While Davaoeños were so busy in the annual festivity of Kadayawan sa Dabaw I on the other hand was so engross with the construction of my bamboo house. Since I was supervising, no one dared to stop the construction unlike the first day when my father-in-law tried to command us where to put up the house in order to spare the bathroom of her favorite daughter and son-in-law who secretly aired his demand to him the day we started the construction. Their bath is sitting on the property my father-in-law allocated to my wife as heirloom. Though my wife already notified her elder sisters before the construction started we are caught unaware of my father-in-law’s act. Even though I know his demand was very unreasonable and we on the other hand don’t want complications in our inter-relationship with them I and my wife consented. So we position our house just beside the bathroom of my in-laws. But when we layout the kitchen it turned out that the space was so constraint, so I and my wife again talked with my father-in-law and her sisters (the other affected sister pose no objection). Right there and then I told sister-in-laws that we should swap bathrooms (ours was erected at the back of theirs) so we can extend our kitchen in the area their bathroom is presently occupying and just leaving a small portion as bathroom for us to use. (Just imagine their original bathroom is much bigger than our kitchen-to-be. Isn’t it reasonable to bath swap?) With discontent in her voice the favorite daughter of my father-in-law finally relented. So when our carpenter pulled down their bath’s wall no one poses objection. It is understood then that we will share the use of our old bath which was left intact. But when our carpenter started building a new smaller bathroom in their now non-existent one enclosing it totally, father-in-law commanded him to tear it down again because his favorite son-in-law cannot pass through.

When I learned about this I said to myself, “Too much is too much”. I was so pissed off that on that instant I lost my respect for them. I know they knew I am already angry since they can read it on my face. I am one person who never learned how to hide my emotions. But I don’t care. If they want respect they should learn how to respect first.

Now that my dark emotion ebbed (my respect still non-existent) I can now dissect from a distance why my wife and other siblings just tolerated their sister and brother-in-law’s leeching. Why they pose no objection when their parents shower this one family with favor among others. The reason of their tolerance is simply, they don’t want disharmony in the family.

But I am not one of them. Activist as I am, I hate injustices and I expect fair play from others too - my wife’s family included. So I cannot guarantee that I can still play it cool if they will pull down another stunt that would trample down my family’s welfare again. No guarantees what my reactions would be.

They should not try me again.