White Hair Chronicles I

I have more than my fair share of white hairs thus I look older than my actual age. Here are instances when people thought I am much older.

I used to accompany my son on field trips. I noticed that all other parents were in their late 20s or early 30s. These other parents always had a respectful 'po' and 'opo' when talking to me. They keep on addressing me as 'sir'. It does not help that my son is the youngest son in his batch and could actually be my grandson IF I had a child at 16, AND that child had his own by 16.

So I tried to mingle with parents who looked to be in the same age demographics as I am. There was this man who had the same gray like mine. Aha, Ok, I thought to myself, this man is around my age. Then he said, "My daughter is ill. So I had to take the boy this trip. Apo ko na yan. (He's my grandson) pointing to a boy playing with my son. "Ikaw, pang-ilang apo mo na yan?", he asked me, thinking my son is my grandson. Argh, I am now a member of the grandfathers' row? But I was only 40 then, he was 57. Either I looked 57 at 40, or he was 40-looking 57.