THE REAL WORLD IS RELATED BELOW:

The woman applying for a job in a Florida lemon grove seemed way too qualified for the job…
“Look Miss,” said the foreman, “have you any actual experience in picking lemons?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, yes!” she replied. “I’ve been divorced three times.”

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-

I was in the express lane at the store quietly fuming. Completely ignoring the sign, the woman ahead of me had slipped into the check-out line pushing a cart piled high with groceries. Imagine my delight when the cashier beckoned the woman to come forward looked into the cart and asked sweetly, “So which six items would you like to buy?”
Wouldn’t it be great if that happened more often?

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-

Because they had no reservations at a busy restaurant, my elderly neighbor and his wife were told there would be a 45-minute wait for a table.
“Young man, we’re both 90 years old,” the husband said. “We may not have 45 minutes.” They were seated immediately.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-

The reason congressmen try so hard to get re-elected is that they would hate to have to make a living under the laws they’ve passed.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——

All eyes were on the radiant bride as her father escorted her down the aisle. They reached the altar and the waiting groom; the bride kissed her father and placed something in his hand. The guests in the front pews responded with ripples of laughter. Even the priest smiled broadly. As her father gave her away in marriage, the bride gave him back his credit card.

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-
Three friends from the local congregation were asked, “When you’re in your casket, and friends and congregation members are mourning over you, what would you like them to say?”
Artie said, “I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader and a great family man.”
Eugene commented, “I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and servant of God who made a huge difference in people’s lives.”
Al said, “I’d like them to say, ‘Look, he’s moving!’”

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-

Smith climbs to the top of Mt. Sinai to get close enough to talk to God. Looking up, he asks the Lord, “God, what does a million years mean to you?”
The Lord replies, “A minute.”
Smith asks, “And what does a million dollars mean to you?”
The Lord replies, “A penny.”
Smith asks, “Can I have a penny?”
The Lord replies, “In a minute.”

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-

A man goes to a shrink and says, “Doctor, my wife is unfaithful to me. Every evening, she goes to Larry’s bar and picks up men. In fact, she goes with anybody who asks her! I’m going crazy. What do you think I should do?”
“Relax,” says the Doctor, “take a deep breath and calm down. Now, tell me, exactly where is Larry’s bar?”

———— ——— ——— ——— ——-

John was on his deathbed and gasped pitifully. “Give me one last request, dear,” he said.
“Of course, John,” his wife said softly.
“Six months after I die,” he said, “I want you to marry Bob.”
“But I thought you hated Bob,” she said.
With his last breath John said, “I do!”

An astrologer friend of my wife picked the date (July 10, 1984) after analyzing our full name and the dates of our birth. Thanks Manolo, after 25 years I realized your right. hahaha!

Evelyn, my wife doesn’t know how to cook at that time so I did all the cooking. One time while I was taking a bath I heard a loud explosion. I hurriedly went out to check what happened. She boiled a pot of water that dried up and resulted to an explosion sending the pot projecting skyward. It was a good thing nobody was hurt. Just one of many funny incidents we encountered that made our union exciting. We complement each other. I’m on the talkative side and she was the silent type at the start but now it’s the other way around.

The challenging part of our married life was the last quarter of the year 1988 while my wife was pregnant with Melvin. I was assigned as a Store Supervisor in Baclaran. Under a womanizing manager named Charlie.

Charlie’s wife was a very feisty lady that all the staff knew when they had a fight the night before because he would be wearing a long sleeve shirt to cover the fingernail scratches he received all over his body.
He would always ask me to do things for him. To the point of waiting for him in a bar with a woman he was wooing while he was trying to escape from his wife’s tight guarding ( ala Jaworski). He would leave home only clad in undershirt to avoid suspicion. He already prepares a formal wear waiting for pick up at our branch guardhouse. Got the picture?

I almost always arrived home late at night reeking alcohol that led her to suspect me of having an affair with another woman. Our fights became so frequent that made me think of doing it to justify her suspicion. She became the woman I never knew she would become.

