Ever After Contract

Chapter 2

"What?!... But that's ridiculous! Hindi naman yata possible yan Atty. Eh, modern times na ho tayo ngayon. At baka naman po hindi na rin binding yung ganyang klase na kasunduan."

"I am sorry to say Cornelia, but this is an iron clad contract between your lolo and his bestfriend. There is really no way around it. If I think na this is just a trivial matter given this day and age, we will not be here anymore discussing this."

"But Atty.... A fixed marriage? With someone I don't know?" pailing na bungad ni Cornelia.

"Yung lolo mo talaga Cornelia, it is just so him to enter into this contract with his kumpare." Si Lola, parang di alam yung magiging reaction niya.

" As I had explained..." dagdag ni Atty. " If you don't do what is in the contract, you will be losing your residence to their family and if the other party would do the same, they will be losing their business to you. Your lolo and Mr. Miranda were not only poker and business buddies. As your lola can attest, they were like brothers since they grew up in this neighborhood."

"Pero Atty...Lola doesn't even know this"

" Yes Cornelia, kasi your lolo has always been fond of surprises and those schemes na para sa kanya ay challenging and at most shocking. This deal kasi came up at the heat of the moment when your lolo and his kumpare were playing poker. Pinatawag nga nila ako nun, pero I advised them to think it over muna and since they had too many drinks also, any contract done that evening would not be valid rin naman. So ayun nga, the next day mismo when they met for coffee, their minds were made up to push through with the deal. Excited pa nga sila. Being brand new lolos at that time na ipagkasundo yung mga apo nila upang mapasama yung mga lahi nyo. Since the idea cropped rin naman on the premise na your families can breed great pedigrees together."

"Ano ho yun Atty? Just because of pedigree? Eh para naman po ginawa nyo kaming aso nyan."

"Let me proceed Cornelia." dugtong ni Atty.

So ayun na nga, that news came as a really big surprise to me, to Lola and Papa. After, twenty-four years since Lolo's death, di mo akalaing may pasabog pa siya na ganito. Kahit si Lola ay hindi talaga makapaniwala, pero parang resigned na rin siya sa magiging kapalaran ko at dahil kilala niya ang Lolo at ang bestfriend nito, hindi na siya nakapagbigay nang protesta.

Here I was, living a very ordinary life and then this happens... A fixed marriage... With someone I don't know...

"I have made arrangements for both parties to meet so that we will further discuss other conditions in the agreement. I will be expecting you at my office on Monday."

On that note, tinapos na ni Atty. yung discussion.

Hinatid siya nang lola palabas after promising that we will be there on Monday.

My head was still reeling sa lahat nang nalaman ko. Totoo ba to?

Then Lola came back and with an expression na nagpapahiwatig na intindihin ko siya, then she told me the story of Lolo and his bestfriend Carlos Miranda, how they grew up as bestfriends here in our village. The Mirandas owned the abandoned mansion na nadadaanan ko when I go walking sa far end nang village.

According to Lola, when Lolo's kumpare died just years after my lolo did, the family migrated to France since they have a business there and Carlos' wife is half- French. Although lola was close also to the family, they had lost communication na when the family moved out. As both families had became too busy with life na rin. Sina lola with my mom's illness and financial struggles. While them, siguro cause of distance na rin at hindi na ata sila nabalitaang umuwi sa village, kaya parang na cut off na rin yung ties. Which explains na I had never really heard of them until this very moment.

"Cornelia, iha..."

"Ano po yun Lola?"

"You know how much this house means to me right? How my parents gave it to me and your lolo to take care of. Kasi alam nila na kahit ano pang mangyari ay hindi naming ito pababayaan, especially me. Maybe that is why I outlived your lolo to see to it na hindi mawawalay ito sa ating pamilya."

"At hindi rin naman po ako papayag na mawala yung mansion sa atin Nana. Pero sana this is not the way to keep it. It is so unfair naman to lose it just because Lolo had made it a subject sa deal niya before, eh pareho rin naman silang wala na ni Mr. Miranda. Nana, there must be a way around it."

" I hope so iha, inasmuch na hindi ko gusto na you will be subjected to a life na hindi mo pinili at yung thought na mawawala sa atin yung mansion because your lolo had give in to his follies as he used to before."