I’m Niño Rico B. Lucas was born in 31th of October year 2002, at his hometown: San Fermin Cauayan City, Isabela
When I was just 2 years old, my mom went abroad, and I was left with my dad. Life was tough back then because my mom wasn’t around. My dad worked as a bodyguard, and he would come home late. Sometimes he wouldn’t come home until early in the morning, or not at all, so I would stay with his siblings, especially with Auntie Susan. Auntie Susan was the eldest among them. She took care of me whenever my dad wasn’t around. She fed me, and I would ask her for money for snacks or to play at the computer shop. Sometimes, I’d eat with my dad’s brother if Auntie Susan wasn’t available. My uncle and aunt lived close to us, so I stayed with them when my dad wasn’t around.
Back then, my parents communicated through pictures with messages written on the back, which my dad would send to my mom. Facebook wasn’t a thing yet, and my dad didn’t have a cellphone at that time. Growing up without your mom is difficult because that’s when you truly feel the hardships of life. My mom returned home for the first time when I was 7 years old. I was so happy because she bought me things I had only envied from my cousins—new toys, clothes, shoes, and delicious food that I used to only taste when shared by neighbors or my aunts. That’s when I realized how hard it was to grow up without my mom. But we were happy because my mom and dad were together again.
Soon after, my mom had to go abroad again to work. Once again, I was left with my dad. I was a naughty kid, always getting scolded and punished. I was skinny and dirty back then. I went to school, and my dad would give me 20 pesos for allowance before heading to work. In the mornings, either my dad or my aunt would prepare me for school. One time, a classmate asked me for some of my ice candy, but when I didn’t give him any, he stabbed me with a pencil. My classmate Jolo stabbed me in the arm, and I immediately ran home to tell my dad. I explained what had happened, and my dad went to my school to confront Jolo. When he entered the classroom, he taught Jolo a lesson, and after that, no one bothered me again.
I also had some close friends: Jeric, Bugsy, and Bryan. The four of us were tight, and they were also my neighbors. There was even a time when we collected toys from other kids and played with them. We used to skip classes, especially during our last subject, English, because we didn’t like it. We would go to Talavera Play Kingdom and play when the guard wasn’t around so we could get in for free since we only had 20 pesos as allowance. We would only go home when the school day ended so it would look like we attended class.
My mom came home again when I was 10 years old. That’s when she found out I was often scolded and punished because of my mischief. She defended me, and I was so happy she was back because I finally had someone on my side. However, she soon had to leave again, and this time something unexpected happened—it would be a long time before she came back. That’s when my dad started seeing someone else. He got another woman pregnant, and my mom found out. She immediately came home to confirm if it was true. After all, my dad could barely take care of me, and now he had gotten someone else pregnant even though he was still married to my mom. They eventually separated, and from then on, I lived with my mom.
My mom returned abroad to work and provide for me. She sent my allowance through my aunts until she saved enough and decided to come home for good so we could be together. My mom bought us our own house, but it wasn’t too far from my dad’s place because, when my younger sibling was born, she didn’t want us to grow apart. My younger siblings followed after me—Sean Lucas, Niña Lucas, and Liah Lucas.
Things were okay between me and my dad. I’m happy that, in the end, my family is still whole, thanks to the decisions of my parents, especially my mom. One reason why my parents get along now is because of my siblings—they’re so cute, haha! My mom even said she wants me to have a child soon. I told her I’m not ready yet. Despite everything that happened between my mom and dad, I’m still grateful that they get along because I know they made those decisions for me and my siblings.
