Then World War 2 broke out and both their lives were caught in a maelstrom of chaos and confusion.
Papa, being a teacher and an intelligent one at that, became the sought after person for the position of an "escribente" (secretary) under the Japanese regime.
This was supposed to be an enviable and prestigious position if not for the risk and the danger it entails so he politely turned it down.
He wants nothing more than to be a farmer other than being a teacher.
By refusing he incurred the wrath and vindictiveness of some people he considered and whom he thought of as his friends.
He was earmarked to be arrested and incarcerated so to save himself he surreptitiously enlisted in the guerilla movement.
As the war gained momentum and as it spread like wildfire, he found himself thrown in the vortex of the struggle.
He fought shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers fighting for what they believed in.
Meanwhile, Mama's family has left town, which has turned into a war zone because the Japanese soldiers were closing in for the kill causing atrocities and pillage where it hurts most.
They have to stay out of harms way to save their skin and hide.
They sought haven in a remote mountain hideaway in Alas-as, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Kitanglad amidst the company of both American and Filipino soldiers.
With Papa among them.
This time Fate had presented a new deck of cards.
Papa was no longer the person that Tatay Iping used to call as unworthy and a nobody.
What he saw before him was a fully decorated soldier in complete military uniform holding the post of a Quarter master of the 111th Batallion of the USAFFE.
Hi "Band of Brothers" to name a few were Alejandro Sale, Antonio Tortola, Pedro Daapong, Esmeraldo Cudal and Jaime Lozada, Sr.
So in the midst of the turmoils of war with the cool splendor of the mountain fastness of Mt. Kitangland serving as the backdrop, Mama and Papa met once again and found comfort in each other's arms.
It was a whirlwind romance, no words were spoken for words were inadequate.
In an instant sparks flew from the dying embers of love that had been smoldering beneath cold ashes and engulfing the lovers in its fiery embrace.
Love has paved the way for the grief stricken couple.
Heart in hand, Papa tried his luck once more, begging Tatay Iping for Mama's hand in marriage.
This time he stood his ground and refused to change his mind.
Finallym his persistence and constancy of purpose paid off and broke down Tatay Iping's line of resistance.
For who could deny a person whose arguments are too convincing to be ignored?
At last, the once immovable Rock of Gibraltar has moved an inch.
Tatay Iping has no choice but to accept the marriage proposal for Mama.
And as Time stood still and Nature seems to hold its breath, he consented to the bethrothal which was officiated by no less than the Commanding Officer of the USAFFE, a certain Major McLaughlin, with the presence of General Jonathan Wainwright.
There was no honeymoon for the newly weds.
Only an enchanted night all to themselves.
Then war claimed the groom once more and took him far away from his bride.
Heavy with pregnancy of their first child, Mama was left behind.
Adept at sewing and needle work, she kept herself busy darning the tattered uniforms of the soldiers and selling food to them.
The meager income she derived was set aside in hopes of spending it when the liberation will come.
Months later, she delivered a baby girl, their first child, whose name we have no way of knowing.
She died before the age of three due to an undiagnosed illness.
Then Mama went through a terrible ordeal.
She got seriously ill.
Medical attention was not available.
She only had Tatay Iping, her soldier brothers and Atilana Enderes (Tiyay Ata) to lean on.
They took care of her, attending to her needs and administering what crude herbal medicines they could lay their hands on.
Asking for the intercession of the spirits of their ancestors and the help of the supernaturals to save her from the clutches of imminent death.
She was wasting away fast, slipping in and out of consciousness nearer to death than to life while Papa was beyond reach.
Then in one of her delirious nights, she had a dream and a vision.
She was walking inside a big house with several rooms.
In one of these rooms, there was a woman sewing curtains who told her she can't stay yet because the room reserved for her was not yet ready for occupancy.
She has to go back where she came from because her time was not yet come to stay.
When she turned around to go she found herself in a long , winding stairway which she descended.
Upon reaching the last step down she woke up bathe in sweat.
The next day Papa arrived from his mission to find his wife so weak and barely alive.
Her long debilitating illness caused her failing eyesight, deafness and minor paralysis.
Papa had a cud with him given by an old man whom he met in his sojourn in the mountains.
He was told to rub it on Mama's whole body to revive her.
The cud worked like magic for in no time at all, Mama was up and about doing the usual daily chores she used to do.
The days flipped the pages of Time that flew by on gossamer wings of uncertainty. And hopelessness formed an unbroken circle of their existence; uncertain of the future and the seeming hopelessness of the situation.
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