After The Liberation

Life then shifted to normalcy and the halcyon days passed by unnoticed.
It was 1946 when Mr. Salvador Albarece, the erstwhile District Supervisor of manolo Fortich gave Papa a new teaching assignment at Dalirig Barrio School where their first child died and the second daughter was born (?) , christened Anita (Mama Nits). They lived in a tumbledown shack, too small to accommodate them but it was "home" to a family of three.

Unlike today, teachers were not paid during summer vacation so Papa had to find another source of income.
He applied in Philippine Packing Corporation and was taken in as a tractor operator.
Not one to squander his time, he was always one step ahead of his schedule and leave way after off hours.
His total dedication to his job did not escape the attention of his supervisor, Mr. Cubero.
He was offered a permanent position with the company and when he asked the permission of mr. Albarece to transfer to the multinational company he was not allowed to do so.
Instead he was assigned to Kalugmanan Barrio School.
When he learned that his permanent position with PPC was given to Mr. Yongco, he did not harbor any hard feelings nor grudges or the "sour grape" attitude.
He consoled himself with the thought that perhaps it was not meant to be.

The following year, 1947, Papa was transferred to Pontol (now known as Kalugmanan) where their third child was born.
This time it was a sone baptized Carlito (Manong Boy).
He was a sickly child suffering from frequent bouts of asthma (an illness that runs in the family) thus making him somewhat the favorite of the family.

Two years later, 1949, the third daughter and fourth child was born during the town fiesta of Manolo Fortich which Mama attended.
She was named Emma (or Emben) (The writer of this saga), after the patron saint Immaculata Conception.
Since all the layettes were left in Kalugmanan, Mama borrowed the baby clothes of Helen, whose mother, Nenita Hinoyog (Tiyay Nene), was a teacher under Papa in Kalugmanan.
The name Emma was given by Mrs. Marcelina Albarece with the added reason that it would be easier to write upon reaching grade one.

Then another teaching assignment came, taking papa and his growing family to a village at the edge of time, Siloo.
A far-flung barrio of Malitbog where we spent the next uneventful five years of our lives.