The Marriage Proposal Of Juan-Maring

ni Mario L. Cuezon

After several months of preparing all they needed, Juan and his wife Maring immediately
left for a far barrio in Zamboanga del Sur. The preparations was quite extravagant. They rented
a kin’s vehicle and they invited their relatives to go with them. They brought with them various
food containers, cases of beverages and a pig more than a thousand kilograms and ten native
chickens. For a rich man, that is a small feast but for Juan and Maring who only depend on the
produce of the land, this is already a big feast. They had saved for it for a few months. And they
were not hesitant in spending. Jimmy, the only unmarried child out of eight children, whom Juan
and Maring though would already be left by the train of marriage, will get married.

Jimmy took his handsome features and his height from his father. His father is small
white man, Jimmy went to the mountains of Bukidon and there he met Perlita. She is in her
thirties. She is an old maid teacher. She has a dark skin and she looks older that Jimmy. Jimmy
was matched with Perlita until they agreed to get married, Juan and Maring were so happy.
Juan’s son, a plain farmer, will soon be married to a teacher. So, when he said he was going to
marry, Juan and Maring immediately prepared for it.

The travel took few hours and it was not easy. All those who joined the trip often asked
Jimmey if they were already near and he would just smile. Just when the half cigarette of Aurora
brought by Dong Verino was consumed, they reached the house of Jimmy’s Fiancee. They all
laughed when they saw the women powdered with the dust of the great drought. Isko’s concrete
house is just near the road. The front yard is planted with different ornamental plants. Juan was
amazed and exclaimed to himself “Perlita’s family is well-off.” Perlita, her parents, Eva and Isko
welcomed Jimmy’s family.

While others were bringing down the food to be prepared for dinner, Jimmy introduced
his father and mother to his fiancée’s parents, Eva apologized for the bad roads. The roads
were not repaired except for the few meters in the entrance of their barrio. Isko exclaimed “We
do not have electric connections in this barrio because the former barangay captain would not
allow his coconut to be cut. There is no place for the electric posts to be built.”

Their talk went on while Jimmy’s kins helped in the preparations of their dinner. They did
not find it hard because Pelita’s relatives already prepared the tables and utensils and they even
killed pig and goat for the sumptuous dinner. They talked about each other’s families. Juan
talked about his eight children who already got married. Four of his children were professionals.
He was proud to say he has twenty grandchildren. He fondly talked about his child who worked
as a domestic helper in Saudi, his child who was driving a jeep in Manila. Isko, too, was excited
and told Perlita’s six siblings. He was proud of his children who are education and commerce
graduates. One of his children was married to a principal in Davao. One is engaged in copra
trading, one is teaching in Dumalinao while one drowned in the M/V Cassandra tragedy.
 Juan was impressed with what he heard from Isko. Juan did not show he was worried.
Isko and his wife were also good in handling stories. Their conversation just jumped from one
topic to another and it only stopped when they ate dinner. It was a lively dinner as many of
Isko’s neighbors came.

After dinner, they rested for a while and then a formal wedding proposal started. All the
principals were in the sale. Juan is not a good speaker. He brought Temyo, his cousin who is
very good in talking in a poetic manner. Facing each other who is very good in talking in a poetic
manner. Facing each other in the sala were Isko, Perlita, Juan, Maring, Jimmy, and Temyo.
Others sat in the kitchen or in the porch while others were already drinking wine in the garden.

Temyo delivered his long speech. He used metaphors in his speech like the birds which
create their own nest, the flowers which are attractive to the bees, the long tiring trip, and the
hearts who had agreed to taste the honey of marriage. These metaphors are usually heard in
the olden days of wedding proposals. The young patiently listened to Temyo’s poetic delivery.
They wanted Temyo to finish it soon.

To end his delivery, Temyo asked Jimmy, “Are you ready to marry Perlita?” Jimmy
excitingly replied, “Yes.” He uttered the word several times. After hearing Jimmy’s reply,
everybody looked at Perlita. There was silence. Jimmy’s hands were so cold, he wanted to hear
Perlita’s response. It was Perlita’s turn to reply to the marriage proposal. Perlita licked her
mouth which went dry with too much excitement. Everybody waited for her reply. Finally, she
looked at Jimmy’s eyes. She smiled. She nodded. “What can you say, Isko” Isko looked
seriously at his daughter and said, “I have nothing against this marriage proposal. My daughter,
Perlita deserved to be happy.”

Temyo looked at Eva’s directions. “What do you want for your daughter’s marriage?” He
asked in a serious tone. “I want to see them march in this town’s Catholic church and the
celebration to be held here.” Eva replied, Juan and Maring looked at each other. They too
agreed.

