“I’ve never been as scared as I was when...”

I’ve never been as scared as I was when I was left alone in my house at the age of 7 or 8. That was my frightful morning that when I wake up, I noticed that my parents are not around inside the house, and no concern in my brother and sister, who were in Manila that time due to studies and work. I shouted, “MA! PA! Nasaan kayo?!”. I came in search of them, thinking on that time that they were in danger. And there came a time that I went in the house at the front of our house, the Velando residence with their funeral service that time, because they have a funeral business with the name “Funeraria Magdalena”.  The breadwinner of the family, “Mang Boy” as the one that I call, saw me and asked me what was happening. I told him that my parents are missing. So that came to the point that he gave me a hot chocolate and let me rest in their couch. And hours later, my parents went back and I was crying that time. They told me that they bought me food. And that made me happy, but I considered it as one of my scariest moments of my life...