You’re Still My Man – English

GINA

As they boarded the car to the hospital. She still thought of asking Ace about his childhood. She was intrigued because she knew very little about him. But, will Ace answer her? She first examined the expression on his face. He was concentrating on driving, his gaze shifting to the rearview mirror a lot, as well as he carefully looked at the street.

“Tell me about your childhood?” She said suddenly. “Now, I want to know about your mother.”

“I don’t want to talk about her.”

“Why not? Are you mad at her?”

He hesitated for a few seconds. “Part of me will never forgive her.”

“Why what happened, Ace?”

“He took me away without my father’s consent.”

“She kidnapped you?”

“Don’t use that word. That’s not what happened.”

“But you said she took you away from your father? Where did she take you?”

“In Spain. Spain is my mother’s birth country.”

“Why, what really happened to your parents, Ace?”

Ace tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, and she thought he wouldn’t open up to her, but he did.

“My Mommy took a vacation here in the Philippines when she was eighteen. My grandmother is half Filipina and half American while my grandfather is a full blooded Spanish with blue blood. While Mommy was on vacation here for a few months, she met my father, who was twenty-three at that time and a Law student. In other words, they are in love with each other and it seems like no one can separate them. Before Mommy return to Spain, they secretly get married even against the wishes of her family. Maybe if my grandfather hadn’t intervened, we are a whole family. At that time, my grandfather was a powerful man not only in Spain but also in the Philippines, so it was easy for him to manipulate people. When my grandfather found out about Mommy’s marriage, he tried to separate my parents because he was an influential person, he used his connection in order to separate my parents totally.

“So your grandfather is the reason why you moved away from your father?”

“In the beginning it wasn’t like that, Gina. I was two years old when Mommy took me to Spain. Grandpa allegedly told Mommy that he would ruin Daddy’s career if she didn’t separate him, and if Mommy didn’t come back to Spain. Daddy was busy reviewing and at that time, so he was pressured for the upcoming Bar Exam. Daddy just found out that my grandfather had taken us to Spain, and the worst is that she even signed the annulment papers. He thought that maybe Mommy was just upset because he didn’t have time for us. Daddy didn’t sign the annulment, but Mommy was persistent to break him up. He knew there was a deep reason, so he followed Mommy to Spain before the Bar Exam. But he just saw Mommy with someone else with her. So he attacked the man, and the man was beaten hard. So he was imprisoned there in Spain, and later he was also released because of Mommy’s request to Leon to drop the lawsuit in exchange for her marriage. But what Dad didn’t expect was that it was their last conversation with Mommy because she didn’t want to see him anymore, and she also decided to separate from him. From the beginning, Daddy promised himself not to be desperate and miserable and just pursue his dream of becoming a full-fledged lawyer, and to show Mommy and my grandfather that he is not a loser. So he persevered and became top at the Bar.”

“Didn’t your Mommy do anything before to fight your Daddy?”

“Mommy is an obedient child so maybe she was easily brainwashed by grandpa. Grandpa tried to separate Mommy and Daddy because he had arranged a marriage with my Mom and Leon – the son of his business partner.

When Daddy became a full -fledged lawyer, he still couldn’t forget Mommy so he went to Spain again, and he used every means to speak with her to clarify everything to them, and also to get us back. When grandpa found out about Mommy’s reunion with Daddy and her plan to escape from his custody, he took Mommy and me away again and took us to Boston. And that’s where I grew up.”

She tapped Ace’s right shoulder. “Your parents’ love story is heartwarming.”

ACE

He took Gina’s hand which she used to tap, holding her for a moment. “But what’s even sadder is when my father received the news that Mommy and I died in a car accident, after their annulment was granted. He didn’t know what to believe, but when you’re as powerful as my grandfather, you can make anything happen. He proved our death. And when Dad saw the evidence that we were dead, he could do nothing but accept it.”

“How did you find out all about this, Ace?”

“Daddy told me. And I also found out about it from Mommy, because she said she couldn’t hide the truth from me. After her and Dad’s annulment, she married what grandpa had arranged a marriage with her. Until Leon and she had a child. Two girls. And since my siblings are girls, my grandfather doesn’t trust them to run a business. My grandfather sent me to Harvard and asked me to take a business course because he said I would be his successor. But after I learned about my father, I became obsessed with wanting to meet him. So after I got my degree at Harvard, I ran away from them and started on my own. And this is where I ended up in the Philippines because my father was also here.”

“How about your stepfather, when did you find out that he is not your real father?”

“When I understood everything, he was kind to me, but he still treated me differently compared to his two children. That’s why I always felt the difference because I’m not his real child.”

“Why is it that your grandpa didn’t make your stepfather as his successor?”

“Because he also runs his own business and he managed it. So my grandfather spent a lot of time raising and educating me because I was supposed to take his place when he retired.”

“Your family is rich, Ace, why didn’t you go back to Spain when you already found your father?”

“Because I don’t want my grandpa to manipulate me again, I’m happy now to live freely, I don’t need to live in luxury.”

“Why did you work in a restaurant and not in big companies? I wish you had gotten a higher position, Ace.”

“It’s better if we start at the bottom, Gina, we’ll learn a lot of things.”

When they arrived at the hospital, he immediately looked for a parking space. After he parked his car, he continued his story.

“After graduating from college, I made my way out of the States and I went here to the Philippines to find my father, knowing that I knew very little Tagalog.”

“Did you see your father right away? What was his reaction when he saw you?”

He held the steering wheel tightly while looking through the windshield, remembering. “He cried and laughed. He hugged me very tightly. Because he even thought we were dead but he still hoped that wasn’t true.”

“How did you feel when you saw him?”

“Of course I’m happy because I’ve finally seen my real father,” and now his grip on the steering wheel has loosened. “But I’m sad for my mother. Daddy is a good person. He would have given her a fine life if she’d let him. After the initial euphoria, I went through an angry period, I was angry with my Daddy because he sensed that we were still alive, but he didn’t look for us. I thought that he had already given up on us. But even though I just learned to forgive him. I also thought about how little the government can do to help find stolen children, especially when the legal guardian takes the child.”

“Have you seen or talked to your mother since you left?”

“Once, when we last met, we were like strangers to each other. I call her occasionally, as well as my two sisters. I talked to them at least once a month. Aya, the one who followed me was now married and had a child, then Lauren, the youngest, just graduated from college.”

He saw Gina scratching her head. “I really didn’t expect your life to be that challenging. You didn’t have a normal childhood, either.”

“For me, life is really confusing. At that time I thought Mommy was happy with Leon, but I couldn’t understand why she got depressed. That’s because she went through a lot.”

“Of all the things you’ve been through Ace, what do you believe the most now?”

“I believe in rules more, because if people just follow the rules, there is less chaos. I also believe that parents should not dictate their children. And most of all I believe marriage is forever, unless there is abuse, physically or mentally.”

“Me too, Ace, that’s what I also believe.” She said.

His eyes widened. “But ours isn’t a real marriage, Gina. We had no choice, this is the only solution I can think of.”

He let out a deep breath. Gina didn’t know him very well. She didn’t know either on what he was doing.

“What are you afraid of Ace, that we should be true to all of this? Why not? I know we are attracted to each other.”

“Think what you want to think, Gina. Just me, I don’t feel that way.” He said and looked at the small purse she was holding.

“Did you bring your cellphone?”

“Yes, it’s here.” she opened the small purse and showed him the cellphone inside. “Just call me when you need me, Ace.”

“Huh, that would be my line, Gina.”

*****