Monday date with my mother

Nanay asked me if she could go to GenSan with me. She needed to do her yearly pilgrimage to a government agency to show proof of life so she could continue to collect her pension. Her appearance could be done online, with a neat app that's been downloaded in her iPhone, but her log in details and her birthday did not match--a fact that took me at least 30 minutes to confirm. "Are you sure this is the number, Mom?" A question I must have blurted out at least four times, each meriting an fiercer response than the previous. 

 "Of course, I'm sure! I wrote the number carefully." 

I told her there was nothing else we could do but show up in the actual physical office. Today, we did that. I located the building through Google Maps, which led us to a narrow street where a funeral parade slowed the traffic significantly. It turned out that the building we were looking for was a few blocks away from my GenSan clinic. On a good, cloudy day, one can simply walk in the direction of Starbucks then take a quick left.

The office was accommodating, the parking spacious, and the staff courteous. We finished in less than an hour, a rarity in government offices. We logged on her app. I helped her take a selfie. The confirmation message read, "See you next year po." 

Driving my mother around is really how I show my love for her. She doesn't like what I cook, in general. But driving: that's what I do best, but only if I'm in the mood.