CEBU CITY, Philippines – Tatay Chito Suello is a living proof that love has no end.
The 69-year-old tinker who has polio roams around the streets of Cebu City in his pedicab with a laminated picture of his wife, Marilyn, taped to the seat rest of his sidecar.
His wife died two years ago due to the complications caused by excess fluids in her lungs. She was 70.
Tatay Chito shows the laminated picture of his wife, Marilyn, taped to the seat rest of his sidecar. | CDND photo/Doris Mae Mondragon
“Gibutang ni nako iyang picture diri aron di ko mingawn. Mura ra gihapon mi gakuyog-kuyog bisan og wa na siya,” Tatay Chito said. “”Ang gugma nagpabilin.”
(I put her picture there so I won’t feel lonely. It’s like she still accompanies me even if she’s not there anymore. The love’s still there.)
According to Tatay Chito, who has been pedalling his way around the city offering his knife sharpening and shoe repair services, his wife Marilyn was always with him wherever he went.
“Kuyog gyud to siya nako kada adlaw, mosakay sa akong sikad ari na siya molingkod,” he recalled, glancing at the portrait of his wife at his sidecar.
(She came with me everyday and rode in my pedicab. She would sit here.)
He said there is a reason why Nanay Marilyn was special.
Growing up with polio, Tatay Chito said he had doubts on finding someone who would accept him. But then came Nanay Marilyn, who stuck with him until her final breath.
Tatay Chito said that their story was like that of the famous fairytale “Beast and the Beast.“
“Ambot ngano gyud to si Nanay nga ibog man kaayo siya nako. Molaylo na gud ko niya kaniadto kay dili man pabor iyang pamilya sa ako, apan naka-uyon gyod tingale siya nako,” he said.
(I really don’t know why she liked me. There was even a time when I distanced myself from her because her family didn’t approve of our relationship. But I guess she really liked me.)
He thinks it was his determination to survive in life that mattered for Nanay Marilyn.
“Kaniadto gud bisan may polio ko maningkamot gyud ko, daghan kong trabaho naagian. Nakita tingale tong Nanay maong ako iyang gipili bisan sa akong kalisod,” he said.
(Before, even if I had polio, I really strived to survive. I worked many jobs. She might have seen the hard worker in me that’s why she chose me even if I was poor.)
With her passing, Tatay Chito said he didn’t feel he was alone as long as he continued to work.
In fact, he continues to pedal around the streets offering his services, even on Valentine’s Day, because, according to him, this is how he keeps his wife’s memory alive.
“Wa ko mohunong kay makahinumdom man gud ko ni Nanay ani. Mao ni among date kaniadto. Malipay naman mi mag kuyog mi kada adlaw.”
(I didn’t stop [working] because this is how I remember Nanay. This is how we went on a date. We were happy just being together every day.) /bmjo