Mommy, c’mon. Tomorrow’s your big day and you two aren’t talking. Can we fix this please?” the now 21 year-old Mara convinced her mother.
“If you want to fix this, anak. You shouldn’t be talking to me. Si Daddy niyo ang hindi pumapansin sakin,” Ara reasoned.
“Mom, what exactly happened?” Lia clarified.
“Your Dad is mad because of some long-forgotten ring,” Ara told her daughters.
“A ring? Seriously Mom, what ring is that? I’ll buy you a dozen, all sorts, so this can finally be over and we can push through tomorrow,” Lia exasperatedly said.
“Not like that, Ate,” Ara said. “Long time ago, someone, not your Dad, proposed marriage to me… Before, the violent reactions, listen first… I didn’t accept the proposal but that man still gave me the ring. I didn’t have any choice but to keep it. I told your Dad everything. He didn’t like it so he made me promise to just give the ring to your Lala. During that time, so many things were happening. Your Dad and I were just getting back, we secretly married each other and then Lia and Ron and so many things more. It really slipped my mind that I forgot to give it to Lala. Then yesterday, your Dad manage to find it. He went hulk to me.”
“Mommy! Who wouldn’t get mad?” Lia said. “You should’ve disposed it right away.”
“Ate, I told you. It slipped my mind,” the mother explained.
“Does that ring mean anything to you, Mom?” the younger daughter inquired.
“Well, not in a way that your father thinks. It’s just another memory for me, nothing special. I just forgot to give it to Lala. The ring was very nice and expensive. I just couldn’t throw it away,” Ara answered.
“Did you tell Dad that?” Lia asked.
“Of course,” Ara said.
“Mommy, Dad doesn’t get this angry when it’s just nothing. There must be something,” Lia thought.
“Your Dad’s just jealous. I will try to talk to him again later, don’t worry,” Ara told her daughters.
“Seriously Mom, tomorrow is your 20th wedding anniversary. You will renew your vows tomorrow. You two have been through so much. Then jealousy? Don’t you think that’s a little childish for you two?” Mara said.
“Can you tell your father that?” Ara exasperatedly said.
“Okay this is what we will do, Mom. We’ll give Lala the ring then you talk to Dad,” Lia said. “Kuya and Ron are talking to him right now.”
“Where are they?” Ara asked.
“Tito Jeron’s,” Lia answered.
“Naku yang tatay niyo, anong akala niya? College pa rin kami, makatakbo sa bestfriend niya,” Ara whined.
“C’mon, Mom. Where’s the ring? Ate and I will go to Lala now. We’ll drop you to Tito Jeron’s,” Mara suggested.
So Ara gave her daughters the ring that her husband is mad about. It was the ring that an old friend gave her. Mara and Lia took their mother to their godmother’s house which just a few blocks away from theirs.
“Mom, we’ll bring you inside,” Lia said and parked her car in front of the Teng’s house. The other two went out of the car and followed their mother.
“Victonara, anong drama sa bahay mo? Ba’t andito mga lalaki mo?” it was Ara’s bestfriend who welcomed the Torres’ women when they went inside.
“Drama ni Thomas, umaarte,” Ara said and rolled her eyes.
“Ano kaya ang nangyayari sa mundo? Bakit lalaki na ang nagdadrama?” Mika said and turned to Lia. “Umaarte din ba sayo yung panganay ko?”
