The Mats

By Francisco Arcellana
For the Angeles family, Mr. Angeles'; This mat had been given to Nana Emilia by always (his itinerary carried him through
homecoming from his periodic inspection her mother when she and Mr. Angeles were the fruit-growing provinces): pineapples,
trips was always an occasion for celebration. married, and it had been with them ever lanzones, chicos, atis, santol, sandia,
But his homecoming--from a trip to the since. It had served on the wedding night, guyabano, avocado, according to the season.
South--was fated to be more memorable and had not since been used except on He had also brought home a jar of preserved
than, say, of the others. special occasions. sweets from Lopez.

He had written from Mariveles: "I have just It was a very beautiful mat, not really meant Putting away the fruit, sampling them, was
met a marvelous matweaver--a real artist-- to be ordinarily used. It had green leaf as usual accomplished with animation and
and I shall have a surprise for you. I asked borders, and a lot of gigantic red roses lively talk. Dinner was a long affair. Mr.
him to weave a sleeping-mat for every one woven into it. In the middle, running the Angeles was full of stories about his trip but
of the family. He is using many different whole length of the mat, was the lettering: would interrupt his tales with: "I could not
colors and for each mat the dominant color Emilia y Jaime Recuerdo sleep nights thinking of the young ones.
is that of our respective birthstones. I am They should never be allowed to play in the
sure that the children will be very pleased. I The letters were in gold. streets. And you older ones should not stay
know you will be. I can hardly wait to show out too late at night."
them to you." Nana Emilia always kept that mat in her
trunk. When any one of the family was The stories petered out and dinner was over.
Nana Emilia read the letter that morning, taken ill, the mat was brought out and the Putting away the dishes and wiping the
and again and again every time she had a patient slept on it, had it all to himself. dishes and wiping the table clean did not at
chance to leave the kitchen. In the evening Every one of the children had some time in all seem tedious. Yet Nana and the children,
when all the children were home from their lives slept on it; not a few had slept on although they did not show it, were all on
school she asked her oldest son, José, to read it more than once. edge about the mats.
the letter at dinner table. The children
became very much excited about the mats, Most of the time the mat was kept in Nana Finally, after a long time over his cigar, Mr.
and talked about them until late into the Emilia's trunk, and when it was taken out Angeles rose from his seat at the head of the
night. This she wrote her husband when she and spread on the floor the children were table and crossed the room to the corner
labored over a reply to him. For days after always around to watch. At first there had where his luggage had been piled. From the
that, mats continued to be the chief topic of been only Nana Emilia to see the mat heap he disengaged a ponderous bundle.
conversation among the children. spread. Then a child--a girl--watched with
them. The number of watchers increased as Taking it under one arm, he walked to the
Finally, from Lopez, Mr. Angeles wrote more children came. middle of the room where the light was
again: "I am taking the Bicol Express brightest. He dropped the bundle and,
tomorrow. I have the mats with me, and The mat did not seem to age. It seemed to bending over and balancing himself on his
they are beautiful. God willing, I shall be Nana Emilia always as new as when it had toes, he strained at the cord that bound it. It
home to join you at dinner." been laid on the nuptial bed. To the children was strong, it would not break, it would not
it seemed as new as the first time it was give way. He tried working at the knots. His
The letter was read aloud during the noon spread before them. The folds and creases fingers were clumsy, they had begun
meal. Talk about the mats flared up again always new and fresh. The smell was always shaking.
like wildfire. the smell of a new mat. Watching the
intricate design was an endless joy. The He raised his head, breathing heavily, to ask
"I like the feel of mats," Antonio, the third children's pleasure at the golden letters even for the scissors. Alfonso, his youngest boy,
child, said. "I like the smell of new mats." before they could work out the meaning was was to one side of him with the scissors
boundless. Somehow they were always ready.
"Oh, but these mats are different," pleasantly shocked by the sight of the mat:
interposed Susanna, the fifth child. "They so delicate and so consummate the artistry Nana Emilia and her eldest girl who had
have our names woven into them, and in of its weave. long returned from the kitchen were
our ascribed colors, too." watching the proceedings quietly.
Now, taking out that mat to spread had
The children knew what they were talking become a kind of ritual. The process had One swift movement with the scissors, snip!
about: they knew just what a decorative mat become associated with illness in the family. And the bundle was loose.
was like; it was not anything new or strange Illness, even serious illness, had not been
in their experience. That was why they were infrequent. There had been deaths... Turning to Nana Emilia, Mr. Angeles
