My wife's job is a discipline officer like myself. (Our poor kids must be overwhelmed. First their mother, now their father is head of discipline) Anyway, somehow our jobs are carried over from work to anywhere we go. This is especially true with my wife. I remember when she was still in the Purchasing Office, there had been a couple of times when she answered our phone, "Purchasing office, good morning. How may I help you?? AY MALI!"
Anyway, this phenomenon is sometimes unhealthy. Take for instance what happened during Kim's (our third child) birthday on July 15, 2003. We were having our dinner celebrating when the quiet evening was disrupted by shouts from outside the house like there was trouble. I was having a hard time finding my slippers so Nitz beat me in going out.
When I finally found a slipper I could wear, I rushed immediately outside because I'm sure there was a fight going on. It turned out to be coming from the neighbor who does laundry work for us. To my shock, I saw my wife in between the laundry woman's live-in boyfriend and her brother (both drunk) who were engaged in a fisticuff. So, imagine this. All the other neighbors watching, the security guard nowhere to be found.... and guess what......
My wife was with them, trying to stop the fight!
So. I shouted, "Damnit, Mama, stay away." She wouldn't listen and anywhere the trio went, she was there pacifying and stopping them. Just one stray punch would have knocked her senses off, right?
I went near them and told the protagonists to stop it and grabbed Nitz. "GO HOME!" She said, "but I pity Heidi (the laundry woman).
When we went home, I scolded her no end. "If there's someone being beaten up, then help him. But when it's about two people who want to slug it out. Enjoy the show! Then I told her in all of the rumbles that I've seen in my lifetime, it was always the pacifier who turned out dead. And that's true. I've seen it a couple of times.
Finally, I said, "when you're in school, you are the discipline officer but here, you are a plain housewife, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"
I wonder if I shall turn out to be like this, too?
There is something nice that came out of it, though. I narrated the story to several of our friends and my friend, Tom Spencer, ever the poet, came up with this poem for her.
The Priestess of Peace
A ruckus broke the solitude of dinner hour
The lady of the house, ran to find the cause
A neighbor's drunken friendship finally soured
The lady rushed to intercede without a pause
Stumbling through the house on a slipper search
I heard the sounds of pending fisticuffs
Picking up my trusted club of ancient birch
Knowing tales of forgone fights by toughs
The lady stood in all her mighty grandeur
Far below two would-be fumbling fighters
Her instincts of a mediator pure
stood defiant . . . three hundred pounds the lighter
Nitz Delos Santos has found her worldly place
A priestess of peace . . . for the human race
Written For Nitz Delos Santos 7153
By Tom Spencer
9 comments:
I didn't know that... So, the tiny dame can be more courageous than the giant??
Hi anonymous. Yes, beneath that friendly face is a courageous woman. Thanks for the comment. Care to identify yourself?
YOOHOOO!!
HOOOORAYYYYYYYYYYY for TITA NITZ! Yan ang babae!
Wow naman Mare, nagawa mo yon. Puede ka nang referee ni Manny P. sa susunod niyang laban.. he he he.. joke lang pero tama si Pareng Rolly, lalo na sa panahon ngayon na medyo mura na lang ang buhay ng tao. Pero bilib ako sa yo pero huwag mo na lang uulitin yon pls. lang
PAreng Lito and Mareng Thelma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buti naman at napasilip kayo dito. Sorry at mejo matagal akong naka-pagrespond. Medyo malayu-layo na tong nahalukay nyong kwento ah. Pero totoo ka, ang tapang ng asawa ko nung gabing yun. Sa tapang, muntik ko nang mabatukan eh. Biruin mo, kung nasapak sya dun, pihadong mapapasali ko sa away. Eh alam nyo naman ang katawan ko - pang romansa lang talaga at hindi pang bugbugan. hehe
Dalaw kayo ulit ha. At dun naman sa bagu-bagong kwento kayo magbasa hahahaha
Pare,
Syempre duon muna kami sa luma para alam namin kung saan ka nagsimula...Kamusta na si Mare at ang mga bata? Magaling ka talagang magsulat Pare at enjoy ako sa mga comments mo sa mga nangyayari sa panahon ngayon. Keep it up. Sa mga isunulat mo ay nagkakaroon ako ng maganda at meron nilalaman mga informations kahit malayo kami.
Pareng Lito
Pareng Lito Buti naman at nagustuhan mo mga isinusulat ko. Libangan ko ang pagsusulat eh. Sige, basa lang ng basa. Teka, ba't hindi ka rin gumawa ng blog mo? masarap magkaroon ng libangang ganito at nahahasa pati utak mo. Siguro mas magagamt ko to sa pagtanda ko para maiwasan ang pagiging ulyanin. Nasa lahi kasi namin eh. Me alzheimer's na nanay ko.
Salamat ulit sa pagbisita. Basa ka din ng mga bago ko, ha.
tito rolly,
i'm a friend of certain "lito talucod" na nakasama ko sa bahay sa hofuf, saudi arabia and i got a feeling na cya yung friend mo. he's a long lost friend since nag-retire cya from sceco di na kami nagkita, baka naman pwede mong maibigay itong email ko address ko (donisaga@yahoo.com) just in case na cya na nga iyong friend mo (u look familiar). di ko na hahabaan thank you very much and god bless.
nice blog and i still have to read some of your blogs, sana makapag-blog rin ako.
donnie
Wow, quite a damsel. Go go go Tita Nitz. Am glad napabisita ako sa site mo Tito Rolly, ummulan dito, maginaw, nagaantay ng football game kick of. Ngalang di makapagimbita, I have colds , inuubo...mapagulpe nga itong karamdamang ito ke Tita Nitz, he he he. I tip my hat for her.
Post a Comment