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Chapter 2 I'll Be There

  • “I'll be there in ten minutes, mother. “ he turned off his phone and ensconced himself inside the vehicle then motioned his driver to keep going.
  • It is his mother’s fifty fifth birthday today, fifteen years after his father’s tragic death, he counted. Time has ran too quick, indeed. For a little while, he tried to imagine what would it be this time if his father was still alive? He was twenty years old then and still in the university when he passed away. AS young as he was, he was so sad more than he could describe. For a young man like him, he wanted his father so see him through. But that accident took that away from him. It was too soon.. His young hear was wounded by that tragedy.
  • Since his father died of that car accident, he was since obliged to look after his mother and his younger brother as the eldest son in the family. He tried his best to make his mother happy knowing how devastated she was. She looked strong and firm from the outside but she is still undeniably very fragile inside. Their mother never deprived them of anything a child would ever need, though alone. She has been that sweet and loving mother they always have. At the same time grooming both of her sons to become the best businessmen to run, protect and expand their family business, the Apple Bean Hypermarkets.
  • As they pulled into the gate , Francis saw few more cars parked inside and outside which was a telltale sign about the presence of visitors. He could tell who are inside by which cars were there, his cousins and the favorite uncle was already there. Soon after his driver stopped he got off the vehicle and made quick steps towards the medium sized but, elegantly built house.
  • The outside lights are all on, thus making the exterior of the house glowing in the middle of the night. Through the windows one can see that the whole house is lighted as well. Francis can feel the old familiar feeling when he was still living there. Whenever there was a function in the house, the whole residence dazzled.
  • He entered the white painted huge door and smelled the scent of the house which he always loved. A few steps more and he is in the dining hall.
  • “Francis is here, everybody!” Georgina very proudly announced the arrival of his eldest son. She stood to usher him to his seat. Francis is placed as the head of the family. But he didnt seat without shaking hands with those who are there. He greeted his uncle John and his wife. His auntie Lizy is also there and her partner, three were his mother’s close friends, his brother Bobby and his cousins Terry, Wayne and Beth.
  • He looked at everybody and then settled .
  • “Thank you for coming on my birthday, everyone. You truly made the day special for me. “Georgina expressed delightfully. He is wearing her simple blue dress but she looks stunningly gorgeous. Francis’ mother appears very youthful for her age. Why she never remarried after the demise of her late partner is mainly because of her wish to keep the lives of her sons stay unperturbed as what an additional family member might bring. And then there is her business to keep her busy.
  • Everyone clapped for the fifty five years old woman.
  • Georgina is a daughter to an ordinary family with whom both her mother and father are professors at the state university. That means none of her parents were engaged in any business. During her university years she had always been a brilliant student. Although she was a beautiful young woman, she was not the popular girl in school. She was friendly and all but she devoted most of her time studying. She has two or three friends and she as happy with that. A little bit introvert but not too much. She enjoyed partying from time to time but she was one of those who took her studies seriously. It was no doubt she wanted to be the best.
  • Then she met her husband when she graduated. Gene Cawili was the son of an average business man. They had no time for leisure, they both thought of making it serious so they got married after a short period of time. After marriage they decided to set up a small grocery store using Gene’s money. Surely they knew the right way from the beginning. They didn’t do anything else, they were sure of which path that would lead them somewhere. The business they started immediately made money so before Francis was born, they already had two stores in two different towns. Five years later, they decided to make Apple Beans as the business’ name. Their fortune continuously grew bigger, they expanded their groceries into hypermarkets. Each branch was put up one after the other. And now, Apple Beans has four existing stores with average of eighty employees each. Evidently, the expansion they made was phenomenal thanks to Mrs. Georgina Cawili’s exceptional talent and efficiency when it comes to business.
  • Since Georgina came from a normal family and so did Gene, many of their relatives are also within that range economically. They are not really from the elite society. But one cannot help but live according to where he is financially. Their continuous economic advancement made a gap between her relatives and her family. Not long after that they were too far off. Their business catapulted them to the top so that created a gap between them and their society which were mostly their distant and close relatives. Their circumstances changed. Slowly, they got alienated to the ways of life their society is living. But that is alright, all they had to do is adapt to the new. That is how life is.
  • One might argue that people should not forget to look back from where you came from. And that the relatives should be the most important people before anybody else. But for her she simply didn’t have time to go and spend time with her relatives like one would expect. The things she do is not anymore the same with them since they are not business people. The law of nature takes its course.
  • So even though it is a norm to be close to one’s relatives, her situation didn’t allow that. For that reason, her birthdays are not attended by many of them as it should normally be.
