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Oh Taylor! 3/7/2012 4:50:10 PM
I’ve always seen Taylor as my young niece, so innocent and reserved. I didn’t see her fuss although her sister, Lauren and my sister tells me otherwise. She was like my mom who was particular about things. For example, before we all leave the house, she would make sure that the stove was switched of, the window shades were closed and doors were locked. She did not complain about being sick or complain at all. She did not talk a lot although with Lauren around, she could become boisterous. She took care of two rabbits and here she failed because I find a lot of poop in their pen. And one rabbit died. I learned about it last time I was there. But that was the extent to which she could fail.
She is a good student, as good as Lauren. They get excellent grades. She is an avid reader and can honestly say she multi-tasks. I was sleeping in their living room every time I come visit them. She was lying on the couch. All around her were books, her iphone and her homework. I asked her what she was doing. She said that she was doing her homework. And then I interjected, “…while texting.” “Yes.” And on top of that, she was also reading a novel. For all I know, she was reading the “Twilight Saga.”
One night, as Lauren, Taylor and I were joshing around, the topic landed on art. I told them that we would not have thought that our family was art centric. But here I was, writing books, novels, blogs and essays. Lauren was trying to be in the performing arts. Even my sister was into painting. And Taylor suddenly jumped up and told me about her art project. She rushed upstairs to her bedroom and retrieved pieces of artwork she was harboring for quite some time. There were drawings and collages and all sort of paraphernalia. She described how she created it and why she created it. True art was a creation without any compelling outside reason to do so. So, without her project being an assignment or no one asking her to do art, she created her art and this is true art.
She was a product of Filipino and Mexican parents; and her beauty outshines most of her contemporaries. Her eyes were deep brown, and you could get lost in it. Her hair…yeah, her hair was absolutely shiny and bulbous. BIG HAIR, as they said which was lost on me because she did not have any ego to go with it. Her hair turns brownish when she exposed it to the sun. She could be a glamorous gal but through all these, she remained demure.
So this evening, I talked with mom over the phone about small things, about her prayer meeting, about the choir, about friends visiting the house and about Lauren and Michael doing their laundry. And then, by happenstance, she mentioned that Taylor has a boyfriend. A BOYFRIEND!? I was very surprised. Mom said that he was good-looking but I interrupted and said goodbye to mom and immediately called another phone to reach Taylor. Lauren answered the phone and she too confirmed it.
So I asked Taylor what secrets had she not yet revealed to me. She mentioned about being accepted to Dominican College and St. Mary’s College. (She is in her senior year in high school and she is applying to different colleges and universities.) She planned to major in civil engineering or nursing depending on what college accepts her. And then she mentioned that she has a boyfriend. He was very respectful. My sister likes that. And he just left the house, she said demurely and unassuming. We wondered why through her high school she did not have a boyfriend despite the fact that she was so beautiful. She said that there were many suitors but she didn’t like any one of them. This guy liked Taylor and her classmates knew about it. But she didn’t. This relationship is just new, February 14. If the trend continues, we hope that it will be for the longest time, just like Lauren and Michael’s.
Oh Taylor! My almost innocent, reserved and beautiful niece.
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