We Came for the Fridge, Left Behind Our Sanity (and a High Chair)

So we went back to Hinigaran last Saturday.

Not for a family reunion, not to check on the house, not to bask in small-town nostalgia—but to fetch appliances like desperate contestants on a budget home makeover show. We got the essentials: the gas range, the refrigerator, and the ever-glorious washing machine (praise be).

Now, let me backtrack a little. Our original plan was to keep all those appliances in Hinigaran and buy shiny new ones for our Bacolod home. Because, you know… new house, new appliances, new debt. We were all set for that fantasy until boom—we bought a 2.5 HP LG split-type inverter aircon and realized… oh look, we’re poor again! 💸

And not just regular poor—we’re the “we can’t afford another Shopee checkout” kind of poor. So we did the logical thing: we snatched the appliances from Hinigaran. After all, no one’s living in my part of the house there anyway. Might as well make use of them instead of letting them die a slow, dusty death.

Then came The Great Appliance Heist Part Two: I decided to also bring Yui’s high chair. Huge mistake. Maaaajor mistake. Ralph, who I swear thinks he’s auditioning for Fast & Furious: Negros Edition, was driving a bit too fast. And guess what? The high chair yeeted itself from the back of the truck. ✨Gone with the wind✨. Along with the glass lid of our stove. Because apparently, our appliances have dreams of freedom too.

The truck behind us was kind enough to let us know that some items flew off and possibly crash-landed somewhere around the Valladolid plaza area. But we didn’t go back. Because:

1. They were probably broken beyond repair, and
2. I was emotionally unprepared to see the corpse of Yui’s fancy, not-so-budget-friendly high chair lying in the middle of the road like a crime scene.

The guilt hit me so hard I literally got sick the next day. Just lay in bed all day while the plumber did his noisy thing fixing our Bacolod plumbing situation. Thank the heavens the new aircon was already installed. It was 42°C outside with a heat index high enough to melt dignity. But inside? We were living the cool, comfy, air-conditioned dream. 🤧

As for Hinigaran—only three Red-Eared Slider turtles and Ralph’s saltwater fish remain. Don’t worry, they’re not abandoned! We just need someone who can build a turtle pond and a giant custom aquarium. Easy peasy, right? (insert nervous laugh here)

Anyway, I’m adjusting. Slowly. The pets are adjusting too—and they look happier now. And if they’re happy, I’m happy. Even if I’m still mourning a flying high chair that now lives somewhere between a Valladolid sari-sari store and the edge of my broken heart.