Who is Tatay Danny? His full name is Danilo Clemente Varias, was born last June 9, 1954.His Dad is Joaquin Varias and his mom is Letty Varias(hope I got his mother’s name right)He is the oldest of his siblings of 8.His wife is Susan Varias and he has two children namely Darlon and Valelyn.
If you will notice we are not related by blood…so why I called him “Tatay” ? It is for a reason that he is my father and I am his daughter. He is not my father because he is the father of my husband, Darlon but he is my father because he treated me like his own daughter.
The first time we met….
It was his birthday when Darlon who was then my boyfriend told me that it was his father birthday and so he asked me that we should give him a surprise present. I decided to give him a birthday card instead of giving him something that we are not sure of if he will like it or not. I remembered vividly what I had written on the card…..
“Happy happy birthday Tatay, may you have more birthdays to come! Thank you for being a good father to Darlon, without you I will never met my source of happiness and inspiration in life…”
At first, I was really nervous if he will appreciate it but to my surprise, he not only love it but very grateful for all the good words written on the card. Perhaps we are both a passionate type that’s why he liked it that much. From then on I received a special treatment from him. A treatment that I felt like his real daughter. As my relationship with Darlon grows stronger, my relationship with Tatay Danny goes solid too. Every time he and Darlon has misunderstandings, I always meddle between them to patch things up until Darlon and I decided to be together forever <i>(I won’t share the story of our wedding here since this entry focused about Tatay Danny…)
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| Tatay Danny with Nanay, Darlon, Valelyn, Joel & me |
Tatay Danny as father in law….
Deciding to get married at the age of 19 is something that I will not recommend to the youngsters out there.Darlon and I experienced a lot of trials, sufferings and pains. Incompatibilities always come our way. Our immaturities went out of hand…every time we fight we always talk about separation. Actually we almost part ways. We are just lucky that our parent are patient enough to remind us that Marriage is a bed of roses and that we should grow together, learn together and get matured together. Tatay Danny is always been my source of strength. He always recapitulates the consequences and effect of broken family to our children and most importantly he set an example by loving Nanay Baby unconditionally. During the times that I had infidelity issues with Darlon, he even showed me that I am his one and only daughter in law and even supported me with my decision. He always make sure that despite the effort of the other party to get his approval he remained loyal to me. He was my confidante...my armor.I am very lucky to have him as father in law, because he treated and love me like his own daughter.
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| Tatay Danny with Nanay Baby, Darlon & Valelyn |
Tatay Danny as a father…
"A Father dosen't tell you that he loves you. He shows you."
- Demitri The Stoneheart
Tatay Danny is not expressive by nature. He is a silent type. Darlon used to described him as someone as disciplinarian and autocratic father. With his height of 5’9 and a lean body, he really looks intimidating. The first time I saw him, I thought he is a policeman because he stare and behave like one. Tatay Danny despite being a tyrant is a good soul. He is loving and thoughtful father. He is a giver…. and he gives all. He may not be a rich dad but he is generous to his children to the point of nothing is left to him. He and Darlon albeit has no father-friend type of relationship, and seems to be distant with each other… I know and I see how much he truly loves Darlon….he might not a mushy type but he express his love in his own little way…like bringing the favorite food of Darlon to our house and when he has a chance, he gives Darlon good advices…He is Darlon’s counselor and conscience at the same time.
He is also good as a talent scout...he was the reason how Darlon discovered his telent in playing basketball, he once included Darlon on basketball tournament on the company he was assigned before and thought that Darlon can be his substitute...only to find out that he was Darlon's substitute and from there starts a history. Darlon’s passion in playing basketball gave him the recognition as MVP, mythical 5, best player and was known for his ala “Michael Jordan” moves.If he only got the height(he is just 5’7 btw) or was enrolled in one of the schools included in UAAP or NCAA he might be a successful PBA player today.
Darlon’s most favorite menu of Tatay Danny is "Lomi" and the most unforgettable gift he received from Tatay was a trolley made from wood which Tatay Danny made himself...and everytime Darlon speak about Tatay...he cant help but mention the "trolley"
