Chapter Twenty-ThreeChamporado
6 cups of water
4 pieces of tablea
1 cup of glutinous rice
1 cup of coconut milk
condensed milk (to taste)
Lucas and his twelve labors
I have always been sensible. When I see something new and shiny, I learned to ask myself questions like: how much is it? Could we afford it? Do I need it? Or do I just want it? When it’s expensive and I don’t need it, I learned to bite my lip and look away.
Even when I want it so much I’m buzzing in my own skin.
When Papa left, Mama became the sole breadwinner. Sure, Mama went out with her kumares but she also worked twice as hard. I hardly saw her on weekdays. Because if she isn’t dancing with her kumares, she’s putting in the work.
I learned to understand that Mama needed to work long hours and to socialize because
