I’ve been living a lie and there’s not much I can do about it. This has something to do with some specifics of our birth. You might think that my twin brother and I were joined in the head and when separated, it had affected my brain severely that is why I think this way. You are gravely mistaken and should beat yourself in shame. You hurt my feelings. Here, in fact, are the lies:

Lie #1: in my birth certificate, my birthplace is Dinalupihan, Bataan.

Lie #2: we were born 12 hours apart.

If my parents were to be believed, we were born in San Fernando, Pampanga. All my other sibs were born in our house and birthed by my father’s midwife cousin. With the midwife probably untrained to assist in twin deliveries, they decided to go to the nearest hospital in SFP. We were born only 45 minutes apart. Since we were fraternal, my mother had to go thru another labor after I was born. The clerk may have typed in "pm" instead of "am" after working overtime that day. No Starbucks yet to keep her awake.

Every time I fill out a form asking for a birthplace, I have to write the lie written on my birth certificate and on my passport. So the next time you see me pausing with my eyes closed every time I fill out a form, understand that I am praying for forgiveness.

But these are just documents and they don’t rule or control or define my life. They just fill spaces in the forms, nothing more. They don’t even buy me plant-based burgers! My life may have started with a mistake but the rest of it doesn’t have to be. They’re not even my fault -faults committed more than 60years ago. I’ve endured everyday not by thinking about the past, but by looking forward into the future. And living one day at a time.

Cheers to letting bygones be bygones!

#MyCafeNotes