Fulfilling a vow
The death of her husband last April left a huge vacuum in the life of Marilyn Abella. After all, the late National Master (NM) Roger Abella is not just her husband for 28 years. He is also her friend, confidant, companion, partner and her source of strength.
His passing also cast a pall of doom in Cebu’s sports community who fondly remember him as “The Father of Scrabble in Cebu.” The tireless and selfless lanky father of twins who dedicated himself to the development of the sport.
For his immense effort in advancing scrabble and chess, Abella was inducted into the Cebu Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He was also the first president of the Cebu Scrabble Association Inc. (CSAI) when it was formed in 1996 and continued to teach scrabble and chess to young kids up to the time his health deteriorated.
When NM Abella succcumbed to liver cancer last April 17, Marilyn was there when he heaved his final breath. But before he left her, Roger asked his wife to continue his advocacy of making Cebu the country’s top scrabble performer especially in the annual Milo Little Olympics whose humble beginnings up to its present lofty status Roger bore witness of.
“Before he died, he told me that he wanted to make Cebu number one in scrabble especially in the Milo Little Olympics and asked me to continue his advocacy when he’s gone,” narrated Marilyn.
At first, she hesitated due to the enormity of the task, but had to give in if only to fulfill a promise.
“I’ve been helping him organize tournaments for a long time that’s why I’m quite familiar with the technical demands of the sport. I will greatly miss those moments that we were together,” said Marilyn who admitted that until now, she is still in pain and still coping up with his passing.
Marilyn’s first major task was as tournament manager for scrabble in the recent 18th Milo Little Olympics Visayas Regional Finals. This was the same position her late husband expertly handled when he was still alive and which Marilyn said, brought both fond and painful memories.
She handled 65 schools in the two-weekend competition. The Milo stint, Marilyn said, somehow brought comfort and solace to her, knowing that a lot of people really loved her husband.
“It’s tough for a first timer like me but I am very thankful for the help given to me by the members of CSAI especially Engr. Teodoro Martus Jr. and Darth Eslao,” said Marilyn. “I would have failed if not for them.”
Martus Jr. said he mastered the rudiments of the sport under NM Abella’s expert guidance. He said Roger was so happy and proud when he was chosen as one of the country’s representatives to the World Youth Scrabble Championships (WYSC). Eslao on the other hand, is a familiar podium figure in local scrabble tournaments.
Now that she passed her first test with flying colors, friends are asking Marilyn if she’s willing to assume as CSAI president, the position left behind by her husband.
“I’m not ready to take his position as CSAI president. But I am very willing to help the organization conduct trainings and organize tournaments because these activities are close to my husband’s heart,” intimated Marlyn.
Noncommittal that she is is particularly understandable. After all, this widow is just trying to fulfill a promise she made by her late husband’s deathbed.
