One bet, one jinx and how my Tatay turned me into a basketball fan forever. By Camille Naredo

When I was 10 years old, the Sta. Lucia Realtors played the San Miguel Beermen in the 2001 Governors' Cup Finals. Nanay was a San Miguel fan, so I cheered for San Miguel. Tatay, ever the contrarian, said he was going to cheer for Sta. Lucia.

Honestly, I only remember Game 7. I don't remember the rest of the series, but I remember Game 7 - specifically, I remember a bet I made with Tatay sometime in the middle of Game 7.

I told him - and in retrospect this was a truly stupid idea - I told him that if Sta. Lucia wins, I was going to wash the dishes for a week. For 10-year-old me, washing the dishes for a week was torture.

Of course the game goes down the wire, because the universe was preparing me for a lifetime of difficult sports moments. The game was tied at 72 with just seconds to go. Tatay had been trash-talking all game, but even he was silent.

Twelve years later, I still cannot forget what happened. Chris Tan drilled a three-pointer with just three seconds left, and it hit absolutely nothing but net. It was ridiculous. Bedlam - both on the court and in our house, because my Tatay started jumping and hooting.

I remember sitting, staring at the TV. Was it Olsen Racela who missed a potential game-tying three? I don't remember. What I remember is Tatay pointing at me, telling me to go wash the dishes.

I was 10-years-old. I stood up and washed the dishes. I cried the whole time. Was I crying because my team - and yes, at that point San Miguel had become my team - lost, or because I had to wash the dishes due to that stupid bet?

Twelve years later, I still don't know the answer.

And that is how I became a basketball fan. Surprisingly, the traumatic experience did not turn me away from basketball. But! I did learn something from the experience.

I never, ever made a bet with Tatay again. CN

Follow @camillenaredo on Twitter. When Camille isn't busy writing for ABS-CBNnews.com/sports, she posts insightful tweets during UAAP games and tries to avoid watching Petron games with her Tatay whenever possible.