Chapter 43 The Hosts

Ramon, Roque, Nick, Merly and Chelsy was excited that the surprise wedding anniversary party was already well-planned.

They discreetly connived with the three children of their Sir Sydney and Mam Pearl Ace in order for them to let the two wear the clothes that they bought for them. Juan's task was to look for a wedding coordinator and informed them that the Wedding Anniversary Mass would be done at the couple's home.

It was only the first week of December. They had to wait for the 23rd of December as it was the date and month of their 14th wedding anniversary. They got married when their eldest child was ten days before celebrating her fifth birthday. ARM was an IVF baby whose seed donor's identity was not revealed to Pearl Ace. As the latter had given her birth through ceasarian to her first baby who made her a single mother, her virginity remained to be intact. So, those who learned her single mom status named her Virgin single mother when Sydney Britton, the seed Donor to have pro-created ARM had appeared abruptly chasing Pearl Ace and wooing her patiently.

Had Sydney Britton not an inventor, there was zero possibility to find his eldest baby's mother. It was his invention of the IBT- Invisible Bag Teleportation that enabled him to track down the location of Pearl Ace Solis who kept on running and hiding away from him. With his plan for paying her in recompense of being abandoned for more than four years, he persevered in chasing her using his unintentional discovery. A discovery that was the fruit of his being a broken hearted wretched man. An adult wretched man who became so auspicious upon meeting his wife who was once so elusive and untamed to any man.

Sydney couldn't deny that their marriage's occurrence was only a coercion from their eldest daughter. ARM or Adrianne May, their IVF eldest child coerced her mother to get married to her father by subtly threatening her that she would leave her by going along to him in his birth place.

After fourteen years (14) of marriage, their children became three, Adrianne May whose nickname was Arm, Ace Sydney whose nickname was Hide, and Pallas Athena whose nickname was Chase. They were 19, 12, and 9 years old. Arm was on her third year in college, Hide was Grade 8 in Junior High School, and Chase was Grade 5 pupil in the Intermediate level. These three were the working force of Sydney as their training not to be as despondent as Rene before he was punished by Sydney and Pearl Ace. They all knew how to do all the household chores, too.

And this time they were in secret cohorts with Ramon and his four partners in contriving a surprise special event for the parents of those three children.

The most awaited date had come. It was time for them to

insist on sight seeing while roaming around the Metro Commercial City in a car. The couple consented the insistent whimsical request of their children. After all, it has been so long since they had their family day who went out together for sight seeing, strolling, and having meals at their favorite restaurant. They were so thrilled at the sight of the surroundings that they had almost deleted from their memory the last time they were able to glance at them.

An opportunity knocks only once so Sydney let Arm drove their car as he was there as her expert coach.

"You're coaching our daughter in driving but you always refuse whenever I ask you to give me a driving lesson." Pearl Ace complained.

"How could I send you to your working place and fetch you there if I coach you?" Sydney retorted while he gave her a wink.

When it was lunch time, Arm drove their car toward the known restaurant that served both Filipino and Western-style dishes. What they liked most to eat was a Filipino dish called 'Laing'. It is a vegetable called colocasia esculenta but more known as taro and Kalo ni Hawaii. This 'laing' is cooked in thick coconut milk with dried fish removed from its fish bone, a pork and a shrimp as the stuffed fillings together with the cut stems and leaves into small pieces which are wrapped with its leaves tied with a banana leaf torn as thin as a straw.

Aside from 'laing' their favorite was the 'bulalo' a beef's bone with fresh vegetables in it. They really enjoyed sipping or drinking its warm soup most especially Sydney. The meat from the bone was so tender that it seemed to melt in their mouth. They spent two hours eating their lunch as the three children were calculating the time when they should head to their home.

