Jerry Gracio’s Bagay Tayo
Love knows no bounds! It is what you may feel when you read the text written by Jerry Gracio, “Bagay Tayo”. “Love at First Sight”, “Kuwento”, and “Pitbull” are just parts of the story collection of Gracio. But even though I’ve only read the three excerpts, and with a subjective approach, it created a picture where you can visualize and understand their story. It became an open book where there are a lot of readers who are enjoying the progress of each chapter of their story.
Chapter 1: “Love at First Sight”
“HINDI AKO NANINIWALA DATI SA LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, kahit na sinasabi ni Shakespeare na “Whoever loves, loves at first sight.”
He said that he never believed in love at first sight until he met Pitbull. They talked and talked and he fell in love with his story. Not only his story, but with the person also.
Chapter 2: “Kuwento”
NAGSISIMULA ANG PAG-IBIG SA KUWENTO, nabubuo sa pagitan ng mga kuwentuhan.
He emphasized how conversations and stories can grow your relationship. “Pero gano’n naman talaga ang kuwento — hinuhúli táyo para hindi bumitaw.”
Chapter 3: “Pitbull”
RAYMOND BERNABE REÑA TALAGA ANG PANGALAN NI PITBULL.
He revealed the real name of Pitbull, his lover. He explained why Raymond’s name became Pitbull because of his brother. For Jerry, this kind of love is something unique and new. He didn’t expect for him to fall in love with Pitbull because he is not the typical guy Jerry falls in love with. It is where he also shared their fights and misunderstandings in a relationship. But at the end of the day, love wins.
The mood throughout the story is very light. His tone and voice was casual that helped it to be followed and absorbed easily by the readers. There was a mix of humor in it as a rhetorical device that made it more entertaining to read. Another is the use of metaphor where Jerry’s family described Raymond as a Pitbull. He was not hesitant and wholly revealed very concrete details and pieces from his life. Jerry used a first person point of view which was effective for it became conversational like he is just narrating their story in MMK. Each of the excerpts started with a catchy line and ended with an emotional takeaway or realizations. He also used a flashback structure where he goes back to the memories they’ve had. At the end, we can consider this story as a whole memoir of their love story.
From the title itself, “Bagay Tayo”, Jerry makes sense of that whatever the odds are, they are for each other. Their love can not be tainted. According to my research, there was a time that they had to be separated because Pitbull was imprisoned. Long distance relationships are really hard but they said that they made it work. Even their differences make them bagay.
Personally, I’ve learned so much about love in Jerry’s story. Love is beautiful especially when you experience these kinds of things. How love can be so unexpected. How love can be hard. How love can change a person. How love moves in mysterious ways… and can be cheesy. This book is in my to-read list now.
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