A peek at local celebrity homes

Harbat. I am not sure if this movie lingo that means get or take was coined by her or was coined for her. The one thing I’m definite about is the fact that in the only two times I’ve been to Lolit Solis’ house, I was able to cart off something from her house on both occasions.

Yes, in the many, many years we’ve been friends, I’ve been to Lolit’s house in Fairview only twice. I guess when you live in an area that far, you don’t have too many friends visiting you.

The first time I went to her place was when neighbor Ricky Lo had his house blessing more than a decade ago. Since they live near each other, we decided to drop by Lolit’s home after the lunch affair at Ricky’s house. We didn’t eat anymore at Lolit’s place because we were still full. In fact, we tried to burn the calories from Ricky’s luncheon feast by touring Lolit’s then newly-renovated structure.

The way I understand it, Lolit moved to that community in the ‘80s — when her two daughters were still in the grades. In fact, it was Manila Bulletin’s Crispina Belen who helped Lolit’s girls move to their new school.

In those days, Lolit still relished her job as movie reporter by staying out late partying (today she’s all zonked out by 8 p.m.). For some reason, her daughters had this notion (it was a general impression actually) that people who came home early morning were working as prostitutes. Asked by the teacher what her mother did for a living, one of the girls said in all innocence, “My mother is a prostitute.” Lolit was promptly summoned to school.

Through the years, Lolit was able to improve the house by making the living space bigger. By the time I got to finally drop by her home, she had already made the improvements and I kidded her about how her house was like a school campus in the university belt: It had a main building and an annex.

Lolit has her bedroom in the second floor (accessible through a spiral staircase) but her bathroom is in the other structure — in the annex and this arrangement is something I still cannot comprehend in my head and I don’t intend to anymore because it’s her house after all and not mine.

But the one thing I can never forget during my first visit to her home was the Christmas tree in the living room. That was in the month of June and the tree was still decked with all the holiday trimmings. She said she really intended to have that tree all year round. Again, it’s her house and it’s her lifestyle. But I do remember taking home with me a little wooden stand that I eventually used for a Maranaw brass. Lolit gladly gave it away.

The second time I got the chance to visit her house again was early in the millennium. It was summer and the entire Startalk staff went to the party of Febe Borras-Meneses, who was also staying in Fairview. After a late merienda, I suggested to the Startalk people to pay Lolit a visit. We were in the vicinity anyway so why not say hello to her?

Lolit was not prepared to accept visitors that time because it was already past 6 p.m. and she was already preparing to go to bed. But I felt it warmed her heart to see us because she really loves the Startalk people.

There were a lot of changes in the house. For one there were more dogs than people. There are now 39 canine creatures there, but I don’t recall the exact number then. I just know that there was enough to scare off other claimants to the Spratleys if we have to go to battle now.

The fun part of that visit — there must have been more than 20 of us — was when we helped ourselves off to Lolit’s stuff that was all over the house. I don’t exactly remember what it was. It must have been a bar of chocolates or something that wasn’t really very valuable. What was priceless was the way Lolit opened her home to us and made us feel her maternal love.