Benjamin Chan Trading

My father's business is called Benjamin Chan Trading. I did not really get a chance to ask him why he name it that way. Positively, I would like to think that he loves his first born! I also remember that when he got mad at me, he would say, "Do not forget that I am the proprietor!"

Growing up, part of our job is to help him pack the products to be send to the provinces. It is mostly hardware products like hinges and potlucks. Sometimes we will have bigger items like boxes of nails or chicken wire. I would get a sharpie and write: FR BCT TO XX Hardware Baguio City.

Early on, when he did not own a pick up truck, he would go to the street corner and look for an empty jeepney who is willing to make some extra money. They would load the merchandise and deliver it to the trucking service. Later on, he bought a red Chevy truck with a tall camper. Aside from being the delivery truck, it was also our family car.

My father's business brought him to the different provinces in Luzon. Luzon is the northern big island of the Philippines. He went as far north as Laoag, Ilocos Norte and as far south as Albay where the famous Mayon volcano is located. I have been with him in many of his business trips. Just like in Manila, watching movies was part of it. I would wait at the store while he visit with his customers. For me, it was boring. But it allowed me to travel to many provinces.

Among those many trips, probably one incident stands out. We arrived in a city somewhere in the north of Manila. As usual, once the bus stops, vendors come over to offer what they are selling. The window was open. I was watching the vendors when suddenly water came down from the top. I wondered, "Is it raining?" The next thing I knew was there was the sound of an animal. It was a sheep! There was sheep on top of the bus. The water was not water or rain, the sheep urinated! We hurried to the restaurant nearby so that I could get a good wash of my face.