Short Story by Catherine Garcia Dario
The story follows Exequiel Garcia from his youth through his death at age 84. As a young man, Garcia witnessed frequent fights between his parents due to his mother's affair. He later had an affair himself with his secretary, Remedios, which caused his granddaughter Catherine to despise him.
They had three children including the mother of Catherine Garcia Dario. However, his grandfather Exequiel Garcia had an affair with his secretary Remedios for years. Catherine Garcia Dario hated her grandfather because of that. Her grandfather had a stroke and slipped into coma. She did not visit him at first because she was still mad at him, but eventually she did visit. Exequiel Garcia died on April 19, 2008.
Remedios never visited him in the hospital. However, on his grandfather’s crypt, she saw flowers with a card sent by Remedios.
José Zabala-Santos
José Zabala-Santos (sometimes spelled as Jose Zabala Santos) nicknamed as "Mang Pepe" by hometown neighbors and as "Zabala" by colleagues in the cartooning profession, was a successful cartoonist in the Philippines and was one of the pioneers of Philippine comics. He became one of the most popular cartoonists in the Philippines during the 1950s because of his cartoon characters such Popoy, Sianong Sano, and Lukas Malakas. Zabala is one of the "respected names" of artists in the Philippine cartoon and comics industry.
The origins of Philippine comic strips trace back to the early 20th century, and Comic books gained widespread readership after World War II. These early comics were deeply rooted in Western styles and formats, yet they possessed a distinctive character as melodramas enjoyed by both children and adults. Marked by ornate, baroque illustrations drawn in thick lines, Philippine comics peaked in popularity as a national pastime during the 1980s. They also served as source material for movies, as well as for promoting government initiatives.
Creative Non-Fiction by Nick Joaquin
About the Author
Quijano de Manila is the pen name of Nick Joaquin. He started writingbefore the war and his first story, “Three Generations” has been hailed as amasterpiece. He has been recipient of almost all the prestigious awards inliterature and the arts, including the National Artist Award for Literature in1976.
The story is about a man named Dr. Leonardo Quitangon who fell in love and ended up marrying a mysterious woman, Lydia Cabading who lives with her parents on a new house on Zapote Street. The couple spent their first months in that house due to the conditions laid down by Lydia’s father in order to wed. After several months of living in the house in Zapote Street, Leonardo almost immediately realized why Lydia had been so reserved and mysterious about her home life. Lydia’s father, Pablo Cabading was a policeman; he was very strict with house rules where the entire household revolved in submission to him and it came to the point where the couple cannot even stay on the same room anymore or even go out together.
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