We cant stop
The feelings to strong
Weve got the will to hang on
Cant stop
We struggle and fight to survive
Keepin the love alive

Christmas Party, December 31, 1988

I was in high spirit that morning because I have made a promise with my wife that I would go home early for us to be able to attend the midnight mass before eating our Media Noche. I informed my boss of my promise to my wife and to my two children, he gladly gave his consent.

But as Fate would have it, while in the middle of our Christmas Party, my boss was caught by his wife sitting on a lap of a saleslady in a compromising situation inside the office. We all knew what would happen later in their home. My boss would be fighting a losing battle but before he rushed home he assured me to wait for him before going home as I promised my wife. I had no option but to wait for him because our party was being held inside our store. I have lost count how many bottles of beer I was able to consume while waiting for the arrival of my boss.

I felt helpless and quite frustrated I could not contact my wife to explain my side and I knew she wouldn’t believe me. I am a man who always keep my promises but now I felt different under Charlie. So many promises I made were broken because of covering for him.

Was I dreaming?

Two big slaps on the face awaken me that brought me back to my senses. Seeing the face of my wife made me thinking I was home. I was trying to recall how I managed to come home when she immediately ran away. Seeing all the shoes around me made me realized I have slept in our store and my wife came for a visit and delivered those extra hot slaps on my face.
After a few minutes more Charlie arrived telling me how sorry he was and that I could go home and spend my day off.
I arrived home finding all my stuff inside two suitcases. Our door was closed, she won’t let me in and she wanted a separation. I was totally devastated because she won’t listen to my explanation.
This problem was resolved in a week’s time. This was a classic example of a problem that goes out of hand not on your own making but by circumstances beyond your control. We must not let our emotions overrule our mind in making decision. Give your partner the chance to speak up and have an open mind while listening.
Then February 28, 1989 I was promoted and was assigned to handle our Taytay branch. Another problem happened as I wrote here: When my Faith was tested

In all those family struggles of our life I never asked for helped from my in-laws and so did she. I had worked so hard for the financial needs of my family that you can name all businesses with earning potential, I have joined them.

I even became a manager of Tupperware direct selling business in a record time of 1 1/2 month after joining them. The picture at right shows my promotion to Baby Manager. Year 1999!?It was also in this stage that I believed I earned the respect of my in-laws. They are now encouraging my wife to work so that she could help me in raising our family.
Of course I objected because I promised myself that I would do everything for her. For keeping our love alive. For fighting for our love till death do us part as we said in our marriage vow.

She’s now a good cook who could whip up Chinese, Ilokano and Tagalog dishes. Her specialty was mami that tastes like you’re eating at a Chowking Restaurant.

Yes there were temptations in my line of work but my strong belief in the law of karma always reminded me to stay on the right path. “You reap what you sow”. I don’t want any member of my family suffering because of my past sin.

We just enjoy each others company and always do the thing we love to do such as cooking. Being open with each other helps a lot. We never fight over money. We try to solve every problem that comes our way in a more diplomatic way.

There were usual fights like ordinary couple but she never experience receiving physical harm from me. But I remember one time, In my anger I punched our kitchen door made of double plywood. It was so hard that it broke and so did my arm. I never repeated it again. Sakit ata nun!.?

We are now planning to build another room in the ground floor of our home in preparation for the time that we could not climb to our second floor room.?
Old age is fast approaching!

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I am not really the type of person who takes time in counting the years of our wedding anniversary. But my daughter Mae makes our (25^th) Silver Wedding Anniversary special. Why? I’ll tell you later.

I’ll tell you first our love story and how we ended up from worst enemy to become lovers and friends.

9 years of being steady plus 25 years of married life and still going strong was perhaps a record of sort here in our country. Maybe we have grown tired of hearing other married people fight and getting separated that’s why our married life works, yes!

No! I think we become closer because we don’t discuss things that bother us but we talked them over. We spent time a few minutes before going to sleep discussing things that happened in a day.

