A/N : "When life throws you Lemons, make Apple Juice and leave the world wondering how the hell you did it." - Anonymous
Kuya Manny continued staring at the two sitting opposite him at the dining table of Mendoza's residence where they are holding a meeting of sorts, contemplating RJ's suggestion. It was already Sunday afternoon. They thought of (a) just releasing the official statement that they prepared, (b) Meng holding a mini press conference, (c)grant one reporter an interview. They need to do something fast.
"Paolo, kumusta ang lagay ng story online?"
Paolo looked at Meng before he answered. "The Mindoro thingy is starting to get a life of its own. Nanganganak na siya. Iba-ibang story na ang nagsusulputan. Kanya-kanya na sila ng theories. Some are calling Maine and RJ all the names they could think of. Medyo damay na sila Tito because they know they flew with us from Mindoro."
"What names?" Meng asked as RJ held her hand. He knows she's strong but not when her family is affected.
"You wouldn't want to know. Basta insan, stay away from social media today."
"May masama ba sa ginawa namin? Anong masama na nagpunta ko sa bundok as my vacation? Bakit nilalagyan nila ng malisya? What's wrong with that?" She asked in exasperation.
"Nothing is wrong with that except they don't know the whole story so they can only speculate. The other camp only need to release one tidbit of wrong information and let other people do the rest. What they are doing is questioning your clean image."
"Kuya Manny, alam mong I've never cared about how people think of me pero this is getting out of hand. Ang dami nang nadadamay na tao."
"That's why RJ's suggestion is becoming more attractive by the minute, taking you out of the equation so it will leave only him and his crazy antics. But we need a personality with impeccable credibility."
"Yes, and we need to do it in a way that will look as if we're not reacting to his statements, it should appear like Meng is just telling her story." RJ elaborated.
"I think I know just the right person for the job." Kuya Manny told them the name.
"Pero Kuya Manny, will she do it and at such a short notice? Hindi ba parang kakalabanin niya sariling talent ng station niya?"
"She's one of the most reasonable and fair personalities I know in the industry plus ang tagal na niyang nag-iinvite sa 'yo to guest again on her show. I need to make some phone calls. I'll be back."
They waited in silence, holding each others' hands as Kuya Manny tried to call his contacts at the network. They held their breath when he finished his phone calls waiting for the answer.
"She said yes!" everybody in the room threw their fists in the air rejoicing, when Meng's manager continued "... but on one condition."
"What?" all of them asked in unison.
"She wants to do it live and even bump it up for next week's episode only if RJ will join the interview."
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"Sigurado ka Ricardo? Ikaw nag-suggest ng solution. Wala nang atrasan 'to." Meng asked RJ for the nth time over the phone as she prepares to go to bed.
He replied in the affirmative. She can still picture how he turned red in the face when he realized the implication of his own recommendation.
"Did you hear from the university?"
"Yes, mukhang nag-emergency meeting din sila over the weekend. I have a meeting with the VP for Academic Affairs and the Chair of my Defense Panel the day after our interview."
"What do you think will happen? Will they sanction you for the incident?"
"Hindi ko alam. Depende siguro kung fan sila ni Jason o hindi." Not wanting her to think about his case
"Alam mo Ricardo, ang labo mo! Ang seryoso ng tanong ko tapos dadaanin mo sa biro."
"One problem at a time Meng. Hindi pa nga maubos ang kaba ko sa gagawin natin e. You know I don't like talking about myself diba? Iba when you're being asked for your expert opinion as a sociologist, compared with being interviewed to give personal information about my life."
"Gano'n din ako nung umpisa but you'll get the hang of it. But thank you, thank you for saying yes to the interview."
"If this will help, why not?"
"Bigyan lang kita ng tip. Sometimes, it's not about the message, it's how you deliver the message that counts with the public. He's already looking stupid giving those interviews with no reactions from us, but there's a way to make him look more stupid."
"What do you mean?"
"Just watch and learn. O goodnight na tayo?"
"Okay, good night! I miss you!"
"I miss you? Kanina lang tayo nagkita at halos maghapon tayong magkasama?"
"Basta, I miss you na agad, Masama ba?"
