My parents are celebrating their 38th year of marriage today, April 24, 2007. 38 years! That's a long time by any standard. Theirs was not the conventional love story and they had their share of rough spots over the years. But they withstood all the challenges and remain together in spite of.
Mom met Dad through her cousin, Al Santos. Tito Al actually brought 3 of his friends over to choose from! Even if Dad was the one who said and charmed Mom the least, there was something that intrigued her and so she chose him. Dad, in his younger years, was the opposite of my Mom. He was painfully shy, an introvert who would rather keep to himself and to his close circle of friends. Mom, on the other hand, was the life of the party! She was THE social butterfly and was constantly surrounded by shiny, happy people.
Having said that, you could see the apprehension of people around them when they got together. Lola A thought Mom deserved better (hmmmmm, this dialogue sounds familiar!) and was always on Mom's case about how Dad was not right for her. Lola A would even scare Mom by saying that all her kids would be ugly and turn out dark and hairy! Bwahahahahaha. Apparently, this was not enough to scare Mom from marrying Dad. Against her parents wishes, they got married after 3 years of courtship. Since they just eloped and Dad was not a rich boy, they had a very small wedding in a church in Caloocan. Their reception was in a restaurant nearby and Mom's gown was by Flair Dress Shoppe.
Parang kawawa si Mom......but she was very happy. As a matter of fact, even when Dad was still a struggling lawyer and PATTS had just been established (ergo money was scarce!), she stood by him and was determined to make this marriage work. Dad was also not the easiest man to live with. He had his habits and his vices and I really thank God for giving Mom the perseverance to live with his not so perfect lifestyle. Mom was also no saint. She is the feistiest woman I know (Shyla being the second)! She can talk and bitch for hours on end. But Dad for most part, remains calm and just allows Mom to vent. This has become their daily routine. Despite all their faults and shortcomings, they have learned to accept one another and are looking forward to more years together.
Happy Anniversary Guys!
Thank you for keeping this family together.
1 comment:
What a beautiful tribute to your parents, Katkat and I'm sorry I missed this earlier. And wow ha, those pictures of you are exactly how I still remember you haha. Especially the last pic. And can I just say, you in the family pic on the bed? I had the exact same hairstyle. Was that around Grade 5? Uso yata yung boys cut that time no? Sobrang exacto. :)
I remember I used to be so scared of your mom, and yup the little I know of your dad was that he was the quieter one.
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