After eating,their three children plead from their parents to drop by at the mall that was twenty minutes drive from their home. Again, their father and their mother gave in. In that mall they entered a shop that sell gowns and suits. Upon their parents' entry, the shop manager ordered her ready attendants to render their most valued service to the husband and wife. Despite their refusal, the male and female shop attendants dress both of them up. The hair dresser also fixed their hair, shaved Sydney's short hair on his jaw, upper and lower part of his lips. Whereas, Pearl Ace was also adorn simply with slight make up to enhance her innocent and naive looking face. When done, Arm gave a necklace to his father as her gift, Hide gave a necklace to his mother, and Chase gifted her mom a sparkling gold bracelet.

"Happy 14th Wedding Anniversary mommy and Daddy!" the three greeted them cheerfully.

Then, a sales clerk assisted Pearl Ace to wear a silver three inch-stilleto while another male sales clerk was assisteng Sydney to fit in a black leather shoes.

While the fitting was on going, Arm was texting a message to Roque that they were about to head home as their parents were done dressing up. Because, Sydney and his wife's attention was on the fitting of the shoes, they did not notice that their eldest daughter was sending text messages to someone.

They were fully dressed up who followed their children to the parking lot. It was Arm who was at the driver's seat. Hide was seated beside her. The husband and wife had no choice but to occupy the passengers' seat at the back together with their youngest daughter, Chase.

Honking of their car was blown when they were outside the gate. After several blowing of the car's horn, a ringing of a chiming bell was heard. Suddenly, Arm asked her daddy to get off the vehicle together with her male sibling. When the gate opened, a wedding march was tuned in that was why Hide held his Father's left arm and began to march toward the altar that Juan and the alert wedding coordinator prepared.

Standing up front with his son, his bafflement of unexpected event really thrilled him, though his facial feature expressed serenity and complacency.

Looking at their daddy who was waiting for their mommy, Chase handed the bouquet while Arm was fixing their Mom's headress. The wedding march of her mother that she kept on dreaming of to be witnessed started smoothly. Their renewal of their vow as husband and wife tying the knot once again after fourteen years happened without them expecting it as they used to celebrate their annual wedding anniversary only in an intimate way in their bedroom recalling how they became a couple.

The reception was also at their garden where ten seater dining tables were arranged in a circular position. The couple had several rituals done like slicing and eating a cake, wine drinking, letting white doves fly & a wedding dance of course.

When the music was played, it was the time that the couple discovered that their daily dance exercise with their children was meant to be swayed on that day. They were trully astonished when after their wedding dance, a dance number from their children was the latest craze movement that cannot be ignored to be loudly clapped. A song rendered by the five hosts was sung that pierced not only in the heart of the couple but also to the few attendees as it was only attended by the apartment occupants, the house helpers, the five hosts, and the priest's with his two acolytes and a choir with five members including the organ player. More or less the small crowd consisted only fifty attendees with the barangay officials.

While enjoying the palatable ten Western-style dishes, each one of those who were willing to speak were allowed. Having been the master of ceremony, Merly called the barangay captain who was more than willing to express his gratitude to the couple for all the assistance that they shared to his constituents specially during the pandemic era.

Naturally, their children would never let the party end without them expressing their love and gratitude to their parents. The first speaker was the eldest revealing whose subterfuge was it.

Hide was the second speaker who divulged that his eldest sister forced them to break their piggy bank for the gift they gave them. Everybody laughed boisterously.

Chase was the third speaker of the three. She disclosed that both of her two siblings bribed her just so she had to dance with them. The audience clapped and expressed their assurance that she's a graceful dancer like her siblings.

When it was time for the five business minded young adults, each of them had apparently appreciated their very placid dispositions that the couple instilled within them. With such instillment, they became self- reliant and hard working that helped themselves from being independent.

"This surprise celebration is a recompence for your visible benevolence and generosity. This event that we prepared for both of you is not yet enough to please your enormous heart that resulted to your open arms to the needy like us. For us, a life time favor in return of your magnificent deed for us could not be considered a requital. Therefore, we implore our dear Almighty God to Bless you more. Once more, thanks a lot that we're no longer homeless people who once depended on the coins given to us by the folks that pitied us." Nick vowed and left the podium.

The couple stood up, walked toward the five businessmen and hugged them with tears of joy.