My son is the type of person that needs a little prepping up in order to get used to changes. He doesn’t do particularly well with changes, especially abrupt ones in situations where he feels powerless in. That’s why I’ve been slowly trying to introduce to him the concept of me leaving.

Unfortunately, it has not been very easy. Whenever i would mention the idea to him, he would always immediately respond with Sad na ko. And I know it’s not the silly pretend-kind of talk that little kids do. He really does feel sad. I’ve seen him break his heart several times whenever he and his beloved tita would part ways every weekend. (It’s heart wrenching to watch him turn from sad to angry whenever he sees his tita packing up and getting ready to go back to work for the following school week.) And I could only imagine how tough it’s going to be when it’s out turn to part ways.

So I try my best to slowly get him used to the idea. In fact, a few days ago, we got a chance to delve into the topic again when we were drawing.

I drew a tree house complete with swings, a slide, a ladder, and even outdoor lighting, and then I asked him if he would like to have a tree house like the one I just made. He said yes. I told him that I would be going to Brunei for a while to get enough money so I can make him one. He frowned at first. He didn’t say yes but at least he didn’t say no either. I told him how nice the tree house would be and how fun it would be to play inside it, and that’s when he started coming up with ideas of his own to add to his tree house.

I know it’s not completely a yes, nor is it a huge step towards acceptance, but that’s still improvement for me. I’m not exactly in a hurry to say goodbye to him either so for as long as I haven’t received my VISA and departure date yet, I’m going to keep on trying so it wouldn’t be that much painful for both of us (so it wouldn’t be as painful then as it is now).

Driving used to be fun and enjoyable, especially when andrea and I were just newly married. It was great to be able to go where we wanted to go anytime we felt like going. In fact, whenever I drove, especially at night, I felt free and at the same time, relaxed. However, things sort of went downhill after a few years.

When the red car started breaking down on us, driving started becoming risky. It’s not that I ignore safety signs or anything, but whenever we hear new sounds coming from the car, we couldn’t help but worry whether we’ll get home safely or not. (We’ve been towed twice in the red car by the way.) In fact, whenever we hear new rumbling noises from the car, I always felt like speeding up just to be able to get to the destination without breaking down.

Even after we sold the red car, and I started driving Papu’s VX200 Revo, driving never went back to the same enjoyable and liberating state that it used to be for me. With the malevolent and often unpredictable traffic, the cunning predators of the streets (MMDA), and the unstoppable oil price hikes, driving became more of a burdening task rather than a fun experience.

And, honestly speaking, I don’t think it would ever go back to the way it was. At least, not in the Philippines.

I know there are several types of lawyers available, and I know that the types can vary according to the area of specialty. However, I didn’t imagine that it would come to a point when specialization would rival the kind you see in medical doctors.

Mesothelioma lawyers, for example, are lawyers that specialize in Mesothelioma lawsuits. (Mesothelioma is a specific type of cancer that develops from the mesothelium, the protective covering of the body’s internal organs like the lungs and the heart.)  What in the world…?

If I remember correctly, even oncologists don’t specialize that much or individualize that specifically, although I’m not 100% sure. It’s so rare that it almost seems like a waste of time and energy to devote a career to something that doesn’t even occur that frequently, but then again I might just be mistaken.

Perhaps there is huge money in the litigation of mesothelioma cases. Perhaps, the fact that the condition arises from exposure to asbestos makes it a potentially lucrative field. I can only speculate. What  I do know is that it’s really amazing to know that there are actually attorneys that specialize in such cases.