We knew each other so well that we gave time and space when the need arise without each one asking for it. I encouraged her to go out and join her friends when she got invitations. To spend time for herself to break the monotony of staying at home mom. She does the same to me.

The Story :

She was our neighbor who was a quite type and seldom goes out of their home. My friend then was her two older sisters. I am two years older than her.

I use to call her “Labo” because she was wearing a thick eyeglasses then and she calls me “Palito” because I was thin and quite a joker during those days. Our constant quarrel and bickering makes our neighbors and friends day complete.

Our neighbors used to tease us every time our path crosses because they knew that we hated each other. I really don’t know why and how the hatred started.

When the “Kabataang Barangay” was first established by then President F. Marcos I was duly elected as the first Chairman and she was elected as one of my councilor. I was not aware that she campaign for me.

Then we became member of Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD). Here I have to learn how to play the guitar because my voice was not made for singing. She was assigned to fetch the kids for Catechism classes and in serving refreshment food.We managed to be civil with each other here because we are always near a Priest.

She was studying in Mapua during her High school days and I was studying at Manila High School. Then one day, on my way to school riding a jeep I noticed that the girl seated next to me wearing a Mapua uniform was my mortal enemy.

That moment I realized that this mortal enemy of mine was a lovely lady and I started to shift my gear and be a friendly gentleman. I was on my third year of High School then (maagang lumandi! hahaha!).

I was already in my fourth year of high school and she was on her second year when she realized that she loves me too!

Our theme song was a song by Michael Jackson “One day in your life”. The reason why “Jacko” would always be part of my life.

Please sing with me!

Then her parents find out our secret love, the story now becomes “You and Me Against the world“.

So on our first 5 years of being sweetheart we broke up three times. It was always my fault for falling in love with other girls and had the mistake of being caught. I was always a happy go lucky guy that her parents never saw anything good in my person.

The third time we broke up had me crying during the night but have to show no emotion in front of my friends. Ican’t eat and sleep that I realized that those lyric of the song by “Hotdog” titled “Pers Lab” was so true.

Di na makatulog
Di pa makakain
Taghiyawat sa ilong
Pati na sa pisngi
Sa kaiisip sa’yo
Taghiyawat dumadami

(Why was it when we were young we always associate our emotion with a song)

Maybe those things and a lot of other petty quarrel made us knew each other well like a palm of our hand.

So to cut the story short, we got married at the chapel of Sta Cruz church with only a ring bearer in tow and a pair of Godparent. This chapel was being use by Parish Priest in their daily personal prayer.

In attendance was my mother, her parents (despite their objection) some close friends and relatives. The Choir where I belong sang in that very solemn occasion.

The reception was held at Modern Restaurant just across Sta. Cruz Church.

Would you believe that we started our family with only P10, 000.00 in savings? Part of the money we used in our wedding expenses including payment for the reception . My best friend Roland’s car was used as the official wedding car which we both decorated with flowers bought at Dangwa. See, sariling sikap talaga!

As a normal couple we encounter many problems especially during the first ten years of our marriage. Different problem needs different solution.  I need to work real hard to sustain the financial side of my growing family.

We never got to be rich but we are happy and contented with what we have. We have 5 grown up kids and three of them now College graduate.

2 more are both in High School education so the pressure of having a family somewhat diminished.

As I see it now, after 25 years of blissful marriage life, we were still the same like when we were young.

Only the number of our age change but feelings is still the same. Our constant communication over the phone or through text is a practice we never planned/wanted but become a habit.

This coming July 10, 2009 we would be celebrating our 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary. My daughter Mae gifted us a trip not to Jerusalem, but to Singapore.

A four nights 3 days visit to the Lion City -Singapore that starts from July 10 – 14, 2009 would make this wedding anniversary special.

So friends I appreciate all your greetings, prayers and support but this time I prefer to accept cash. Hahaha!

Please don’t forget to sing “One Day in Your Life” for me and my wife!

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