the city. It was my parents’ small business that slowly grew bigger and bigger until we had two more huge motor boats and fishing boats. My parents also had people who took care of our farm lands, so we had abundant supply of root crops like Camote (Sweet Potatoes) and Balinghoy (Cassava), Cardaba/Caldaba (Native Banana), staple foods like, Mais (Corn), Humay (Rice), fresh vegetables such as Okra, Beans, Monggo (Lentil), Sili (Peppers), Talong (Eggplants), Sibuyas (Onion), Camatis (Tomatoes), Langka (Jackfruit), Kalabasa (Squash) and many other kinds of native vegetables that grew in a tropical place like my town; Barrio Mauswag. Rampant in the fertile soil of the barrio were green leafy vegetables like Alugbati (Spinach), Dahong Camote (Sweet Potato leaves/tops), Malunggay (Horseraddish) and native fruits like Mangga (Mangoes), Papaya, Pina (Pineapples), Bayabas (Guava), Tubo (Sugar Canes), Ripe Langka (Jackfruit), Avocado, and many other tropically grown fruits.

But please don’t get me wrong, my parents had their own share of struggles financially when I was about one to three years of age. They were just like any other ordinary farmers but became financially stable when I was growing up because my mother was a business minded woman while my father was a hardworking and responsible man.

You might wonder why the term Farmer in the Philippines is considered poor while the term Farmer in the United States connotes and denotes being rich. Well, first of all, most of the farmlands in the Philippines, most specifically the big islands in the Visayas like Samar, are mountainous which make it so hard for the farmers to climb, and more difficult for them to till the soils in order to plant or harvest greatly. On the other hand, the farmlands in the United States are flat or plane, so it’s easier for the farmers to plant or harvest. Another difference is that the agricultural industry in the Philippines until now is mostly backwards because there are no special machineries that would aid the farmers in their farming on their mountainous farms except for some very few rich farm land owners. Until now, most of the farmers in the provinces rely on their native Carabaos (Carabaos look like Buffalos and Black Angus) which are very helpful for tilling the soils and for carrying heavy loads of farm crops going down to the barrio from the mountainous farms but they could only carry a limited amount of crops and it would take so many trips back and forth. On the contrary, the United States has a very advanced agricultural industry, and it has modern farming equipment like Combine, Tractor, and etc that are being used for planting and for harvesting. Farming in the U.S. is very convenient and fast while farming in the Philippines is still backwards, difficult, and slow because of the aforementioned reasons.

My parents had also their humble beginnings because when they were starting to raise the family, they were just like any other ordinary farmers who mostly depended their livelihood on the coconut crops, and other tropical crops which were very seasonal and, of course, there is the rich sea too for food.

In other words, because the farms did not bring wealth and much money, intellectual people like my parents resorted to having another source of income and livelihood through buying one motorboat for a start which was used both for business and for food.

The North Pacific Ocean of the Eastern Coast of Samar was where most of the townsfolk depended also for their food and livelihood. The fishermen would paddle their boats towards the sea at night when it was calm and serine, most specially during the dark nights because it was where all kinds of fish became rampant most specifically the squids. In the sea during dark evenings, the squids would looked like twinkling and shining stars in the sky. Sometimes they would swoop and would swarm the ocean in huge groups. They would looked like neon lights under the water during dark nights. It was during dark evenings that my parents’ fishing boats could catch huge amount of squids which would then be brought to the beach for cutting, for cleaning and for drying, so during dawn, townsfolk who worked for my parents would line up ready to do their labor until the sunrise. Before 8:00 a.m., all cleaned squids and fish were already piled in rattan mats ready for drying. In the afternoon, when the sun was hot, the cleaned squids and fish would smell fresh and dry ready for gathering and for packing but normally my parents would wait until the next day to have them packed by our workers. Sometimes, for fun, I would help the workers in packing because I enjoyed listening to their stories and/or listening to their joyful singing while they were packing.

Also, during the day, the silent and tranquil sea would encourage the townsfolk to go to the city either to buy groceries, and clothing or visit their sons and daughters who would go to the city to study when they reach high school and college.

Barrio Mauswag was such a small Barrio of more or less a hundred families during my time but produced the most number of literate people. Right now, it already has more or less a thousand families because other families from neighboring towns migrated there when Barrio Mauswag decided to have the local Public High School.

As of now, the barrio has the most number of professionals for most parents want their kids to finish college and get white collar jobs because most of the folks believe that the only solution to poverty is a good education in order to change the course of their lives.

However, during my time, only a handful could afford to send their kids to college. My parents were one of those few parents who could afford to send all kids to college during the time that their businesses were booming up.

