MY CHILDHOOD revolves around a world full of uncles and aunts and cousins.

I am closer to my father?s kin from a Bicol island province; the rest of my relatives are in Bicol mainland, in Manila and USA. I listened to soap operas in my Uncle Ben?s house in Bicol where the holy rosary was recited every night.

Another uncle, Uncle Tom (not his real name), was married to my father?s sister, Aunt Rosita (not her real name). In the late ?60s, we used to share a house in Quezon City while we were trying to earn a degree.

When they returned to the island to teach after earning a degree, Uncle Tom was involved in an affair that was the talk of the town for many years.

When the ?scandal? subsided, Uncle Tom shared with me a diary called ?Restricted Love.?

Uncle Tom?s first extramarital fling involved a public-school teacher ? my Aunt Rosita?s co-teacher. Uncle Tom?s unlikely lover was a constant visitor in my Aunt?s house where they exchanged notes on various subjects ? lesson plans, new dance steps, new repertoire for the school?s choral group, new ideas for presentations for the annual Literary-Musical night of the regional athletic meet.

One sunny day on the island, my cousin Danny brought home a letter addressed to Uncle Tom, then in Manila for ?official? business. The letter was returned to sender because it lacked an anti-TB stamp. When the letter was handed to my Aunt, she expressed surprise. She did not write Uncle Tom that week.

On the envelope, she saw the sender?s name ? ?Nene.?

My Aunt never used that name, not even during their honeymoon.

Letter

Curious and disregarding what she called GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct), she opened the mysterious letter.

The letter in its unexpurgated (and unedited) form:

?Tom dear,

?Through this letter may I greet you once more with warm kisses and caresses as we once had during our first meeting.

?My dear, I still have happy lingering memories of that meeting with its happiness that often ends up in loneliness for we are apart. You once asked when we will be together again. Well. I knew not when. I?m too waiting for that time to come.

?But I am afraid it may not come for there are persons who will be frustrating its coming. Well Nonoy, I received your letter with a romantic piece of poetry. Sorry I was not able to write right away for I was too busy attending to the request of your wife.

?Cora

?P.S. Tom dear, you will be having your long expected baby from your dear wife. The absence of that child made you think of changing your wife. Now that you will be having one from her, will you disregard me? My dear, I am very much disturbed so please be frank with me.?

Shocked

Aunt Rosita fainted from this discovery. The letter came from her co-teacher, with whom she always exchanged notes on recipes and lesson plans.

When my aunt recovered, my Uncle Ben and Tia Conching were at her side comforting her. There must be no scandal, my uncle warned my hapless aunt. My aunt in distress looked at the envelope and discovered another sheet of paper with a love poem which ended with ?My heart in your hand, to fool it beware/ For till death you?ll always have it dear/ To nourish you with love forever and ever.?

After reading the poem, my aunt Rosita fainted for the second time. She woke up cursing my Uncle Tom and her co-teacher. Then she had a miscarriage.

Jolted, my Uncle Ben moved heaven and earth to prevent a scandal involving a family friend.

I knew Uncle Tom?s mistress. When I was in grade school, she was the president of the Legion of Mary in our parish. Every Sunday, she would jot down my benign accomplishments for the week: I prodded 10 souls to go to confession, I caused the reconciliation of five warring couples, I was able to convince a married couple with 12 children to get married in church. I think I was one of her favorite Legionaries.

One time in the capital town where Legionaries all over the country converged for a presidium meeting, she would gently put her hand on my shoulder ? I like Niño Muhlach and she likes Alicia Alonzo in the film ?Tahan Na Empoy, Tahan.?

Our conversation went something like this:

?Brother Pablo, turn to God whenever you have problems.?

?Yes, Sister Cora.?

?Brother, always look at the brighter side of things no matter how despondent you get.?

?Yes, Sister.?

Woman scorned

At the time, Sister Cora, my poor Aunt?s co-teacher, was a model woman in the community. I was happy for her when she got married to another teacher. It seemed however that her parents matched her to a man she never loved.

When she turned to Uncle Tom for comfort, I wasn?t surprised.

When the ?scandal? faded away like a bad nightmare, my Aunt Rosita could just chuckle every time she would reread Sister Cora?s love letters and their attached poetry.

On one of my latest visits where I was already a full adult, Uncle Tom treated me like a man of the world by regaling me with details of his past romance.

There was one detail which still sticks to my then young mind: Uncle Tom and Sister Cora brought along the latter?s 7-year-old son in one of their Manila trysts. They ended up in a Cubao theater after being rejected in Greenhills because the theater was showing a for-adults-only film not fit for the boy. When darkness engulfed them inside the theater, Uncle Tom kissed Sister Cora quite passionately. Her eyeglasses fell on the aisle. They proceeded to neck and pet while Sister Cora?s 7-year-old kid stared petrified on the screen.

When the scandal broke, the townsfolk said the lovers would surely burn in hell.

On my own, I was on Sister Cora?s side, believing that true love would redeem everything. Perhaps that signaled my breaking away from so-called hometown virtues. It dawned on me that coming to grips with that affair also signaled the loss of my innocence.