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The Proposal
It was December 19, 2010. Tricia thought it was just an ordinary day. As a monthly practice since January of last year, they went to Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine in Pangasinan. They started the day with a 6:00 AM mass, had their usual breakfast at Tapa King then went to Manila to go malling since they had a lot of time to kill before going to a small get together dinner at Kaka and Gis' abode. From Pangasinan they went straight to Greenhills to do some Christmas shopping for family, friends and Monchs' colleagues. Monch was acting pretty normal without any drops of sweat on his "patilyas", which usually happens whenever he is nervous, uneasy or restless. He remained pretty calm that Tricia really had no idea that he would be popping that question on that rainy day. That day also marks the birthday of Tricia's mom, Gina. After managing to get through the throng of Christmas shoppers in Greenhills, Monch and Tricia headed to Manila Memorial Park in Sucat to visit the grave of Tricia's mom and to say a birthday greeting through a prayer. The ground was wet because of the endless raining. Good thing they were in their usual pants and sneakers outfit. They got off the van without an umbrella in tow. When it started to rain hard, Monch immediately headed back to the van to get an umbrella (that was what Tricia thought). Tricia heard Monch say "Baliw ka, wag" to Kuya Vic. When she asked what was that, Monch said it was nothing. But Tricia insisted on getting the answer, Monch said "Hindi, yung payong." Tricia bought Monchs' meaningless answer and said "Ahhhh...." (still clueless.) Tricia got her prayer leaflet meant for visiting her mom, out of her denim pocket and gave it to Monch. He let Monch lead. Monch was holding the umbrella in his right hand and Tricia was the one holding the leaflet. After the prayer, Monch candidly asked Tricia "Ano kayang sasabihin ng Mama mo kapag nalaman niya na ikakasal ka? " Tricia was not surprised with the question since they were already talking about marriage, the topic was no alien to her. Tricia answered "Siguro, sasabihin noon magpapayat na ako! (laughs)" and the conversation continued... Monch : Ah talaga? Tricia : Oo, yata....basta matutuwa yun! Monch : Ah...eh di let's get married na! Monch got a little red box out of his left jean pocket. He opened it and there it was....the ring. It was a white gold, princess cut, tiffany set diamond engagement ring. It was exactly what Tricia wanted her ring to be. Finally after five years, they are set to marry. Tricia was in awe. Her jaw dropped. She was just staring at the ring with her mouth open. Monch also remained still. He was just looking at Tricia while holding the box, the ring still inside. The scene lasted for almost five minutes when Monch finally managed to find fitting follow-up words. Monch : Sumagot ka naman! Tricia : O, suot mo na! (referring to the ring) Monch : Ako ba magsususot? Hindi ko kasi alam.... Tricia : Malamang! alangan naman si Kuya Vic! and the rest they say is history. Monch proposed on one of Tricia's unforgettable dates, in front of her mom's tombstone. Monch asked Tricia with her mom as their witness.
For those who know the couple really well, the two are always together. Where Beavis is, Butthead is always present. They had the chance to be off each others' company when Tricia had her US vacation last November 12 - December 3, 2010. Monch finally had the time to plan and buy the ring. He seeked the help of Kaka and Gis Quisumbing. He knew what ring Tricia wanted, she in fact gave him the specs and her ring size, just so he will have the perfect ring on their engagement day. The 3 decided to go to MJ Tan, a friend of the Quisumbings, whose mom owns a jewelry shop in Ongpin. Monch decided to do the deed on December 2, the time Tricia was in transit from LA to Manila. He thought he would have undisturbed time to do everything without Tricia suspecting that he was up to something. You see, Tricia calls Monch every so often that it was so hard for Monch to buy the most awaited bling. So the 3 trooped to Ongpin. Gis was laughing because the store was well airconditioned but Monch was sweating like crazy. He was seated on a chair making "kuyakoy" endlessly. Monch, who knew what to look for, suddenly was lost for words. He instructed Gis to do the talking. So the specs were enumerated, the price was set and the diamond was brought in from Hong Kong last December 14.
Waiting for the stone Marriage is a topic both Monch and Tricia are comfortable with. They knew that they will be marrying each other, they just have no idea when. It is every girl’s dream to marry and have a family. Tricia, in her idle time, gradually puts details on a black notebook on what she wanted her big day to be. From what she wants her engagement ring to look like to the the look of her wedding reception. She got it all covered. Whenever she would have conversations with Monch on friends and movie stars getting married ahead of them, she would always wonder when she will be sporting the rock. When friends ask her, she had this default answer to give "Eh si Ding, wala pang bato e." (Darna and Ding, "Ding, ang bato!") She went out of the country for a vacation. A time away from Monch. She thought she will surprise Monch with all her pasalubongs. She never knew that when she gets back, she is the one who is up for a bigger surprise. |
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