yesterday was a very beautiful day. i did not go to work. i felt so weak to even get up. darrell and i spent the whole day kicking it at home. in the afternoon, we got a call from tita vicky, gabriel's mom, luis' bestfriend in claret. the whole family is here. darrell and i went to residence inn where they were staying. i met tito rene, paulo, tina, miguel and luis' bestfriend, gabriel. it was fun. i felt so close to her because she was like an extension of my "people" back home.

her story is a very sad one, though. i don't know how to describe her life but, it's tough, tougher than mine. the only difference why it's tougher is that she doesn't want to leave her kids and she is scared of what her husband is capable of doing...(kindda like the same reasons that i have...heheheheheh)

this is a very sad story but i hope you, who is reading this, will try to analyze her situation and realize how blessed and fortunate we all are. she has been with this man for 17 or 18 years. they have 4 children (17, 16, 10, 8). she is a very nice lady. she is a very loving and concerned mom. from what i see in her, she is devoted to her children. the catch? her husband beats her up in the HEAD (as in!). this started a long time ago. this still goes on. i felt sorry for her. she said she tries to tolerate it for her children. i can't believe it. she is a small, petite woman and she is a very nice one at that. i don't know the whole story but, still, no one can justify the battery that she gets from her husband. i heard from an acquaintance that there is a shelter in the Philippines supported by an NGO who helps battered women. i wanted her to wake up to reality. she told me the children do not respect her since they see how their father beats her up. she said she can't leave him because she doesn't want to separate from her kids and that she can't make it on her own. she said she fears for her life since her husband belongs to an influential clan. tst tsk tsk tsk...

i can only sympathize for her...i can only hope and pray that one day, she won't regret the day she hesitated to leave him. i might be stupid and love-hungry but, one thing i will never tolerate is physical abuse and public embarrassment...which made me think...the movie ENOUGH is a good flick to watch...