Skeletons in the Chamber

Breaking the Chain

Cayetano Family Home, September 2022

Sundays—the day when families gather around the table while breaking bread and sharing stories. For the Cayetanos, this was no exception.

Before his untimely death due to liver cancer, Juliana's father, the late Senator Rene Cayetano, had one wish on his deathbed - for the entire family across generations to continue with the Sunday family dinners they've established as a tradition. It's a day when Juliana's children could see their cousins and the adults talk about anything under the sun.

It's also a day that Juliana had since come to dread.

Something shifted in their family dynamics when Juliana introduced Reese to these dinners last year. The first Sunday dinner was a rite of passage that all Cayetano spouses go through to see how well they integrate into the family. It was clear that things between Reese and Juliana had gotten serious enough to warrant this attempt at family inclusion.

Juliana's American mother, Sandy, a retired preschool teacher in her 70s, loved Reese like her own daughter and included her in as many family traditions as possible. Ren and Lino, Juliana's younger brothers, also seemed to have liked Reese. Lino, a renowned film director, especially bonded with Reese over their love for coffee and stories about the entertainment industry. Their spouses, who Juliana had also grown close to, included Reese and treated her like a loving older sister.

However, all that didn't matter when it was Thea, self-proclaimed Cayetano matriarch (despite their mother still alive and kicking), who called the shots.

Thea's disdain, while she didn't state it outright, was dripping from her interactions with Reese. At the dinner table, she used every opportunity she could get her hands on to swipe at Reese, whether for her political beliefs as a member of the opposition or her passion for theater and music.

Reese, with just as much fervor, fired back in response. What was once a lively, animated dinner table became a battleground for heated arguments and altercations. The tension grew so intense that the children had to be separated during mealtime, shielding them from the inevitable Sunday showdown.

As the family traditions clashed with the clash of personalities, Juliana couldn't help but feel torn between preserving her late father's wish and avoiding the explosive chaos that seemed to have taken over the family gatherings.

The persistent insults and character assassinations from Thea didn't stop Juliana from trying to get to Thea and for Reese to co-exist in harmony with the rest of the family, but at this point, she's already at her limit.

Last na talaga ito.

As Juliana and Reese approached closer to her mother Sandy's house, she gripped the steering wheel, bracing herself for the storm to come.

The atmosphere during the dinner remained tense, as it always had been. Juliana didn't want to subject her children, especially her 12-year-old son Lucas, to the constant discord that started to plague these gatherings, but that didn't make things any better.

In fact, without the children, it seemed as if Thea became even more emboldened about wrestling her power within the family. Her character assassinations were particularly vicious - leaving no subject unturned and painting a picture of Reese that isn't who she's claiming herself to be.

Someone unworthy of being part of the family.

In a heated moment, Thea looked Reese square in the eye and told her, "Alam mo, Risa, I hope you're as good at passing laws as you are pushing those children out. Natatalo ka pa ng bagito, eh."

Thea's words stabbed like a sharp barb, stunning everyone around the table. Even Juliana, who had grown accustomed to Thea's biting remarks, was taken aback by the venom in her sister's words.