From A Distance

***Richard & Hannah -- Baker Beach, San Francisco***

It doesn't seem so long ago when my brother Richard was literally the baby in the family. He's our only brother and he's the youngest so he got a lot of attention not only from our parents but also from us, his sisters.

I remember him being so frail and unwell as an infant. He was allergic to milk of almost any kind--breastmilk, baby formula, cow's milk--doctors tried to feed him different kinds but it would only give him a really bad case of diarrhea. He spent months at the Cebu Doctors Hospital with only IV/dextrose as his supply of food and fluid--without it he would get dehydrated. We didn't think he would survive, until one doctor found a kind of milk that hadn't been tried on my brother yet. It was goat's milk and it made him well.

I remember how our relatives, friends and even the nurses and doctors at the hospital gave him a nickname "Kanding" (Goat) because he only fed on goat's milk. When it was time for him to have solid food, my parents would feed him with goat's meat--blended or pureed after being cooked.

Even after he survived, he grew up very fragile. I remember how an easy fall or a mere stumble turned into a convulsion. I remember the trips to the ER each time he had a seizure. But as he got older, his body got stronger as well. Now, to my knowledge, he has no more allergies and hasn't been ill in a long time.

As the youngest in the family and the only boy among as kids, he was the object of both attention and ridicule. I remember how my sister and I always made fun of him. We would bully him and tell him he's gay until he cried. I remember how we would find him sleepwalking and the next day he would not stop hearing about it. I remember how I took him riding on a borrowed bike when I just learned how to ride and I drove him off a cliff. We both ended up with minor injuries but I had to deal with a major punishment.

We thought he would turn out to be a spoiled brat, but no. He turned out to be one loving son and brother. In college, he joined me in Dumaguete and went to the same university I attended. So I had to look out for him. He never argued with me on anything. He never complained about my rules or the food that I served despite the lack of variety as we had to live on a very tight budget. I'd give him 75 pesos in weekly allowance, which I know was realistically enough for just a day, but he would take it and make do with it. He was a very driven student. He made a lot of friends and was very happy. He didn't let anything get in his way. He worked hard, finished college and made us all proud.

I feel that it hasn't been long since then, but now he has grown up and ready to take on more responsibilities. He's found love and has made a commitment to start his own family and settle down. I can't help but feel proud that my once sickly and skinny little brother has now become a fine young gentleman with a nice girl in his arms.

I wish him well! I wish them both well! And even as he moves on, starts a new life and makes memories of his own, he will always remain my little brother and I will continue to look out for him--from a distance.

***Richard, Hannah and our parents -- Exploratorium, San Francisco***

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Photos:  I had the pleasure of taking their engagement/wedding photos during their last visit to San Francisco.  My parents tagged along and my dad was my assistant.  We had a blast!  The couple is so much fun to work with.  More photos here.