Never a Normal Family

April 20, 2013

7:14 am

Christine Romulo

It is morning.

I sit at the breakfast table with Margaret at my side. This is how we sit every time "everyone" eats together. Father always sits at the head of the table with mother right beside him. I sit at my father's left side with Margaret beside me. Even at the dining table, there are still conventions to follow.

And no, just because you are eating at the dining table, it doesn't mean that there will be no work discussions. In fact, our dining table is like a board meeting every day. Father eats his meals with papers on one side, his phone on the other, and sometimes, Louis (or should I say, Mister Bautista) is standing beside him in case father needs something.

Mother does the same with her always reading the papers (newspapers, I mean). She's like my father's spy for the other corporations with mother's extensive friendship amongst the elite.

What do I do? Well, I guess I'm the black sheep that rarely participates in this shithole. I mean, even Doctor Margaret participates in this, despite her being a doctor (in other words, not in the business field). Well, she's not always participative. She is far too fatigue sometimes to even say a word. She just says yes to whatever father orders.

The thing is, the elites can never be a normal family. It's always a mess, like this one.

"Mister Bautista, can you get the clipboard from my study?" father asks as he looks through his papers.

The clipboard – a sum of my father's dealings and papers. Yes, it is a literal clipboard, but in the clipboard, it is where the gold is stored. When I say gold, it is almost literal gold. Anything in that clipboard is valued up to millions. Whatever deal is in there, it is probably a deal that would benefit this family.

As I eat, I hear a soft ringing like chimes. As I look to see where it comes from, it is only Margaret's phone. I see the contact head of a name "Edward". It must be Margaret's boyfriend. There is no other Edward that I know that Margaret is acquainted with. I look into her eyes and it was as if she doesn't want to be bothered. She rejects the call and shakes her head. What is going on between these two? I just let out a brief sigh and continue my eating.

Mother, who seems to be in an oddly good mood, suddenly puts down her newspapers. "Chris, Christine went on a date last night?"

Father just looks at mother as if he would roll his eyes. He laughs under his breath. "Irene, that's no news," he says as he takes another bite of his food. "She goes out every night. One day, she's sleeping with this man, and on the other, it would be another man. It's things like this that made me put this woman in the church, to stop her… whorish ways."

I can only manage to bite my lips. There go his misogynistic ways again. Honestly, I'm used to it. But all of a sudden, Margaret slams her hand on the table. "Father, you are going too far! That is enough!"

I see her face turn red out of fury. I cannot believe her. She would even go as far as to defend me. Father, however, is not even bothered by Margaret's actions. He just looks at her straight in the eye as if he would prove a point. He needs not say a word. He just shakes his head in all of this.

"Oh, why, Margaret," Father says calmly – like the devil. "Is it not true that you agree with me? I mean if you do not agree, you would not have followed my orders and ask the church to place her in service. Is it not right?"

She is pursing her lips as if she is trying to find the right words. "The church is good for Christine," she says slowly. "I did it to save her reputation. I did not do it because I thought she is a whore. You are the only one that thinks that way, father. It's a shame that one of us has to live in the past while we, women, are in the future."

Father does not even say a word. All of a sudden, he takes the glass by his side and throws it at Margaret's direction. No, thankfully it does not hit her in the face. I see mother looking as if she had seen nothing. She continues to eat as if her husband did not try to kill his daughter at all.

"I am not to be disrespected as such, young lady," he says in his calm voice, still. "You are a Romulo. Act like one. I will not have any of the women in this household acting like whores, fishwives, or… rude hags."

I know Margaret. Her face says it all. She has her eyes closed and is breathing rapidly to herself. After finding herself in a much calmer state, she opens her eyes and just looks at me apologetically. She looks at me as if she had failed to defend me. Whatever she's thinking, I'm already fine with it. Her not talking about what happened last night is enough for me. I do not wish to talk about it anyway.

Once more, I hear the soft chiming rings again. I see Margaret's eyebrows meet as she sees her phone ringing. She hastily rejects the call and shuts it off just to stop it all. She sighs after she turned it off. I look at her again, but she looks at me as if she says, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Father just lets out a sigh before continuing to speak. "Anyway, since your mother remarks about it, Irene, what is this date about?"

I see mother give out a fake smile. She knows that this shithole isn't going anywhere if she makes a fuss about it. "It was a date with the son of Governor Macedo. From what I saw, I think it was a date between two youths in courtship."

I see father just give a forced smile. "I do not approve of that," he immediately says.

"Why?" my mother asks. "Isn't it good that we align ourselves with whoever is in power over this city?"

"Yes. I agree with that. However, Macedo is not in power for long, Irene. He will soon leave office."

I see mother's aghast face. For a woman that always reads the papers, it is odd why she never knew of this. "What? Why? The people love him. He is the man of the people. Macedo is not an elite who is at the top due to his wealth. He is at the top due to his simple lifestyle."

Father looks me sharply in the eye. He knows. It takes just one look from him to reprimand me for all that I have done.

"You know, Irene, not everyone can love a person," father says icily as he looks at me in the eye. "Some people will hate you no matter what. That's the tragedy of Macedo. Some person gathered the evidence against him and he fell down. Isn't that right, Christine?"

I cannot say anything in my defense. How did he know? Usually, it would be mother who will be the first to know, but how is it him right now?

"Now, Christine, I do not know what thing or fling you have with Macedo or his son, but I advise you to stay away from that family," father says as he drinks his coffee. "They will take revenge. I can tell you that right now. Choose another man that you would consider husband."

All of a sudden, Louis shows up at father's side with the clipboard. Father takes it away from him and signs a document.

"Or, I would have to find one for you," he continues.