Promises

One reason children become bitter toward their parents is broken promises. Parents make promises to their children they do not or could not keep. I love my parents, but they're not perfect. Still, I can learn from them. Now that I am a parent, both to my daughter Dana and to my inner artist child, I must not make any promises to them that I don't intend to keep.

I think promising an artist date and then not showing up would break my inner child's heart.

I was, I think, 8 or 9... maybe 10, when the "Zyklone Loop" came out in the Philippines. That was the first roller coaster here that had a 360-degree loop. I wanted to get on it. I wanted to experience my feet being thrown over my head!

I asked my Dad if he would take me to Star City (the theme park) and so I can ride the Zyklone Loop. He said yes. This never happened, though. Every year I would wait and wait if the promise would be fulfilled. I only stopped waiting when I was in high school, when I decided that roller coasters were childish stuff.

Not that I'm bitter towards Dad because of one broken promise, but at that time, I do remember being severely disappointed. But I never told him about it.

It was December 31, 1999. I was 17 or 18 at the time. I stepped out of Sofitel (then Westiin Philippine Plaza) giddy after having seen Lea Salonga in person for the first time. Unable to find a cab because it was close to midnight, I found myself buying a ticket to Star City. I was alone. My family had gone home to visit Grandma and was expecting me to follow. I thought, I had to spend the turn of the millennium alone, I might as well do it in the theme park. Lo and behold, I found the Zyklone Loop. It was rusty, rickety, dangerous-looking. I thought, heck, why not? I have been at that point been on the Space Shuttle countless times and wasn't scared one bit. So I thought I might as well ride this one that looks like its nuts and bolts are gonna give with each ride.

I did it. I rode the Zyklone Loop. Never mind that I was no longer the kid that I was with a daredevil's smile. Never mind that Dad wasn't there watching his son trying to be brave.

While being flipped over, I thought of Dad, waiting for me in Grandma's house. Then I smiled.