Jejomar Salinas, wrinkled with age and an ever present twinkle in his eye, sighed as he tried to fish another story from his old brain. He never expected his grandchildren to love his adventures with Feliks so much and was now struggling to find something as the eager youth watched. One young girl, he believed her name was something along the lines of Ray, stepped forward. She had soft, doe brown eyes and brown locks covered her face. She stood there for a moment, silent and squirming at being the centre of attention but then the timid girl squeaked out "How about the first time you saw grandma!?"

The old man looked at her with an inquisitive eye before chuckling heartily. The poor girl stepped back, as if she had done something wrong. He stopped and gave her a beaming smile. "Oh children, come closer! Your poor old grandpa can't stand up and come to you." he leaned back in his chair, beckoning her and the group of kids forward. And like a shepherd with his sheep, they followed with rapt attention.

The crackling fireplace behind Jay illuminated him, like a spotlight in the theatres of Broadway. "It all started the first day I visited the apartments. I could remember that day with such clarity." He paused, turning his head to the confused face of Bradley. Not the most intelligent of children but he had a good strong heart and that was needed in this family. "Bradley, clarity means that I remembered every single detail on that day. Now, moving on."

"This was also the day I met your own Grand-Uncle Eddy and Grand-Aunty Eva." The children gave a collective "whoaaaa" sound, eyes filled with excitement. Jejomar gave a little smile before continuing. "Yes, whoa. They were very young back then so they didn't know much as they did now. They were both like brother and sister to me. They have been there for almost a couple of years but treated me like a friend on my first day. Now there was this one time that Eddy-" One child raised his hand and the grandfather acknowledged it. "Pa, you're going on a side tangent again."

Jay grumbled something under his breath but still kept his smile up. "Ah yes. The day I met your grandmother. Well, I was invited by your Aunty Eva to lunch at a local café called the Mighty Bean. She explained that everyone in the nearby apartments knew each other and that the lunch would be a great way to introduce him. Now I was nervous. Very very nervous. I didn't know any of these people and I was a very shy person back then."

"Of course, you all know your Aunty Eva and she's an incredibly persistent and stubborn woman. She almost pushed me the entire way, saying how great the group was. I finally surrendered, entering the door to the Mighty Bean. I sat down on the table and introduced myself to everyone. It was all very standard but then I came across your grandmother. Why was she a sight to behold!"

The bearded, ageing Filipino chuckled heartily. "She was beautiful! It was as if the heavens sent down their most beautiful angel! I couldn't let my eyes off her during the whole lunch! I kept taking glances and I was sure that I was blushing a fiery red whenever I looked at her. After that moment, I couldn't even face her! It wasn't until years later that I even said that I loved her! How foolishly young I was." He smiled fondly as one of the children raised her hand. He gestured for her to speak.

"Grandpa, you always talk about her." She started in a curious and cutesy voice. "And we always listen to that stowie all the time! But ya never mentioned grandma's name." Jejomar furrowed his eyebrows, an inquisitive twinkle in his eye. "Of course I know her name! She's uh..." He faltered, the machines of the mind working hard to squeeze a name out. After a few tense moments, he began coughing into his handkerchief. He saw blood on the stained cloth and folded it, pocketing it away. He looked forlornly into the fire, as if the most terrible thing had happened. "I-I can't remember." He whispered it quietly, terror in his voice. "I can't remember her name."

That was the last time Jejomar Salinas cried. It was also the last time he was out of a hospital bed, suffering from a severe heart attack the day afterwards. He would spend his remaining days in a hospital. He chose to pull the cord. On his death bed, he did not die alone. Family and friends gathered around him, giving him their last good byes. The dying man clutched onto his first son's arm and whispered thiese words in his ear. "Na alala ko ang kanyang pangalan. Echo.". The poor business consultant had ignored his father's lessons in his native language and so, Je-Je's last words were lost. His wife, Echo Young Salinas, recovered from a year long coma the day afterwards.