Thank you to the wonderful people who reviewed. Austria is just precious around the Motherland's kids. I'm sure some of the spots mentioned in this and the succeeding chapters will be familiar to you. The others might not be, so I hope I can inspire domestic tourism (and maybe international).
From here on, each chapter will be named after a certain region of the Philippines. Yes, the National Capital Region is included. For reader information, we'll assume that the fic is set during the month of May. (I sooo want Roddy to see the Flores de Mayo and Pahiyas festivals)
By the way, watch out for my next fic, which is in visualization phase. It's all about the Joint Military Exercises in Mindanao and involves somebody getting kidnapped.
Disclaimer: I pledge allegiance to Hidekaz Himaruya is the one true owner of Hetalia.
Chapter 6: Ilocandia
Roderich Edelstein once raised an eyebrow at the concept of time dilation, but right now, he was convinced that it could happen at a massive level.
Sitting in an austere black calesa with lace curtains covering the back and shielding the rider, he looked out into the street and thought that it was stuck in the 1800s. Not that he found it repulsive; he was rather charmed by the quaint wooden houses, so meticulously preserved. His camera paid attention to the details on the houses.
The streets were silent, guarded only by a few hanging lampposts and other calesas roaming the cobblestones.
The horse went in a steady cadence, like a soldier on parade. The stallion was a proud, brown pampa horse with a white stripe down its nose. The driver, obviously more refined than the other kutseros, had no trouble leading the creature around town.
"Kuya Roddy, the horse was from Tiyo Antonio. He said that he went all the way to Argentina just to get me one on my birthday!" Lucia said, brown eyes shining. "Antonio can be very thoughtful, especially to children." Roderich mused.
"So…Kuya Roddy, do you like Vigan so far?" she asked. "It's beautiful, Lucia. These old houses are indeed a treasure. Now, after a ride through these streets, where does your mother plan to take us?"
"We'll see the sand dunes in Ilocos Norte when it's not sunny anymore. Hmmm…we'll buy longanisa first before we head off to Paoay to see the Malacañang of the North. It was Marcos' house by the lake. I'm sure you've heard of him." Lucia said.
Of course, I have. Your people toppled his regime. Austria thought. He simply nodded as the driver of the calesa stopped the horse.
"Lucia, you may go down na. Please tell your visitor to be careful, ha? Mr. Edelstein, welcome to the Philippines!" the driver's English was accented, but it was coherent. Austria was glad that Filipinos did not have the same twang that America had.
"Thank you, Pedro." Austria said as Lucia gave her personal calesa driver a huge hug before alighting from the vehicle.
Austria found himself sitting on a bamboo raft on the tranquil waters of Lake Paoay. He was a bit frightened by the prospect of traversing the lake on a flimsy raft with only two people—both female—to accompany him.
"I should be the one rowing for you." He told Paulita. "Please, Roderich, this is our job. Besides, you have not been exposed much to a culture of water." She replied. His face turned a lovely shade of red against the afternoon sun.
"Of course. To see the sea had been wonderful for me, and this lake is also a lovely sight. Boating here is much more enjoyable than just seeing the former president's old residence." He then captured a lovely shot of mother and daughter.
"You're too kind, Roderich." Paulita said, looking out to the tree-lined shore. A small hut rested there and two people were seen preparing a late luncheon.
He found peace in this exotic body of water. Almost nobody dared to set sail even if the water was calm. At least, in this solitude he would be able to think, but the aroma of lunch wafting around from the hut told him that his thoughts could wait.
"What is this? I can't even…" The Austrian yelled as he slid down the micro-desert below him. The board was wobbling and he was sliding on the sand like a sidewinder. He narrowly avoided a tall bush yet his feet were tangled in the high grass stalks which gave the La Paz sand dunes the atmosphere of the North American prairies.
Alfred would like this…but for me, no thank you.
He fell flat on his face, his eyeglasses covered in hot sand.
Lucia jumped down from the dune on her board, executing a perfect jump just in time to come to his aid. "Kuya Roderich, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Is your hand bleeding or something?" The normally stoic Austrian gave out a chuckle. "I assure you, I'm fine, Lucia. Please, there's nothing—" the child took his glasses and wiped them with her shirt.
"Please be careful. We would be such bad hosts if you get hurt." A pout appeared on the girl's face. He sighed and looked away before saying, "Teach me, then."
