Summary Dudong is 17 year old young who is impatiently waiting for his father to return home so

that he can tell him of his love for Teang and his desire to marry her. He feels that at 17 he is a
grown man and is ready for the next important step in his life. When he tells his father that he
has asked Teang to marry him and wants his blessing, there is a long and cruel silence. His
father asks if he must marry her because Dudong is very young. Dudong resents his father's
question, and finally his father gives his consent.
14. Nine months later, Dudong is waiting outside while Teang gives birth to their first son, Blas.
He feels young and inexperienced, a contrast to how he felt nine months ago. Dudong did not
want any more children, but they came anyway. For the next six years, Teang gave birth. Seven
children in all.
15. Teang did not complain. However her body was now shapeless and thin from bearing so
many children and from the hard work of caring for them and the household. Even though she
loved Dudong, she cried and wished that she had not married so young.
16. There had been another suitor, Lucio, who was nine years older than Dudong. She chose
Dudong because he was so much younger. Lucio had married after she married Dudong,
however, he was childless. She wonders if she had married Lucio, would she be childless? She
feels that would have been a better lot in life. But she loves Dudong, even though life has made
her old and ugly.
17. One night Dudong goes outside and thinks about his life. He wants to have the wisdom to
know why life does not fulfill Youth's dreams. Why did life forsake you after love? He never finds
the answer.
18. When Blas turns 18, he comes home and tells Dudong that he wants to marry Tena. Dudong
at this time is only 36 years old, but he is portrayed as a much older man. Dudong does not want
Blas to marry so young.
19. He asks the same question his father asked him. Does Blas have to marry Tena? He does
not want him to make the same mistake he did. Blas also reacts with resentment. Dudong
realizes that he is dealing with Youth and Love, and they will triumph over this situation. After
that, comes real life. He gives his consent, feeling sad and sorry for his son.

Dodong want to marry Teang and asked his fathers permission. Thinking that since they are young, their love would
be short, he allowed them to get married. After nine months, Teang gave birth to a child named Blas. For six
consecutive years, a new child came along. Teang did not complain even though she secretly regretted being married
at an early age. Sometimes she even wondered if she would have the same life if Lucio, her other suitor who was nine
years older than Dodong, was the one she married.Lucio has had no children since the time he married. When Teand
and Dodong were twenty they looked like they were fifty. When Blas was 18, he told his father that he would marry
Tona. Dodong did not object, but tried to make Blas think twice before rushing to marriage because Dodong doesnt
want Blas to end up like him.

It simply tells the story of an older person who made a mistake in the past who ended up with a not so pleasurable
life. Then he had a son who is like him when he was young. His son is hasty in making the decision to get married,
just like he was when he was young. His son is hasty in making the decision to get married, just like he was when he

was 17. Despite this, Dodong din not - and could not - stop Blas from marrying Tona. Therefore, he didnt object.
Instead, he just reminded him that Blas is still very young and might as well think twice before rushing to marriage.
But, as the ending goes: Youth must triumph now. Love must triumphnow. As long ago did youth and love
triumphed for Dodong. And thenlife

The plot of Jose Garcia Villa's short story "Footnote to Youth" involves the struggles that
a young man named dondong has with family life, marriage and the responsibilities of
adulthood. At the beginning of the story, dondong isn't sure about how to talk to his dad about
his desire to marry Teang, the love of his life. As the story goes on, dondong and Teang both
have a hard time dealing with their decisions and wonder if matters might have ended differently
had their choices not been the same.