"Ang pabebe natin pero I miss you too."
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The night before the day of the interview, RJ sat at the study table in his room. He opened the drawer and pulled out a box. He opened the lock to take out a worn out, once crumpled letter with slight signs of burns at the edges. He then got his wallet and took out the letter that Meng wrote him in the mountains of Mindoro.Two letters from the two most important ladies in his life. "Ma, forgive me but I have to do this. Hindi ko po alam kung ano mangyayari after but I just cannot watch and sit in the sideline as people with malicious intent tries to destroy the person I love."
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The day of the show, in a kitchen setup in one of the studios at the network, for Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.
"Mga kapuso, andito tayo ngayon live in the studio with none other than Chef Elize, Maine Mendoza, who will cook for us tonight. Sa wakas napaunlakan na rin ang ating imbitasyon after our first interview with her when she first joined showbiz. That was what? 8 months ago? Welcome back to the show Chef. Anong iluluto mo para sa amin ngayong gabi?"
"Thank you for inviting me again Ms. Jessica. I will be cooking simple dishes using raw ingredients found in Mangyan communities in the mountains of Occidental Mindoro"
"Why the Mangyans in Mindoro in particular?"
"Hindi n'yo po naitatanong, Ms Jessica, I had the opportunity of visiting a Mangyan community when I had my vacation several months ago. I've been wanting to try this to give variation sa staple dishes nila."
"Uy, exciting yan! Sige simulan na natin Chef."
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"Okay Chef, while we are letting that simmer, kuwentuhan muna tayo as Maine Mendoza naman. Paano ka napunta ng Mindoro? Ang layo yata no'n? Nag-ala Kara David ka yata?"
"I threw dart at a map and it landed on Mindoro." Jessica laugned at her answer."Biro lang, long story and I will not go into details but I really want some peace and quiet time back then. Fortunately may pumayag na isama ako. It was a small group from the government, National Commission on Indigenous People, in one of their trips."
"So that's our cue to call our other guest in the person of Professor Richard Faulkerson, a consultant sociologist with NCIP. Anong kinalaman mo professor sa bakasyon ni Maine? How did you two meet?"
"Doon po mismo sa trek."
"Ha? How come Prof? Buti pumayag kang sumama siya?"
Meng butted it. "Ms. Jessica, wala na siyang choice, kasi nasa likod na ako ng pickup truck niya nang hindi niya alam, kasama yung mga dala-dala nila"
RJ realized what Meng is doing. She's treating the topic lightly and putting humor in the story. He could have listened to her doing this all day long, but alas, he's part of the interview.
"You mean di niya alam na kasama ka? But Prof, when you discovered her and saw that she's Maine Mendoza, what did you do?"
"Believe it or not, Ms. Jessica, hindi ko siya kilala. I've been away on trips, sometimes for 5 straight months so I didn't know that she was a celebrity. To me she's a stranger na bigla na lang sumulpot at pardon me for the term, panira sa plano because she's a beginner."
"Okay mga kapuso, the story is getting exciting. Maine, ang lakas ng loob mo! What made you decide na puwede kang sumama sa kanila?"
She lifted her eyes to him "Nakita ko Ms. Jessica yung dimples niya and that was it!"
"Ikaw naman Prof?"
"RJ na lang po, Ms. Jessica." He returned Meng's gaze and felt her squeezed his hand in encouragement out of the view of the camera. This gave him the courage to answer. "I saw her eyes and decided to take the risk. Of course she didn't know that."
The exchange did not escape the eagle eye of the host. "Ang sweet naman! Pero how was the trek? Siyempre Maine, hindi ka sanay. Was it your first time?"
"Sinabi mo pa, Ms. Jessica. It was a grueling trek of about 8 hours, total. Muntik pa kong mahulog sa ilog saka sa bangin. Hindi ko na siguro mauulit. I mean I can visit other Mangyan villages again, but not that far. Plus, parang aso't pusa kami noong una kasi nga napilitan lang siyang isama kami ng pinsan ko."
"Pinsan mo? So hindi kayong dalawa lang?" While the interview was not scripted, they agreed to emphasize this point.