so excited about the matter. They had such a joyfully cried: "These are the mats, Miling."
mat in the house, one they seldom used, a In the evening Mr. Angeles was with his Mr. Angeles picked up the topmost mat in
mat older than any one of them. family. He had brought the usual things the bundle.
home with him. There was a lot of fruits, as
"This, I believe, is yours, Miling."
"And this is yours, Jesus." "Do you think I'd forgotten? Do you think I
Nana Emilia stepped forward to the light, had forgotten them? Do you think I could
wiping her still moist hands against the Mat after mat was unfolded. On each of the forget them?
folds of her skirt, and with a strange young children's mats there was somehow an
shyness received the mat. The children appropriate device. "This is for you, Josefina!
watched the spectacle silently and then
broke into delighted, though a little self- At least all the children had been shown "And this is for you, Victoria!
conscious, laughter. Nana Emilia unfolded their individual mats. The air was filled with
the mat without a word. It was a beautiful their excited talk, and through it all Mr. "And this is for you, Concepcion."
mat: to her mind, even more beautiful than Angeles was saying over and over again in
the one she received from her mother on her his deep voice: Mr. Angeles called the names rather than
wedding. There was a name in the very uttered them.
center of it: EMILIA. The letters were large, "You are not to use these mats until you go
done in green. Flowers--cadena-de-amor-- to the University." "Don't, Jaime, please don't," was all that
were woven in and out among the letters. Nana Emilia managed to say.
The border was a long winding twig of Then Nana Emilia noticed bewilderingly
cadena-de-amor. that there were some more mats remaining "Is it fair to forget them? Would it be just to
to be unfolded. disregard them?" Mr. Angeles demanded
The children stood about the spreading mat. rather than asked.
The air was punctuated by their breathless "But Jaime," Nana Emilia said, wondering,
exclamations of delight. with evident repudiation, "there are some His voice had risen shrill, almost hysterical;
more mats." it was also stern and sad, and somehow
"It is beautiful, Jaime; it is beautiful!" Nana vindictive. Mr. Angeles had spoken almost
Emilia's voice broke, and she could not say Only Mr. Angeles seemed to have heard as if he were a stranger.
any more. Nana Emilia's words. He suddenly stopped
talking, as if he had been jerked away from a Also, he had spoken as if from a deep,
"And this, I know, is my own," said Mr. pleasant fantasy. A puzzled, reminiscent grudgingly-silent, long-bewildered sorrow.
Angeles of the next mat in the bundle. The look came into his eyes, superseding the
mat was rather simply decorated, the design deep and quiet delight that had been briefly The children heard the words exploding in
almost austere, and the only colors used there, and when he spoke his voice was the silence. They wanted to turn away and
were purple and gold. The letters of the different. not see the face of their father. But they
name Jaime were in purple. could neither move nor look away; his eyes
"Yes, Emilia," said Mr. Angeles, "There are held them, his voice held them where they
"And this, for your, Marcelina." three more mats to unfold. The others who were. They seemed rooted to the spot.
aren't here..."
Marcelina was the oldest child. She had Nana Emilia shivered once or twice, bowed
always thought her name too long; it had Nana Emilia caught her breath; there was a her head, gripped her clasped hands
been one of her worries with regard to the swift constriction in her throat; her face between her thighs.
mat. "How on earth are they going to weave paled and she could not say anything.
all of the letters of my name into my mat?" There was a terrible hush. The remaining
she had asked of almost everyone in the The self-centered talk of the children also mats were unfolded in silence. The names
family. Now it delighted her to see her died. There was a silence as Mr. Angeles which were with infinite slowness revealed,
whole name spelled out on the mat, even if picked up the first of the remaining mats seemed strange and stranger still; the colors
the letters were a little small. Besides, there and began slowly unfolding it. not bright but deathly dull; the separate
was a device above her name which pleased letters, spelling out the names of the dead
Marcelina very much. It was in the form of a The mat was almost as austere in design as among them, did not seem to glow or shine
lyre, finely done in three colors. Marcelina Mr. Angeles' own, and it had a name. There with a festive sheen as did the other living
was a student of music and was quite a was no symbol or device above the name; names
proficient pianist. only a blank space, emptiness.

"And this is for you, José." The children knew the name. But somehow
the name, the letters spelling the name,
José was the second child. He was a medical seemed strange to them.
student already in the third year of medical
school. Over his name the symbol of Then Nana Emilia found her voice.
Aesculapius was woven into the mat.
"You know, Jaime, you didn't have to," Nana
"You are not to use this mat until the year of Emilia said, her voice hurt and surely
your internship," Mr. Angeles was saying. frightened.

"This is yours, Antonia." Mr. Angeles held his tears back; there was
something swift and savage in the
"And this is yours, Juan." movement.