Worried sick

I'm worried. I heard that my father's blood pressure shot up last night. He has been busy and into a lot of pressure for the past few days. He is running the small farm and the thresher business on his own, plus he is alone in the house and might be lonely sometimes. These, and the fact that he is not getting any younger (he will turn 63 this December) are taking a toll on his health.

The forthcoming barangay elections also adds to his worries. He has filed for candidacy (as barangay captain) even in the midst of our complaints and protests. According to him, politics in that small barrio of ours is starting to get rowdy - with the different parties throwing intrigues at each other. I don't understand how a small barangay where people know one another and everyone seems related to each other allow politics to cause a rift in their relationships. Is politics or the desire for power really that great?

Anyway, the fact that Tatay is running for office makes him a common target of intrigues. This angers him, which in turn angers me. I get angry, not with the intrigues but with Tatay's reaction to intrigues. He usually takes things personally and the opinions of others matter a great deal to him. I keep on telling him that if he wants to run for office, he should not expect all people to be pleased with him. He should not be 'pikon' because there are always those who won't agree with him, those who have different set of values from him and those whose purpose is just to create chaos. Hay, if only I can stop that election from happening . . . .

Tatay said that he really wants to help the people in our barangay. He sees the incumbent officers lacking in genuine desire to serve those who put them in office so he wants to take a chance, that if people want him, he would serve them well. Ewan ko ba!

I see my Tatay's generosity with the people. Sometimes, he is too generous that he gives to the point of abuse. This is one of the very reasons why I don't want him to run for office. I hate it when people abuse his kindness and take everything that he does for granted.

Well, I just hope that my father would be ready for whatever the outcome of the election is.