An Affair To Remember

For somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good...... Indeed, at 60, it is payback time!!!! 60 is a monumental milestone and yet, for some reason, I wasn't in the mood to party. I really planned to have a big splurge, thought of a dance party in Savanna but eventually when my retirement came in the horizon, I aborted all plans and just thought of spending the money for travel. I believed that a party will just be an unnecessary extravagance given that I will be unemployed soon! My 60th coincided with my retirement so there would be several despedidas anyway from clients and friends which will keep me busy and full. Such despedidas I also originally resisted, coz I just wanted to fade away like a good soldier, but of course I had to relent (nakakahiya naman, parang nagpapaimportante, hehe). So I figured, these events were enough to celebrate my milestones ( 60th and retirement), but in hindsight, I believe that at the back of my mind, I was expecting something special from my 2 kids for my 60th, nothing fancy coz I know both are still finding their place in the sun and would be budget challenged. For sure, I wouldn't want to be a burden, and a simple lunch, just us, will do. I didn't even expect relatives to be there. When my despedida from the office came ( just a few days before my birthday), I thought my children will already pitch in to surprise me coz my daughter and chikitita came to say hi in the dinner at Peking Garden. But nothing there!
My daughter and her family slept in the house the night before my birthday. The next day, my birthday came............ and all my children overslept, planned lunch out, became a dinner out. Notably, every birthday, I get magnificent bouquets of flowers from my children, but on that day....NADA. Nevertheless, I got the book I have been looking for for a long time as a birthday present from Chikitita . But I was still crestfallen! However, as has been a habit from 37 years of orocanism, I kept a happy facade. I kept thinking,oh well maybe the surprise is at dinner. I didn't know what to wear to dinner, hahaha, so I kept it safe, I wore my usual leggings and Zara top . But when it was time to leave the house for our mass then dinner, everybody was in very casual tshirts ( my confused mind still entertained thoughts of a surprise, maybe they will just change when we reach the venue, hahaha, pathetic!). After mass, my daughter made me choose where we will go for dinner in Eastwood ( wow, wasn't that carrying it too far? what if I didn't choose the resto where they will surprise me, hahaha, hilarious). So I chose a resto where I thought a surprise party would be unlikely, I chose Via Mare. I said I wanted bibingka. They agreed! Huh?! So off to Via mare we went..... no crowd of anybody I know!!! So I ate my bibingka and when dinner was over I offered to pay ( pabalat bunga baga, hehe). What?! They agreed to let me pay for dinner! Yes, I paid for my 60th simple dinner. I kept thinking, good I had a cheap choice, and omg, could I have raised such ingrate kids, ahahaha. But of course, the marketing person in me radiated happiness and gratitude to be with my beloved family on such a huge milestone of my life, even without gifts and even if I had to cover for dinner, huhuhuhu.Oh well, I said to myself, that's how it is, my children are just starting their own lives and they are very independent kids who do not want to take money from their mom, so I figured how will they be able to afford even a simple dinner. So days passed and I was harboring ill feeling unbeknownst to them. Coz I was a famas awardee for best actress, hindi nila nahalata ( mga dense, hehe). But of course I had to share my feeling with my sisterhood who just lent their ears with no comment!!!!How can I be so dense!!!! Fortunately, as they say time heals all wounds, I healed fast!!!! One week came to pass and my grieving heart has mended.... and thanks to my senior moments(a gift indeed), all was forgotten.
Then on a Saturday, a week after my birthday, my daughter asked me to accompany her shopping. And as usual, when my children ask something, my previous plans have to be shelved. So I agreed, told her I could just fetch her from her Makati condo so we could shop at Mall of Asia. She said no, she will just go to the house with Chiki, and we'll just leave her in the house while we go shopping in Eastwood. I said ok. When my daughter arrived in the house, there was no Chikitita in tow, but she was armed with a bunch of nice dresses in hangers, 7 dresses to be exact. Wala pa din ako kutob. I asked where Chiki was and what were those dresses for. She said, I had to fit those dresses and choose the best and than we will go to the parlor in Eastwood where she made an appointment. Oh my throbbing heart, beat, beat, beat!!! What?!!!! Why?!!! Where?!!!!! hehehe. Eureka moment, I wasn't dense after all, was just in denial, hehe. I was asking for details, my daughter said she will answer but they will just be words, hahaha. So I cooperated, temporarily put aside my curiosity and followed meekly.... she even drove for me!. Initially I resisted the parlor since I could do my own hair and I detest wearing make up. But she insisted, coz she said my sisterhood Celia wanted to make sure that I be beautified ( though I didn't really see why, hehehe, kaya pala Celia got all coiffed and made up, she wanted to make sure hindi niya ako matatalbugan, hahaha).So after the parlor, off to Savana we went. All along, I was thinking that it would just be a small crowd ( what with their tight budget, hahaha). My daughter made sure that we didn't arrive savana before 7 pm. In the elevator, I was still clueless, I was still expecting a non exclusive party, coz an exclusive party will cost a fortune by my children's standard, hehe.( ang lupit). Leaving the elevator, I found Christine, the manager of savana, by the entrance, sinasalubong ako, nothing unusual about that. But on the couch right by the entrance, I saw the best friend of my husband, uhmmm, strange... and why was it so eerily quiet and sooo dark inside?!!!! Then Kaboom, kapowww..... suddenly the lights went on, I almost tripped on the photobooth of Lucky Dog , the Men Of Blueblood band started playing and OMG, OMG, people, people , a sea of people, my relatives, my friends, my sisterhood, my beloved clients , oh my, oh my gosh!!!! The whole place was exclusive for my surprise party!!!It was totally unexpected!!!!! So many bouquets of flowers I love were given to me, by my son, by my daughter, by my friends. I felt like Ms Universe. I was bawling, tears of joy flowed (Mayangge, who was photographer that night had temporarily stopped shooting pictures coz bisaklat daw face ko kakaiyak, hehe). Life is good!!!. I kept thinking, how could my children afford this, hahaha. The band was good, people took to the dance floor for line dancing. My daughter said nakakaaliw, parang sa sine, when the music played, lahat tumayo to line dance, my kind of crowd!!! There was a video presentation which I loved, it was Chikitita saying she wanted to be just like lohla when she grows up, awww, how can you beat that, hehe. And my son sang a very beautiful song, entitled hope you dance, nothing could be more appropriate.The photobooth ( a gift of the sisterhood together with the cake, shaped like a luggage) was magical. It was themed like a cruise ship (for my travels after retirement) and everybody enjoyed posing. It was indeed busy till midnight with everybody posing for souvenir shots!It was really an enchanted evening,with good company and good food!!! I was deliriously happy!
When we were in the parlor, my daughter learned how I have been feeling before my surprise. She felt so guilty. She was sorry that she and my son had been so busy preparing for my surprise, that they forgot to plan something on the actual date of my birthday. She said however, that what they have prepared, will overwhelm me and would make up for everything. I learned that they have been preparing for this a year back and even called my friends abroad so they could schedule their vacations in time for my 60th. Unfortunately, they were not able to come coz they just had their vacations recently. So..... Val and Bogie you have been vindicated. I do love you soooo much. I know I have raised good, compassionate, loving and generous children, fact I should never have doubted. Indeed, for somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.........Maria signing off.... Till my next blog......