Quick Reflections

Spanking was never my parents’ style. I was lucky. I heard horrible stories on how the belt was used. I am so relieved I never experienced corporal punishment, for I had my fair share of mischief.

My first (and last) crime happened on a rainy day when I was about 10 years old. Five of us soaking wet kids from the neighborhood decided to walk to the fields and chase some frogs. We happily ran to the rough roads leading to our destination, occasionally stopping to jump up and down the puddles. We also passed by our neighbor who works for Coca-Cola. Something caught my eye and my jaw just dropped.

At the top of his Coca-Cola truck lay the newly-released, limited quantity Mello Yello 12oz bottle. We were all in awe. Our local DYKR just announced that the Mello Yello has conquered Kalibo for the first time. We walked closer, smitten by this green, shiny bottle. We all wondered what the ‘Millo-Yillo’ taste like, and by default (for I was the best climber amongst us), I planned the big steal.

I don’t exactly remember how I climbed the adjacent guava tree, nor do I remember jumping from one of its tree branches to the top of the truck. I don’t know how I grabbed 2 slippery bottles Mello Yello’s, or how I got down from that 50 ft, 18-wheeler truck. I had no idea why I didn’t get caught by any of our neighbors, nor set off the wild guard dogs. We must have walked home with our 2 Mello Yellos to share.

Then I remembered my father looking at me in the eye in complete disbelief. He calmly told me to quickly get my butt back to our neighbor’s house and return the bottles (unopened). I also need apologize to the truck driver for my wrongdoing, and swear with the ‘peks-man’ sign that from now on, I will leave his Coca-Cola truck alone. I did just that while I was still soaking wet from the rain. I ran home before the truck driver and his wife could ask me questions.

To this day, the soft drink stealing episode is a running joke in the family. My mom just told that story to a bunch of strangers attending Celso’s birthday party. I have to quickly interrupt her and tell her it must have been my sister Heidi who did it. But it was definitely me. Ha! Ha! Ha! Damn that Mello Yello and the 80s!