  • She has a lot of cousins from her aunts and uncles but they somehow stopped mingling with each other or let’s say they didn’t have much reason to. Unless they themselves are in the same field as she is, she naturally become isolated from the rest. Otherwise, everybody could have come.
  • And, her success in their business did not out balance her responsibilities as a mother and also a wife. That was the real greatness in her. That being a successful business woman didn’t cause her to deprive her boys of what they mostly needed in all aspects. And as a result, she has now two equally successful sons in their own fields. That much makes her contented as a woman at the afternoon of her life.
  • “Happy birthday to my beautiful mother, Georgina!” Francis stood again to kiss his mother.
  • They don’t call her mom like any modern Filipino kid would call their mother. They are okay with just “mother” or just simply Georgina. Normally, kids of what we call modern families especially rich ones don’t call their mama’s mother. Calling the mother just simply mother is only for the less privileged families. It may sound funny but that is how it is. If you are rich, you have to show it. Never call your mother with lousy names such as that. The boys either call their mother by her name or just ‘mother’ and everyone seems to be at peace with that, even if their Filipino culture doesn’t agree with it. Calling your mother by name is frowned upon and is regarded as disrespectful. They have the utmost respect , care and love for Georgina no matter what name they called her.
  • Everyone asked how everyone was doing while eating. There is not much to ask, though. Francis and his relatives don’t have so much in common except that they come together once in a while as relatives whenever there are functions. Social gatherings, at least mostly, are also religious functions where one needs to invite all relatives around, whether you are close or not. Relatives are relatives. One’s relatives automatically becomes one’s circle. Most of the people can trace who their fifth cousins are, literally.
  • “How is business, Francis?” Uncle John asked.
  • “It is going well, Uncle. By the end of this year, another Apple Bean store is already finished.” He smiled naughtily at everyone. “We are expanding in fast pace,” there is pride in his words.
  • “Good job, Francis. Your father would have been very proud of his boy,” He laughed while talking. Uncle John is very fond of Francis ever since the boy was young.
  • “I won’t be totally proud of my nephew unless he found the woman for him, though.” Auntie Lizy blurted like she is trying to tease him.
  • “Francis, if I don’t tell you, who else would do. Money is good but a lot of money without family? You wouldn’t call that life. What is all the money if you don’t have no one to share it with? Money is much enjoyed when it is spent for kids. Where will you put your money on? Huh, what good is all of those?” It seems uncle is in the mood of a sermon while they are having their dinner.
  • The comment made everyone look at him. Everybody went quiet for a while.
  • “Don’t be too picky, Francis. Just look for a girl and settle down,” Aunt Lizy advised.
  • Just like that? Pick a girl and settle down?
  • “Francis, where is Cheryn?” Georgina asked her son.
  • “Aahhh, Cheryn? Mother, she is my friend! Just a friend.”
  • “I won’t support any aspiring governor in the province who doesn’t have a wife! “ Beth threatened his cousin.
  • Hahaha! They all laughed for that as though it was the funniest joke ever told. But it was the truth although no one could say it. In the local culture, the man suited to sit on a public official’s seat, especially that of high position, is preferably a family man. A man is more valued and revered if he is married and has no unpleasant record not necessarily in court but in the society. The culture doesn’t regard a single unmarried man like that of a married man. Staying single for too long , after sometime, does look like a failure in the eyes of the people. It is then the utmost important thing for a man, especially, to settle down.
  • Once someone becomes a politician, he is then regarded as one of the respected elders thus he should act like one. Elders means not just old people, they are the ones who should know more as a result of having had more experiences. They are expected to lead the rest of the people because they are supposed to be wise.
  • After that simple dinner, the visitors started to leave at eleven thirty. Francis, as the most responsible man in the family, didn’t leave until the last visitor said good bye.
  • “Future governor of Montanyosa!” his uncle gave him a firm hand shake before he turned to open his car.
  • Tonight, Francis is too tired to go back to his place, he is reposing in his family house. When he went back in, Georgina is there waiting for him. Bobby is off to his room.
  • “Really, Francis, until my fifty fifth birthday you can’t even bring a girl home?” Georgina joked.
  • “Georgina, I will, when the right woman shows up. Satisfied?” Francis rebutted.
  • Francis can be unpredictable sometimes. In most of the times, he never wants to make his mother upset but there are times when he really wants to stress things. Those are the times when he talk to her in a slightly strong tone.
  • Because he is at the marriageable age, he often gets bombarded from everyone he encounters about getting a wife. And it becomes a ‘nightmare’ during gatherings such as an hour ago. That is the time when everyone is expressing their worries about him getting old alone. ‘That how dreadful it is to grow up without having kids. Much more with dying single.’ As if growing old without a family is a life of hell that nobody should ever live.
  • But He doesn’t really care.