We all think “telenovela” plots are way out, whether they are Filipino, Korean, Mexican, whathaveyou…
But indeed, Truth is stranger than Fiction.
The following story is happening to friends of mine. Although affluent, they are not “in society.” But what is happening has jarred me enough to want to share it with you…
Jake and Faith have been married for 15 years and seem like the perfect couple: both goodlooking, intelligent, hardworking, prosperous, and visibly in love. Jake is a vice-president in a multinational corporation and has several businesses of his own. Faith is a born entrepreneur, a hardworking businesswoman who imports exclusive boutique beauty products and other luxury items from Europe and from the USA. They have no children. After several tests, it was determined by the doctors that it was Faith who had the fertility problem.
Jake and Faith were unfazed, and since they had the resources, went to every single fertility doctor they could find. After exhausting their list in Manila, they proceeded to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, San Francisco, and New York. None of the doctors could get Faith pregnant.
Unknown to Faith, Jake had become despondent and was losing faith in himself. He desperately wanted to have children, not just one, but several. For Jake, adoption of someone else’s child was totally out of the question.
About a year ago, on a business trip down south, Jake found himself visiting Bernie, his former flame. Bernie is from a rich political clan, the daughter of an influential, longtime politico. Jake had bowed out of her life years ago when he was a nobody careerwise and could not afford Bernie’s affluent style of life. Unknown to Faith in Manila, Jake’s visits down south to Bernie became more frequent. Before Jake and Bernie could realize what was happening, Bernie became pregnant. Not wanting a scandal to blow up, her parents sent her to the USA to give birth there.
Bernie gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. Jake was delirious with happiness. Bernie’s parents were not happy about her illicit relationship with Jake, not only because she was a mistress, but they felt that he was not rich enough, influential enough, and important enough for them, although they were very happy about their new grandson, a new heir to their political dynasty! Bernie’s father sat Jake down and pointedly told him that the baby boy would carry their surname instead of Jake’s for as long as Jake could not marry Bernie and make an honorable woman out of her. He stated in the strongest terms that Jake should leave his wife Faith and marry their daughter Bernie.
Bernie, for her part, also told Jake in the strongest terms that he should marry her, that he should have his marriage to Faith annulled ASAP since they could not have children anyway.
All that time, Jake carried on with his loving wife Faith back in Manila as if nothing was happening…
Three months after the birth of his son with Bernie, and ready to be expelled from their marriage and their home, Jake finally mustered the courage to tell the truth to Faith, expecting the worst.
But Faith, kind and understanding woman that she is, did not go into a rage. Calmly, she told Jake that she was very hurt, but that she completely understood his situation. How could he live without children of his own knowing full well that he was a healthy man capable of producing them? Faith assured Jake that she was ready to live their life with his son from Bernie. However, Jake did not tell Faith that Bernie and her family are pressuring him to leave her and marry Bernie instead.
Where do they go from there???!!!
I know Jake and Faith well. Faith is a wonderful woman whose only fault is that she cannot have a child. I can only conjecture what prompted Jake to return to Bernie and…
If this isn’t an unraveling “telenovela,” I don’t know what is…
remembrance of things awry 