Mr. Steve Jr.

The earliest childhood memory that I can remember is when I was 3 years old. That was the death of my maternal grandfather. Though faces are faint traces I could still recall the wake and the burial. But it's strange that I could not remember the time I started to recognize my first name. I knew my full name when I started Grade I.

My father’s name is Tiburcio, a very unique name, of Spanish origin and in my whole life there were only 2 persons I met with such name---my father and a certain manager of a steel company. Both of them are goners now, maybe calling each other “Sangay” in heaven.

The name is so unusual, yet a favorite character in the fiction world. In my prepubescent years when soapies was still a hit on the radio, the most popular one titled “Diego Salvador” had a villain character named Don Tiburcio, enemy of Diego Salvador. In the Noli Me Tangere and sequel, El Filibusterismo, one character’s name is Don Tiburcio, the husband of Dona Victorina.

It is an old name, as old as Don Quixote and Jose Rizal, that in my grandparent’s time only few parents name their sons with Tiburcio. Now, no one will.

It is a funny name too. It tickles me, I don't know why. It’s not being disrespectful to my late father but it’s a fact of life that his name brings fun to people. In first days of school my heart would beat fast when our teacher would announce to let us introduce ourselves. If only we could exclude the parents name I would have done that because the moment my I mention my father’s name my classmates would start to giggle. It did not happen only to me but to all us siblings. They too suffered the stigma.

I could remember some of his friends called him Steve. We could only wish it was better off if its his real name.

When I entered freshman in college we were required to submit our birth certificates. It was my first understanding what a BC is and its significance in person’s identity. I took a copy from the city registrar’s office and to the shock of my life I found out something very outrageous in my BC. I have 2 first names and main one is Tiburcio. I was a junior of Steve. My first reaction was to get angry why I had not been told since the beginning such that I would have lived with it casually. My despair that time was futile. There was nothing that could be done but to accept the fact that I was a Steve Jr.

I don’t know if the secretary in the hospital where I was born did went to school or simply she is a dolt. Everything in my BC was misspelled---my name, address, parent’s name etc. It was terrible. I vowed to totally correct all these discrepancies one day.

Before I graduated college we went through the legal process of changing my name. It took several hearings and notices to the public before I got my new BC. The irony of it, my father has to appear in court alone without me because I was in Cebu busy with my studies. Him busy removing his name from my mine. My wish that time was granted. I was happy.

If I am to go back time with my present mindset I would retain my father’s name. I just thought how happy he was and proud of me when I was born. I would have been much prouder than him to be his namesake. If I will have a son I will name him Tiburcio in honor of my father. Will you do that if you are me?