lucky in love

An "unlucky" couple was on the news just recently. Why? They went on their honeymoon with baby in tow and ended up experiencing every disaster conceivable (snowstorm, hurricane, floods, bush fires, eqrthquakes and tsunami). Here's the link to their story,  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8432283/Swedish-couple-havehoneymoon-from-hell.html 
I don't mean to be mean but the story  cracked me up because it reminded me of my sister-in-law's not so lucky honeymoon in Boracay.....

I first met my sister-in-law, Bloom, when she was but nine years old and we clicked instantly.

As far as sisters-in-law go, I've had no problem with mine. With Bloom, I got to share not just her adventures and misadventures but also her successes and triumphs (she was fourth in the Dentristry Board Exams). I also got to meet her friends and Marvin, her buddy, long-time beau and now husband. And this is where my story begins....

A super sweet couple, Marvin and Bloom make. They met as members of the UP Singing Ambassadors and have been (corny as it may seem) playing sweet music together since. Both very creative and artistic, they are the perfect match. Or should I say, lucky match?

You see, things have a way of happening when they are together. Flat tires, brownouts, flash floods, hold-ups, you name  it, they've probably been through it.

Their honeymoon is the perfect example of how life and love goes --the Marvin and Bloom way. A week after their beautiful wedding, they set off for Boracay, courtesy of one of their ninangs. The night before they left, they went to National Bookstore to buy something, only to be told that they had insufficent funds. It turned out that an overzealous cashier at a hardware store Marvin had visited earlier had swiped his card twice more than necessary. With no cash at hand and all banks closed for the long holiday (it was the Halloween-All Saints'-All Souls Day week), we had to look for cash to tide them over until they got back.

They left Sunday morning for sunny Boracay. Well, it was sunny, until they arrived. To be fair, the sun was out until Marvin and Bloom waited to see the island's famous sunset. They didn't get to see it. It rained, and hard.

Then they met up with Neil, a friend, who invited them out for dinner, his treat, at an Indian restaurant. While enjoying the food and the cozy ambiance, a brown-out struck the island. Guess what? The restaurant didn't accept credit cards during brown-outs!
Guess who had not much cash?

But life goes on. The following day, they were eating again when they heard the cafe owner muttering about the 18-hour brownout and how it was the longest the island had ever experienced.  Marvin and Bloom could only look at each other and smile wrly.

But, hey, our happy couple was not to be put off. They walked hand-in-hand along the white sand beach, humming along, when something fell from the sky and landed right in front of them. "Buti na lang hindi tumama ang buko sa inyo!" exclaimed the people behind them. Again, they could only look at each other and smile.

Their misadventures would continue with a botched massage on the beach -- the sun that was shining brightly disappeared just as they'd gotten the services of a masseuse. The boat ride they'd scheduled to go nearby islands was cancelled because...well, I'm not sure anymore if it was because the boat suddenly had a hole in it or the clouds turned so ominous that even the boatman dared not venture out.

And the famous sunset? On their last day in Boracay, Marvin and Bloom woke up very early to catch it. Alas, it was raining. When they finally headed home and their plane went up the skies, the sun slowly came out and shone brightly in Aklan to bid them goodbye.

A lucky couple? Well...you could say that they are lucky to be soooo in love and be loved by many. :)

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Written, November 19, 2002. Illustration by melanie de jesus patterson