Footnote to Youth Reflection

Good day, reader!

This here is my reflection of the story Footnote to Youth by Jose Garcia Villa. Footnote to Youth is a story that revolves on the life of Dodong, a 17 year-old boy who gets attracted to a girl and has desires to get married to her at such an age.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

• Dodong - The main character. He is a 17 year-old boy who falls in love and wants to get married, at the age of 17.
• Teang - Dodong's love interest. She loses shape after giving birth to so many children fathered by Dodong.

The story begins with Dodong, a 17 year-old boy who is impatiently awaiting the return of his father. He was longing to tell his father that he has a love on Teang and has desires to get married to her. At his age, he feels that 17 years is already criteria for being called a "grown man" and that he can already bear the responsibilities of life. He informs this to his father, but is looked down upon, which Dodong heavily resents. His father eventually gives in to Dodong's desires for his blessing to marry Teang. Since 17 is still a minor age, Dodong needed his parent's consent to get married.

9 months later, Dodong waits outside while Teang, now his wife, gives birth to their first son named Blas. He then felt the slap of reality; he was still young, and he really is, and he wanted to enjoy life furthermore. He wanted to stop having children with Teang, but they came anyway. 7 children came all in all.

It was nothing for Teang, although she became shapeless after giving birth to 1 week of children (7).

Then, the domino effect happened. Now even their children, especially with Blas wanting to marry at 18, with Dodong at 36 years old, did fairly the same thing as they did with their predecessors. Then it so happened that at a young age, they were battling between youth and love, and that they want to enjoy their youth first before entering such marriage.

MORAL: Enjoy youth! There is nothing worth rushing when it comes to lovelife and marriage. There is a specified time for that, and it will come eventually.