Lucia giggled. "Hold your arms out so that you can balance, then just move your weight to the direction you want to go…and don't push hard when you take off… you'll have a hard time controlling it…"
In the background, Paulita was taking pictures of her enthusiastic daughter and her "student". The sun was starting to set in the west, casting a golden glow on the sand dunes. The Austrian was not just golden. He was divine.
"Awww, Kuya Roddy! This isn't even half of your adventures here in Luzon! We're going to Basco and we'll see the Islands of Batanes. Prepare a jacket, an umbrella and your camera. The weather there's unpredictable." Lucia said, babbling endlessly. She was very much like Italy in his youth, except that pasta wasn't a subject of discussion. The girl preferred talking about exploration.
"How are we going to get there? I thought that it was off the coast." Roderich asked.
I saw caves with crystal-clear water today. Add to that the lighthouse in Bolinao. I walked on white sand beaches. I saw a 70-megawatt wind farm. I rode in a horse-drawn carriage through streets frozen in time. I rode a flimsy raft on a deep, still lake. I almost injured myself on the sand dunes…and this isn't even half of Luzon? Lord in Heaven, what else will I go through?
"Simple. Mama will fly us there!"
Austria's violet eyes widened.
"I have a flying license. There's nothing to fear, Mr. Austria. During the Second World War, I secretly trained with the Air Force. Well, my boss found out soon enough. I was expecting him to reprimand me. Instead, he was very proud. " The lovely woman smiled at him. Somehow, the aristocrat's fears were assuaged.
I can imagine her behind the controls. She is free. There's this laughter in her eyes. It's as if nothing can stop her.
"See, Kuya! Inay is so amazing!" Lucia said. Roderich saw how alike the two were. They had the same hair and eye color. They had that same energy in youth. Even the mirth in their eyes had the same intensity. Lucia was her mother's carbon copy.
"Yes. Yes, she is." Roderich said as he looked at the darkening sky. Unbeknownst to him and hidden by the dark, Paulita's face turned a brilliant shade of red.
"Inay, where are we staying?" Lucia asked. "I hope you won't mind, Roderich, but a 5-star suite is not in order. My boss specifically told me that we have to find anyone willing to let us in. Much better if it's not in the urban part. We'll do some of their chores, play with the children and probably walk through the short stone dikes on the rice fields. That way, you will see the real Philippines. I hope you will accept me for who I am." Paulita's face lost its mirth.
"I'm ready to accept whatever I find." Roderich said. "Do not back down on that promise. I fear that because you are an aristocrat, you will find many things here to be short of your expectations. I won't mind if you want to lecture me." Her smile was weak. That smile doesn't suit her.
They parked the vehicle in a dusty path near a huge mango tree. Paulita, Roderich and Lucia went down the car and stood in front of a rather large nipa hut in the middle of several acres of rice and tobacco fields. The squawking of a few chickens was heard.
Paulita started talking in a language that Roderich suspected wasn't even Filipino. It could be one of the hundred dialects of her people. A woman with hair white as snow and back bent like a question mark in her old age answered the door together with a young man who seemed to be her grandson.
The woman seemed to be muttering about the rice she was cooking. The wrinkles on her face were illuminated by the incandescent bulb hanging from the rafters of the hut.
Upon seeing Paulita, the old woman's eyes shone in recognition. She dropped to her knees and touched Paulita's feet, but the nation bid her to stand up for she was no saint.
"I am Loreto Aldaw, and this is my grandson. I am pleased to meet you, sir." "The pleasure is mine. I'm Roderich Edelstein."
She told her grandson to prepare the table and the food. She allowed the three to come in. Apparently, the old woman also knew Lucia. Of course, the child would be expected to wander the island of Luzon and then boast about her travels.
Roderich entered the sparse dwelling, afraid that the bamboo might not hold his weight. Everyone sat on the floor, facing a small, square table. Only a few gas lamps gave light. Lucia immediately helped out with setting the table.
The young man, probably fifteen years old, sat beside Roderich.
"Hello, Manong. I'm Gilberto."
Roderich's heart sank upon hearing the name. Gilbert.
"Now, you foreigners probably think that we don't understand your language, but I'm telling you, the moment we don't speak English, our teachers will make us pay a peso." The young man was serious, but one couldn't tell. His grin was a good indicator..
"That's terribly cruel." "But, hey, we learn. My grandmother told me that my English is better than hers ever was. So, Manong…ah, that means 'older brother' like the Tagalog 'kuya'…what's Austria like? I've heard of America, Britain, Ireland, China, Japan and Canada…but I've never seen a foreigner from Austria. Do all of you look like men from fairytales?" Gilberto asked running a hand through his choppy black hair.