Eva paused for a while. Juan, Maring, Jimmy, and Perlita waited. Eva said, “The
wedding has to take place a year after my other child’s marriage.” Juan and Maring had no
objections. They all believed that is bad for two siblings to be married within a year as one will
die and get sick. Juan and Maring had no objection to the request because they also believe in
that superstition.

“Is there any other thing you want for your daughter’s marriage?” Temyo asked Isko. “Do
you want an extravagant feast, house and lot, or even coconut farm or whatever?” Juan and
Maring held their breath for some seconds. They heard from Eva and Isko’s neighbors that
Perlita’s parents would ask for an extravagant feast, big house and coconut farm. Juan and
Maring were too nervous. “They might ask for more.” Maring whispered to Juan. “They are
well-off, Maring.” Juan uttered in a low tone. Juan immediately thought of their difficulties in life.
They only own five hectares of farm. The price of copra is low and they already incurred a big
debt from their suki. “My God!” he silently prayed.
Isko did not answer immediately. He looked out of the house and uttered “Temyo, don’t
worry, about that, I will tell you later, but as of now, how about a drink?” And he brought Juan to
a table in the garden, under the tambis tree. Isko instructed a kin to get a par of Tanduay or
Añejo. The worried Juan could not do anything but follow Isko. Eva and Maring were left in the
sala. They talked about Perlita’s wedding gown, food preparation and the selection of the
godparents.

Juan and Isko were the only ones in the table but there were others who were drinking in
the other parts of the garden. The worried Juan asked, “What would you ask for your daughter’s
wedding?” Don’t you worry about it,” Isko replied. Juan continued to wonder and he heard Isko
narrating his life when he was young. “My parents came from Bohol and they were very poor so
they migrated to Oroquita. But they were just tenants there so they left for Cagayan de Oro
where my father became a laborer at the pier,” Isko paused for awhile and continued to recall
his youthful days. “There I met Eva, a salesgirl in the carenderia of her auntie. I was not liked
because I was poor so I eloped with Eva. We transferred here and were blessed by God
because we were able to buy some land and become engaged in business.”

Isko’s face had become red while he reminisced his memories of the place. “This place
was already grasslands and the big trees were already cut. We bought it from the Subanens.
We could still catch wild pigs and big boars then. There was still no road here and there were
only three houses built. After several years, many people transferred, bought lands, planted
corn and coconut. When there were already thirty houses, the folks in this place asked that a
school be built. People then found the next barrio far and the river could not be crossed if there
was a flood. Good thing this place was made a barrio and only then when a school was built
and the road was widened. Folks worked hard for free just to finish the construction of the road
and school!”

Juan’s face also became red but his worry never left him. “What would Isko ask from
him? Is it a big feast? A carabao? A house and lot? What?” He could not bear thinking about it.
He was about to ask Isko again when Isko uttered, “Do not worry about it.”

They drank some more. Their conversation continued. Several hours has passed. Ten
o’clock, twelve midnight, one in the morning, three, four o’clock and every hour Juan would ask
Isko about what he would ask for the marriage. Isko would just tell him not to worry about it.
They just drank. This only made Juan worry all the more as Isko would ask for big things – a big
feast, a house, a lot?

Isko was just calm. He kept on pouring wine and offered the glass of wine and drank it.
He recalled when Perlita was born. “I never thought she would live as she was very small like a
kitten, but she became big and very brave.” And because she is the youngest, she had been so
loved. She is a bright child. She became an honor student though she was often absent from
the class because of asthma. She studied in Iligan so she lived with an older sister.
 Juan was forced to tell of the time Jimmy was still small. “Oh, my Jimmy. He fell from a
star-apple tree and his hand was broken and because of that, he was absent for a long time and
he eventually stopped for a year. He did not feel like returning to school anymore because he
was ashamed, and he was then left behind by his classmates. He lived with his uncle in
Cagayan. There, he studied and only reached high school. He went with his friends, but he is a
good boy. He smoked and drank but he did not make trouble when he was drunk. He is very shy
so he is marrying late.”

It was almost six o’clock in the morning and the sun had risen. Some chickens has
started scratching the ground, specking at the crumbs from last night’s dinner. Isko proudly told
Juan about his other children. After quite some time Juan asked again, “What do you really want
for your daughter? For this marriage proposal?” Isko paused for awhile, smiled pressed Juan’s
hands and said “Don’t worry, balae, what we would ask from you…”

“What, balae, what?”

“What I would ask from you is that you pay for the wedding registration.”

Juan was not able to speak. He shook his head and heaved a big sigh.