‘Slice of Life’ — the finale

It is a cartoon scene he would have enjoyed sketching. In his inimitable caricaturist’s style he would have worked in the various colorful characters caught in uproarous, if exaggerated, situations in a typical wake.

Except that this one is his own, where he, lying in state in a magnificent white metallic casket, guarded by beautifully crafted red sanctuary lamps, lords it over the assemblage of mourners gathered in the Claret church (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish) social hall in Diliman Quezon City.

It is the wake of Lauro "Larry" Alcala, who succumbed to cardiac arrest from complications of a long-running diabetic ailment last June 24 at his home in Bacolod.

It is a wake, as solemn and dignified as befitting someone of Larry’s stature who last year missed the National Artist Award by the proverbial hairbreadth.

For a wake, it is hardly a mournful occasion. Which is as it should be. For Larry, the quintessential humorist, would rather have people enjoying themselves in lively conversation, exchanging pleasantries, or even arguments, their differences of opinion dissipating in the goodwill atmosphere that Larry, the good-natured host, inspired, even in death.

His immediate family is there: wife Lupe, daughter Lizette, or Peewee, the doctora, sons Lamberto or Toti and Lauro Jr. or Boyette, and wife Menchu, their five children (all girls! And there goes the Alcala name); Larry’s sisters Helen and Aurora and their respective spouses, Rudy and Leod; eldest brother Juventino, or Benting, and wife Ody and their son and daughter Joven and Marianne; Cloty, wife of another brother Victorino, who had encouraged Larry to move to Bacolod after retirement and a slew of relatives from all over, including some from the province of Albay, Alcalas all, down to the third (or is it fourth?) degree of consanguinity.

Larry’s friends are also there: artists, cartoonists like himself, fellow graduates from the College of Fine Arts of UP, as well as friends from the media, academe, business, politics, the Church, etc., so numerous to enumerate them here.

It is a lively gathering made colorful by the personalities who have dropped in to pay their respects to the late artist.

But Larry would most likely not single them out to be depicted in this "Slice of Life" finals. The joke would be on some characters like the following:

There will be this elderly relative in a dramatic display of sorrow, blowing her nose into a yard-long piece of tissue; or another relative raising her voice in loud lamentation, her arms raised heavenward, her large bosom heaving monstrously, while attending relatives work to fan her back to consciousness after she drops into a dead faint.

And there will be this scene near the long table laden with drinks, refreshments, pastries, and some mischievous kids are snitching some supplies to stuff into their pockets, but a more enterprising youngster does his act better because he is jugging away the large container of soft drinks immersed in cracked ice, heh, heh...

The entry to the hall is blocked by the presence of a rolly-polly figure – Mr. Congressman, of course – who has made his appearance together with his huge floral arrangement and he goes around shaking hands with everyone. Surely Larry won’t be able to resist making this acute commentary on the politico’s penchant for basking in the public limelight – even at a wake.

And speaking of floral wreaths, Larry would have drawn all sorts of these, in varied shapes, multicolored flowers, with huge sashes proclaiming in extra large letters the names of some would-be candidate in the barangay election, or an assignment for a prestigious police position. O, di ba?

For sure, Larry won’t miss putting in a scene of mourners grouped around the mahjong table, with kibitzers peering over the shoulders of the players, pyramid-like.

And for the contemporary touch, he will probably sketch a cluster of menfolk by the gate, smoking the time away, puffing on their cigarettes while this senior citizen indulges himself with his huge, long tabako, a familiar figure who looks like of course Mr. Tabako himself.

While the cigarette-smoking group is gathered thus, they are sounding off their opinion about the news of the day, the PBA games, the World Cup in Korea and Japan, showbiz gossip and, oh, yes, the Abu Sabaya corpus delicti. And I’m willing to bet Larry would tuck somewhere in that cluster of raconteurs someone in a black shirt, wearing the fabled shades and saying nonchalantly, "Looking for me, guys?" – a light dig at a serious military misadventure.

All the above suggestions are trivial compared to what the fabled. Alcala humor could conjure even in an instant. It is said that there won’t be anything forthcoming from the prolific cartoon specialist’s pen anymore.

Those who will miss his work include the horde of fans ranging from the kids searching for his profile in the maze of characters, the adults chuckling over his humor spiced, asides on the political scenario, the elderly who are lovingly delineated in gentle caricature, the adolescents of today, pert-looking, sexy in a non-provocative way, smartly attired, to the working professionals whose brief weekly interlude with the favorite "Slice of Life" helps to recharge them for the day‘s struggle in the concrete jungle.

When Larry Alcala died, he left behind an impressive body of work 20 comic characters, a voluminous pile of daily comic strips, spectacular murals, illustrations in children’s books, advertising commercials, films and random sketches, ad infinitum.

He did not come by this fame and voluminous output easily. As his cousin, I know that his start was tortuous because I saw how he agonized over his very first Islaw Palitaw comic strip more than half a century ago when were both teenagers.

Whenever he is now, he is surely orchestrating his final and best "Slice of Life" episode when marks its end today at the Claret Church social hall and will wind up at 5 p.m. at the Loyola Memorial Park in Parañaque.

Goodbye cousin Yoyeng – for this was how I remember him from a lifetime ago.