"Ay strict po ang parents ko, hindi po ako papayagan na walang kasama. There were 5 of us in the trek, madaming chaperones. At mas strict po ang values ng mga Mangyan that we visited. May bantay po sa amin 24x7"
"So RJ, tell us, why do you visit those villages na ang layo-layo?"
"We look for private sponsors for the Foundation where I work, and then we collaborate with the government and implement projects to help these villages become self-sustaining communities."
"Kumusta naman si Maine as your guest?"
"She hit it off with the natives and even helped us in one of the training that we conducted in the village."
"It was an eye opener for me Ms. Jessica to see the rich culture at the same time the plight of the Mangyans. I even made friends with some of the people there and I hope that we can really do something for them." Meng added proud at how RJ is doing. He's a natural.
"Okay mga kapuso, let's watch some of the photos and video clips they took of the trip at the Mangyan village." A montage of pictures and clips was then played showing the selfies they took, pictures with the villagers, the construction of the activity center. their hut and tents and a photo of her conducting training taken by Kuya Poch.
"Okay Maine, balik tayo sa kuwento n'yo. Gaano ka katagal nag-stay?"
"One week Ms. Jessica kasi yun lang po paalam ko sa parents ko. No signal, no calls, no social media. Then my parents met us, but by then the toll of 8-hr trek had its effect so I fainted because of sheer fatigue. Naiwan pa namin sila and they stayed for one more week. But when we left, we did not exchange any contact information. Bahala na po kung magkikita ulit kami."
"Talaga? So RJ, when did you discover Maine's real identity?"
"Pagbaba na po namin when I saw the billboards, then I discovered that my family also watches her show."
"Ganon? So, kailan na lang ulit kayo nagkita?" Jessica was genuinely intrigued now. She did not ask the details on purpose, and she's now pleasantly surprised at how romantic their story is if her gut feel is correct that there's really something between the two.
"Nung nag-guest panelists po kami sa isang show sa kabilang station. He was actually a last minute replacement for the original guest, so it was not planned. It was really a surprise for both of us."
"Of course we didn't know how to react. Nagkagulatan po. That's the reason why we acted as if we don't know each other. Technically, I'm really seeing her as Maine Mendoza for the first time, the celebrity and not the Menggay that spent the time with us in the mountains."
"Ang galing naman! And that started it all, so kumusta kayo ngayon?"
"We're close friends now." Meng stated simply amidst the reaction of the people in the studio.
"Maine, hindi sila naniniwala, tingnan mo. Nagtatanong yung audience dito sa studio na biglang dumami, kanina yung mga crew lang. Maine, RJ, how close is close daw? You're seen together outside of work, so what's the real status?" The camera panned to the audience revealing Meng's parents present at the studio watching as a sign of their support for the two.
"Very very close." she said while looking at him.
"Alam n'yo ang cute ng story n'yo, it's really serendipity that you met again. Sayang wala na tayong oras. Thank you guys for sharing your love story, este story pala. Susubaybayan namin yan kung saan makakarating. Ang lakas kasi ng chemistry n'yo and I can really sense something. O sige tama na, namumula na kayo pareho. Balik na tayo Chef sa niluluto natin, si Prof ang titikim."
A/N: Puwede bang si Prof lang ang titikim?
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The real time feedback was the reason why they did it live.
Judging by the trending and the posts in twitter and facebook, the episode was a hit with the audience, specially the story behind how Meng and RJ met. It spelled romance and serendipity and tugged at the viewers who always love stories of true love. Because what they clearly saw were two people who truly care for each other.
Everybody was congratulating everybody at the success of the live segment of the show. While not all will believe what they saw and heard, for the majority, the rumors were dispelled and the accusations of the actor nullified. The audience took note also that Meng's parents know the whole story and the pair has their blessing.
While the others were celebrating, RJ remained quiet.
He knows that they have talked about how to answer the question on their status but it still doesn't sit very well with him. If it's up to him, he'll shout it to the whole world that he's courting her. But yes, one problem at a time. He realized that he will not really fit in this industry.
But he has consolation. At least she did not give the standard showbiz answer "We're just friends."
Photo credit: KMJS, July 2016 BTS