Roderich Edelstein chuckled. "Please, there are far better-looking men than me. There are no seas surrounding my nation. It has always been my dream to feel fine sand and bring water from the seas to comfort me on a lonely day. I wanted to go somewhere warm. Somewhere out of the ordinary."
"You've come to the right place, Manong, but let me tell you, naku. Life can be very hard here. This land where our hut stands, some wealthy landowner wants to buy it for a huge price and put up a resort. Well, we don't want to sell it. It has always been the land of our ancestors and less fields means less food. We're still fortunate, unlike other farmers who are forced out of their lands." Gilberto said.
A kind of feudalism still exists… "Well, then, Gilberto. How will you keep this land yours?" "When I graduate from high school, I'll go to Los Baños, take up Agriculture and make this land yield more than my ancestors ever did."
Roderich nodded. "It's a noble choice. I, on the other hand, never chose that my fate is to be a nation…just like Paulita over there."
Gilberto's brown eyes were as huge as the mangoes hanging from the tree outside. He then said, out of the hearing range of his grandmother, "We have our Inang Bayan over there…and…you're Austria itself?" The bespectacled young man nodded. "Indeed."
Gilberto could not help but shut his mouth.
"Berto, I still do not understand why you're going to be a farmer. I told you to apply for some course that will bring us money!" the old woman came into the scene, carrying a steaming clay pot. Paulita and Lucia also brought some pots.
"Nana, you don't understand either. Luckily for me, Manong here understands." "Mister Edelstein is probably very rich. Look at him! Whatever course he wants, no problem."
"Now, Ma'am, I don't think Gilberto's being ridiculous." The Austrian said. "Oh, all of you. Let's talk about careers later and enjoy this lovely pot of pinakbet." Paulita said, giving a sigh.
Roderich never expected to bathe only lighted by a gas lamp in the middle of a dark field where crickets were chirping. And if Lucia's ghost stories were true…not that he was afraid. He lived in a thousand-year old mansion and not a single ghost inhabited it. The same went for this lonely hut in the middle of nowhere.
Of course, there was running water, thanks to the pumps outside. It was cold and refreshing to his skin, in stark contrast to the tropical weather. When he stepped out of the batalan dressed in thin nightwear, he faced the east and shivered as the breeze from the mountains rolled by. When he faced the west, he could hear the roar of the sea.
By the other pump, Paulita sat on a small wooden bench, washing the dishes. "I should be doing that." He told her. "Nonsense. You're the guest of a guest. Go inside. Lucia needs someone to 'protect' her." She said.
Roderich entered the hut, watching as the old woman prepared woven mats on the bamboo floor. The old woman was gesturing to him and he could not understand what she was saying. Lucia said, "Inang said that we'll sleep on this mat together with Mama. She and Gilberto will sleep there."
"Thank you." Roderich said, both to Loreto and Lucia. The old woman gave him a pillow, also hand-woven by the natives of this region. Paulita came inside and thanked the old woman for her kindness. The old woman responded that it was good that Gilberto had someone to share dreams with.
The old woman retired to her own mat. Gilberto gave his guests a thumbs-up. Paulita and Lucia prayed silently and Roderich did the same.
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Please…I want her back.
After praying, Roderich stared out into the open windows. This simplicity, this unchanging hospitality would definitely keep him waiting for more things to come. The silver beams of the moon shone through the window and landed on Lucia. His eyes trailed to the child in between him and Paulita. She fell asleep so fast and clung unto his arm. Her mother also fell asleep quickly. Perhaps, it was another shared trait.
Thank you, Paulita. Thank you, Lucia.
With a faint blush, he took Paulita's hand gently onto his own and kissed the knuckles like a proper gentleman. He then turned to Lucia and gave the child a kiss on the forehead. Had anyone seen him, he would say that Roderich was probably Lucia's father.
Good night. Sleep well.
Notes:
Inang is the Ilokano word for 'mother'; Manong means 'older brother'. In Tagalog, manong does not apply to brothers. Usually, any older man is given this title, especially when not a relative.
Pinakbet – vegetable stew
Longanisa – the chorizo-like sausage…some regions have different versions of this. Vigan's version has more garlic.
Dalanghita - a kind of citrus fruit.
Yes, you can take a board out into the sand dunes! Too bad I never experienced it.