"Don't you know that teachers especially women are very marriageable?" Mr. Nuñez said.
"Really?" Pretty asked eagerly.
"You seemed so interested now in our class Madame Coronel. I thought you fell asleep a while ago in the corner. Anyway, welcome back to our class." JJ said.
Everyone laughed heartily except Pretty.
Pretty gave JJ a fuck you sign.
JJ returned Pretty's fuck you sign with a peace sign.
"Oh, I'm glad that we finally got Ms. Coronel's attention. I thought she's finally lost in the zombie land." Mr. Nuñez said.
Pretty was offended. She hated to be the laughing stock in class.
"I don't mean to prolong Ms. Coronel's agony. If you're loveless today, well, this is your chance ladies. You will never be loveless again the next day. Do you want to know the secret formula?"
Everyone was very silent especially those ladies who are loveless for they are very eager to know the secret of having a love life.
"The first formula is to pass all your subjects in Diploma of Professional Education (DPE). I know all of you have already graduated in college. But mind you, teachers are more marriageable compared to any other professionals."
"How can teachers be more marriageable than any other professionals?" Amanda asked.
"Do you have a boyfriend Ms. Marquez?"
"No."
"What's your course?"
"Psychology."
"You see. That's why you don't have a boyfriend until now because you haven't graduated in Education yet. But it's a good thing that you decided to take DPE so that you'll have more chances of getting a boyfriend."
"Sir, you're beating around the bush. It's already past 3pm. And you're still not getting us straight to the point." Pretty said impatiently.
"I'm sorry Ms. Coronel for keeping you waiting. Why are you in a hurry? Is there a boyfriend waiting for you outside?"
Pretty just shook her head in frustration.
"Once you'll pass all the subjects in this class, take the teacher's board exam immediately. But make sure you'll pass in the board exam so that you can teach in a public school. It will be easier for you to apply in a public school if you are a licensed teacher. However, it will be difficult for you to be assigned in schools at the city not unless you have a very strong connection in the government. So, most likely you will be assigned in schools located in mountainous areas and remote islands. Finally, when you are already assigned in mountainous areas, you will meet a lot of motorcycle drivers that will regularly fetch you in going to school and back home. Don't worry if you will be assigned in remote islands. You will still meet the love of your life. You will meet a lot of fisherman that will row the boat for you in going to school and back home."
"Never shall I marry an uneducated guy." Pretty blurted out without thinking.
"Mind your words, Ms. Coronel. Most of my students before who are already a licensed teachers told me exactly the same words you said. But in the end, they ate up their words. They came back to see me and told me I was right all along. They end up with a sweet motorcycle taxi driver. They got married with an unprofessional guy and have kids. They found contentment and happiness. Some says that it's not ideal for an educated woman to marry an uneducated man. But that was their fate. Which do you prefer, live alone for the rest of your life or marry your not so ideal man? While you are waiting for your ideal man, you will never notice how time flies so fast. You will be left behind because your ideal man may or may never come. The bottom line is, it doesn't matter whatever status you and your partner possess. What matters most is that you get along well with your partner in life and you're happy with each other."
There was an awkward silence. They started to mull over Mr. Nuñez words of wisdom. It might sound an insult for them because no one in her right mind would dream of marrying an uneducated motorcycle taxi driver nor a fisherman. For them, it seemed like Mr. Nuñez was underestimating their capability to be attracted with their ideal men. Some of them started to feel insecure. They jumped into conclusions immediately that maybe they were not beautiful enough to be notice by the man of their dreams.
"Why did these idealistic teachers end up with an uneducated motorcycle taxi drivers or fishermen? Did they run out of men?" Patty asked courageously breaking the silence.
"Do you have a boyfriend Ms. Ygonia?"
"Yes, I have and I'm faithful to him."
"That's good to know but you never can tell. He is just your boyfriend. He's not bound to you yet. Even the most bounded continents can be separated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other forces of nature; how much more a relationship that is not yet entitled to marriage. If a titled lot can be stolen; how much more a boyfriend. Mind your words Ms. Ygonia because you'll never know what lies ahead. Who knows, the oldest maid in this class might be the first one to find his ideal soul mate. And you might end up in the arms of a motorcycle taxi driver."
Patty started to turn fifty shades of red fury.
"But to answer your question, Ms. Ygonia. One of my students who is now a teacher was assigned in a mountainous area. The motorcycle taxi driver who was eyeing her became her regular driver. At first, she got annoyed with him because he always wait for her in the corner every morning. All motorcycle taxi drivers would take turn in taking passengers up in the mountain. But this motorcycle taxi driver refused to take any passenger even if it is already his turn to take them to the mountain. He only wanted to take this specific passenger to the mountain. And that was his ideal woman. He would only take other passengers once he got her up in the mountain. The teacher had no choice. She couldn't be choosy or else no one would take her to the mountain. She was a little bit annoyed because the driver was very talkative. She didn't want to offend him by telling him to shut up. He used to tease her by suddenly speeding up his motorcycle so that she would be pushed forward towards him. This went on for a year until he courted her. At first, she refused to his advances because he was not his ideal man. He was so patient and so persistent until she finally said yes. I was surprised one day to see her in my office holding her big tummy. She was pregnant. She invited me to be one of her principal sponsors in her wedding which took place in the mountainous area of Consolacion. I don't know what happened afterwards. I can tell that they're happy together because she always post their happy moments together in Facebook. Isn't it amazing? Two different people from two different worlds apart would touch each other's heart and suddenly it's magic."
"Amazing, huh? It's already 30 minutes past 4. And that means you're starving us with your inspiring story. We thought that our class will dismiss at 4. But what's the time now? I was so excited to be a teacher but now I don't feel like becoming a teacher anymore." Sherlyn said bitterly.
"I'm not saying that you are destined to become the ideal wife of a motorcycle driver, Ms. Maynard. It's up to you if you wanted to become one. There are so many women in the world but only few men. So that makes the competition tight leaving you with no choice. But what is destined for you will always be for you. You can stop the forces of nature from creating a havoc but not a beating heart who's deeply in love."
Almost all the old maids sighed from either hunger or frustration from an inevitable destiny. They started to feel hopeless. Some of them believed that no matter what your circumstances are, you always have a choice. That choice will either make you or break you.
"Let's call it a day." Mr. Nuñez finally dismissed the class.
They all went out from the room one by one.
"Never shall I marry an uneducated man. Never shall I marry an uneducated man. Never shall I marry an uneducated man." Pretty kept on repeating these sentences like a mantra.
"Those were exactly the same mantra I kept on repeating to myself before when I was as young as you. But in the end, I only ate up those words because I married a farmer." Isabel said.
"Where's your husband?"
"He's now in heaven my dear."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"No, it's not your fault. He died long time ago."
"What happened after then? Did you have any children?"
Isabel guffawed.
"You have lots of questions, huh? I thought you said a while ago that you're hungry and you couldn't wait for the class to dismiss."
"I already lost my appetite after what Mr. Nuñez had told us."
"Mr. Nuñez had a point. You're still so young and yet so naïve. So, never say never as early as now or else you might end up munching your words. I guess I have a lot of things to tell you. I'm going to share my experiences to you. Not for you to follow the same mistake that I made but for you to reflect on it. Let's go and eat something in a fast-food restaurant. I'm going to tell you a memoire of my ill-starred love story while we are eating."
They went to a fast-food restaurant and ordered burger, fries, and cold ice tea.