What’s in a Name?
Between 1974 and 1977, Jimmy and Alice tried to conceive a child. They have done everything — danced in Obando, spoke to spirits, did the meds, nothing.
Now Alice’s father Jacob had a sister Francisca — fondly called Kikay in her native Laguna. Since Kikay was 18 years old, she has been a "meduim" for a holy spirit her family has referred to as "Lola Ana". Lola Ana, apparently, is the mother of Mary who is the mother of Jesus. (I wonder if Mary has other relatives who are also making the spirit rounds?). As Lola Ana, Kikay had allegedly performed miracles — healed the sick, made predictions, all that stuff — since she can remember.
Anyhoo, Jacob suggested to his daughter Alice that he and Jimmy go to Lola Ana/Tiya Kikay in faraway Kalayaan, Laguna (it’s so far, it’s near…. after a few towns, you’re right back in the middle of Rizal) for help. So they did. Tiya Kikay went into a trance and Lola Ana spoke to them. Lola Ana/Tiya Kikay massaged Alice’s stomach, back and limbs (leaving her as greasy as a newly fried chicken) and the couple returned to Manila.
A month or so later, Alice got pregnant.
Due to the eeriness of the event, they just had to —- HAD TO — name this child Ana. (I wonder what would have happened if the baby turned out to be a boy). Also, she had to have an "R" second name so she can have the initials "ARAS" which is the small pouch filled with coins which the groom gives to the bride during the wedding ceremony.
So Jimmy and Alice tried various Ana "R" combinations: Ana Regina. Ana Rochelle. Ana Roberta. Ana Rumpelstiltskin. Ana Rhododenron. Ana Roastbeef.
Until one day, Alice (in her 5th or 6th month of pregnancy) saw on TV a tall, beautiful, busty woman named Raquel Welch. She admired the woman so much, and the sound of "Ana Racquel" just seemed right, that they decided that that would be the name of the baby.
Twenty-nine years later, the baby grew up and documented this story for all her friends to read because she had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon….
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Epilogue: Saturday, July 15, 2006 was the reunion of Alice’s clan on her father Jacob’s side which brought her, her husband Jimmy, her grown up (and blown up) daughter Ana Racquel and her grandson Jacob James Rafael (who twenty years from now might also document how his mother came up with this ridiculously long name) back to Kalayaan, Laguna. Much to the annoyance of the grown up Ana Racquel — everyone in the clan knows the story of how she got the name Ana Racquel that during the whole event, everyone would address her as Ana Racquel….
