…a brief glance…

Sad news…Upon changing my SIM card to my Vodafone sim I received a text message from my Dad informing me that Tito Rex had passed away.

Tito Rex is sort of an unsung hero from my childhood. Tito Rex was one of my Dad’s collegues, shall we call him. He worked side by side my Dad for as long as I can possibly remember. He was like my Dad’s right hand man. In every possible way! We were even neighbours at one stage. From the moment I met him, he has never failed to look out for me and take care of me. In a lot of ways while we were in the Philippines, I saw him a lot more than my Dad. Tito Rex was always funny. Never failed to crack a joke no matter how bad it was. He was always teasing me, and the way he pronounced ‘Cook’ always made me laugh in his Visayan accent. It’s sad to think he’s gone, especially since I was only in the Philippines a couple of months ago and I never got to see him. I remember thinking of him, and hoping to see him, but we never got around to it. Tito Rex lived next door to our house for awhile till I think we moved to Sydney. More or less. I spent countless hours next door playing with their at that stage 2 kids. Hap-Hap, their eldest, who was still a baby back then was my playmate. When we moved to Sydney we continued to be in touch with their family, as his siblings and parents had also moved here. Visits home, especially after my Dad left to move back to the Philippines, included seeing him. More often than not, he was always around. Him taking care of me resumed as though no time passed. He would fuss and make sure I was looked after, and fed. When I was home for Kuya PJ’s wedding in 1998, I got terribly sick while at my cousin’s house. I remember it was him who picked me up after a full days work, taking me back to my Dad’s condo. After which he ran around buying me medicine, juice, and what not to make me comfortable. I’m sure at the request of my Dad to some extent…but the fact that he was taking care of me was a norm from my what I could remember. He made me feel more than just the Boss’ daughter. The last I saw Tito Rex was Kuya PJ’s wedding, at least from what I could remember. I probably didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye to him that night because we were running around. I wish I had seen him one last time, if only to thank him for all he had been for me while I was growing up. Going home again will be different, knowing that I no longer have that option to see him. That I will no longer hear him call me ‘Cook’ … however I trust that he is at peace in the presence of God in heaven. My heart goes out to his family, especially to his many kids. I will miss him greatly!