if things were the other way around...

Leon had been staying in Ermita, Manila for some time now, and this is in fact where he met his new bride, Maria. Now Leon and Maria, no matter how in love they were, grew up in radically different conditions. Leon grew up in Nagrebcan, a small farming town up north. Maria is a Manilena since birth. Both come from respectable families (definitions and social symbols vary in their respective hometowns, but yes).

They had been married for some time now and had been talking about meeting each other's families. The day finally came when it was time for Leon to meet Maria's folks. They lived in a different part of the city, and their daughter rarely came to visit since she was 'busy'. But now, the moment of truth arrived.

The journey was relatively uneventful. There was an air of nervousness in the carriage they were riding in. They had discussed this so many times before; doing things properly and all. But the situation was different now, and highly complicated. They would occasionally talk about some things they saw along the road: beggars all along the roads, the state of this well-known rich man's property, a scandalous argument between two women who happened to be serial adulterers, and the construction of new roads (for easier and safer passage). After about an hour or so, they arrived at the house Maria grew up in.

The newly-weds got off the carriage in front of a large house situated on the main road. It had all the trendy designs of the time: big oaken doors, wide windows, and a large staircase greeting them at the entrance. The door was wide open, but nobody came to greet them and take their belongings from the carriage (probably because or dear woman forgot to write in advance of her visit; must have slipped her mind?).

"Hello?", Maria called into the house.

Upon saying these, loud footsteps could be heard laboring down the wide stairs. A middle aged man, who, leaning heavily on a walking stick, still looked intimidating and smart in his attire and stature. He was closely followed by a beautiful woman who could only be the mother and lady of the house. Maria gracefully loped up the stairs to hug her parents. Pulling away, she said "Mother, Father, I'd like you to meet my husband. This is Leon." And she pointed down to him, who tried to bow with as much grace as he could muster considering he was burdened with heavy suitcases.

Leon had imagined being welcomed graciously into his wife's family considering the circumstances. He could not have imagined more wrongly. Maria's mother shrieked and fainted on the spot (thank goodness she didn't fall down the stairs for a servant ran forward to catch her). The father on the other hand started shaking his fists at the poor husband and yelling obscenities and threats, then after composing himself, he settled with looking at Maria with a disappointed look and shaking his head while muttering under his breath.

They were finally welcomed to rest on the sala while waiting for the mother to regain consciousness, and when she did, muttered something like "How could you?", then fell back in her seat in a faint again.

The following day, Leon and Maria went home to Ermita, thinking that they should give her parents more time to accept that fact that she was already married. They also hoped to come up with a decent enough apology and a peace offering to get back on her parents' good graces.