The sea was where my parents’ business depended mostly for extra income but, of course, it was not always placid, peaceful, and serine Philippine North Pacific Ocean. It would also get angry like a roaring wild lion from time to time but for a growing up kid like me that time, it was just so normal for me to see big waves hurling, rushing, crashing, and splashing one by one going to the beach with a matching heavy downpour of rains along with the deafening, flashing, and roaring thunder. When that happens, my whole family would normally evacuate to a safer and higher shelters. My whole family would all together vacate to the huge and big concrete house of one of my wealthy relatives whose daughter was able to marry a very rich Chinese Businessman in Manila. At a young age, when vacating time happens, I would usually enjoy it because it would mean-story telling time, singing time, and praying time. It also meant a very delicious Tinolang Manok (Chicken Soup with big chunks of chicken, Sayote (Chayote) and Pepper leaves) and of course, Adobo (Pork chopped in cubes cooked with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and pepper from freshly butchered pig/hog) or just simply grilled pork or barbeque. Sometimes, there would be Lechon (Roasted young Pig) too.

You might wonder why my family and the whole Barrio Mauswag would be so excited about having the opportunity to eat these fresh meats? It was because all of the townsfolk, including my family, depended largely on the staple food- fish, rice, corn, and root crops. Meat was rarely raised and butchered in Barrio Mauswag that’s why it was only very occasional that every family would be able to eat fresh meats. I don’t know but it would always happen that people would just decide to butcher pigs during typhoon seasons. One clear reason was that- fishermen would not be able to go to the sea when the sea is upset. Today, meat is no longer scarce because they are sold both in the barrios and in the cities and there are already land transportation because of the Marcos Highway.

They said that people who experienced all kinds of storms or Hurricanes are strong persons. I know that I am one strong person, though, maybe because of that …

During stormy weather, as everybody listened to the warnings from the radios, my loving parents would immediately get ready for evacuation but sometimes the weatherman could not just deliver the news at the right time, so all households would be caught in a big surprise sometimes when all of a sudden, rushing river water, rain and big waves would curl up in the ocean ready to attack the shore and the town. When huge waves and the rushing flashflood would happen at the same time, matched with strong and heavy downpour of rains, that would be the most dangerous typhoon. I could always hear my Mother’s whispers of prayers while preparing the food, water, matches, lighters, flashlights, Petromax (the one that lights like a rechargeable light but it has to be powered with gas), lamplights, candles some clothes, extra sweaters and blankets for the evacuation. My Mama and my Papa would always tell all of us their children to gather all together in one safe nook of our house and would tell us to pray. My older brothers would also help our parents during the preparation of the evacuation.

I would admit that during the preparation of the evacuation, I would be so afraid most specially if the strong winds would angrily whistle and blow strongly the roofs of the houses and / or would vigorously uproot the trees. The roaring of the strong winds with the matching horrifying sounds of the huge waves which were slapping the shores and then crushing one after the other on the defenseless beach were so terrifying to hear. Its very angry and scary whistles coupled with the unstoppable lightning and thunder would make me tremble in fear that they might blow the whole house all together. It would be so bleak and gloomy all over but the shaking and swaying of the trees would still be visible. When I was young, the only one that we had used for evacuation was a motorboat but it would also be anchored in a safer and high place because it would be dangerous to ride in the motorboat during a strong storm weather because it would surely be carried away by the huge and hurling waves, rushing river flood and strong winds.

What my whole family would usually do during times of calamity was to carry us kids one by one immediately to the evacuation area. Amidst the deep waters, and strong winds, one by one, my dear Papa and my big brothers would situate us kids high up above on their necks and would hold us very securely just like we kids were sitting near the neck of horses while we cling or hold on to their heads for support and once we would all reach the safe shelter, that’s the only time that we could relax and breath without gasping. We would sometimes spend in the evacuation area for about two to three days. (The most number of days spent in the safe shelter was one week but that would rarely happen.) then we would all go back to our house safely.

What’s ironic was that after a huge storm, everything would be so beautiful. In the bright morning after the storm, the beach would normally be washed up and would be with, sometimes, very fine white sand mixed with the blackish soft sand all throughout without a single rock or stones (except the huge rock that looked like a sleeping elephant which was situated towards the South side of the long beach) because the stones and pebbles would be carried farther away by the enormous waves to the edge of the beach or sometimes in the oceans.

Sometimes, stones as huge as a big man’s fists were the ones that would replace some parts of the sandy and sugary white beach of Barrio Mauswag. What’s very pretty was that - the beach sometimes would have another kind of beach formation which would look like another huge basin of water within the beach. In it, you could see, play, or catch different kinds of fish, shrimp, small crabs, and other seafood that would swarm the whole basin of water inside the beach. It’s also so good to swim in their because it was as if - you would be immersing yourself in a fancy swimming pool.

How I loved playing together with my sister, Luciana, my best friend, Beatrice, and other playmates on the sandy and sugary white beach in the morning or during late afternoon after the storm. It was as if - the sun would keep on smiling and dancing while radiating its vibrant and beautiful colors either early in the morning or during sunset. The sea breeze would usually smell fragrant and the white blackish sand would tickle our feet as we would step on a very