THE AGING LION LIMPS FOR HOME

Bro. Chibu:

I would have let your email pass by saying “OK, I’m fine.” But I’ll be lying if I say that So I’ll tell you what happened.

Last May 26, Thursday, I was busy tending to the miscellaneous things that needed to be fixed in the house, But the bungling old lion that I had now become, I spilled and down the floor I landed smacking my jaw on the tiles in the process. My immediate reaction was of course to find out if it is still in serviceable condition and finding that only a light pain showed, I confidently dismissed the accident and forgot all about it

That Saturday was the stated meeting of Juan Sumulong Lodge No. 169, a lodge dear to me. I was already feverish then and had it not been for the fact that I am to get the barong tagalog that the lodge has provided for its members, I would not have reported to the lodge. I attended the meeting and enjoyed the fellowship with the brethren thinking that it was only an ordinary fever but not connected to the accident.

The next Saturday, I attended the stated meeting of Laong Laan Lodge No. 185. This time however, my right ankle was already swollen and my fever has not gone away. Faced with the fact that we are already scheduled to ride the Superferry bound for Tagbilaran on Monday and fearful that an incision on the swollen leg will only inconvenience me during travel, we decided to postpone any medical treatment, and at the ship, I lamely sipped my eight cans of Miller Canned Beer during the twenty-eight hour trip. To further confound our consternation, the room that we were booked in was at the middle of the ship thus depriving us of the scenery of the islands that dotted the passage lane.

Upon docking at the pier at three thirty in the morning of June 8 we proceeded directly to the Ramiro Hospital and had the swollen foot attended to. The attending physician told me to return two days later and so on Friday, we promptly reported back to the hospital.

But the wound has not healed and so an Internist and another surgeon was recommended to us by the Resident Physician. Subsequent medical tests were made and the wound was again opened and the blood that clotted inside was removed. Later in the day, we went home to our den in Guindulman. It turns out wounds of diabetics are not that easy to heal (I’ve heard of this old line before but I never thought it also applies to the old lion)

I can only hope, the wound heals otherwise, if it gets any worse, then you may expect that the now almost-toothless lion will also have only a single foot to limp on!

Now so much for that sob story. Let’s now tackle your interests there.

I’m glad to learn Ka Raffy has already contacted you. It is not necessary that we personally attend to his needs, referring him to our brothers who can probably help will already suffice.

I’m also glad you are active in the DeMolay movement. Down here we now have two Grand Lights (RW Romy Yu and Pacifico Boy Aniag) and they surely can reeve up petitions from Senior DeMolays thus adding quality members to our Grand Lodge. This certainly will augur will for the Fraternity. I trust it will also do well for you there.

This email by the way is also being furnished all the viewers of the lion’s den. More will be coming as the seven-week sojourn at the metropolis entailed quite a number of stories to tell.

With my kindest fraternal regards!

Bro. Jun