IN FRATERNAM MEAM

IN FRATERNAM MEAM

Thursday, October 02, 2003

REQUIEM AETERNAM DONAIS DOMINE

LOURDES CARVAJAL
(ate Luds, inday Badiday)

i was on my last leg of my journey, working for a shipping company in manila WITH business partners around the world when i met this very enigmatic lady in Hongkong. she was travelling with her daughter and her grand baby. i was so tired cuz i have come all the way from Norway and on a stop over in Hongkong, having this as my last leg of the flt prior home sweet home Manila/Philippines.

there was a commotion at the counter area and lots of the domestic helper who are also going home for vacation and those hwo have finished their contract in Hongkong are all milling around this lady. i disregarded them, cuz i dont know what was all the commotions about with this particular lady. i was already at the counter for PAL flts to manila which is being handled by Cathay Pacific airlines staff. there was this chinese woman who is the third one in line behind me who wanted to cut the line and be taken cared of first by the counter agent. she passed by me, and talked cantonese to the agent, disregarding me. i blew up there and then and told this chinese woman to get lost and stay behind me. she started talking in chinese, even i know she speaks Tagalog and English. i bashed out at this chinese and told her to "fuck off" then i reprimanded the counter agent and told her to "shut the fuck" and take care of me first.

there was a light tap on my right shouler, and when i turned my back, it was this lady who was being mobbed by the Domestic helper, asking me if i could help her also check in and be attended to by this arrogant chinese counter agent. being a knight in shiny armour, i said to this lady "why not, just stay right behind me".

and that is how it happend. it was very spontaneous. she gave her hands to me and said:

"hello, my name is Inday and this is my daughter Dolly and her daughter". "what is your name?" i gave her my name and asked her, "bakit ka pinagkakaguluhan ng mga DH?" she just smiled at me and told me, "mga kaibigan ko lang sila." and then i asked her , "ang dami naman at nag hishisteria pa ang iba?""bakit Inday and tawag sa 'yo, Bisaya ka ba"? the daughter started laughing and whispered something to her moms ear.

then in a very mild and soft spoken manner, Inday said to me" kasi Meloy, may showbiz status ako sa atin".

i was so clueless. can you blame me, i have no time to watch the soaps on TV, read the tabloids and show biz and radio gossips. i was a workoholic.

i helped her checked in four hard shell suitcases of Inday and her daughter and grand baby. complaining that they were all so heavy, made by Benetton in shocking colors, plus Inday was hand carrying a big fruit basket and told me she will not check in the basket. so i asked her: "bakit hindi mo na lang itapon 'yan?over ripe na 'yong iba." and politely she told me, "i cannot - - bigay ito ng Phil. embassy sa akin, baka malaman na hindi ko man lang inuwi sa atin".

then we boarded the flt to manila. we were seated side by side and the passengers inside, especially the roudy chinese mestizos are all telling Inday that -- this one is potential showbiz boy, this one is very handsome and cud be a star, this one is a very good tool for the showbiz "badings" and so on, until we landed at the airport. Inday was met by the media, was taken to a VIP room at the airport, i turned my back on her, but prior leaving the airport, there was a woman who called me and asked me that it was the request of Inday that I join her at the VIP lounge as her personal guest.

this was the only time it dawned on me, that this woman is really a showbiz lady. she gave me her private phone nos for her bedroom, her direct line for her office LOCA PRODUCTION.

the next morning at my office, my secreatry told me that there is a call from LOCA Production, asking to talk to me.my entire office are all staring at me while i talked on the phone area, at the reception area of the office. i cud hear whispers by the staff, saying that i was talking to Inday Badiday. Inday thanked me personally, relaying how i was so chivalrous enough to save her and her family from the rudeness of the chinese agents in hongkong, and how i carried the fruit basket for her until we were seated inside the plane, on how i bougth her the mineral water and how i held her elbow and guide her to the steps of the airplane door and even cautioned her to watch her step.

after that she asked me "Meloy, can we be friends from now on?" and then I said, "Oo, yon lang pala, pero i just want you to know that i am married". Inday responded and said" yes, you told me that inside the plane".

when i placed the phone on its cradle, the office personnel were all clapping their hands and was telling me that i am already a show biz personality.

i did not know that i was live on the radio show of Inday while she was talking to me.

it then was a start of a very healthy, platonic and good friendship. we called each other, if not in her private phone at home, i will call her inside her studio booth or on the studio while on TV. she has never mentioned to anybody my whole identity, never disclosed to anybody how we bumped into each other and never give any chance to be known by any of her media colleagues. she was telling me that i will not have privacy, if she reveals my entire person to this media people.

i wrote a narrative poetry to Inday, when she was very down and trodden after her split with her beau. her daugther called my up and told me, her mom framed it and now hanging in her bedroom.

we joined hands in extending help to lahar victims, those guest in her show that needed help, those who call her radio show and ask for consolations and assistance. we were partners, i - in the background - she in the limelight.
we had dinner at the Galleria, only close friends and family, i came with the son of my good friend from Greece, Giorgio who became the target of all the badings around the restaurant who is always following Inday anywhere.

we spent so may hours, talking about the country, what she wants done, her personal view and opinion about the country's political unrest. she even told me how she grew up and the posting of her father as Phil. ambassador. ther is a "show biz life" of Inday and there is also "the real Inday" who is so engrossed about politics and the love of the country.

i got sick and was confined at Cardinal Santos at Greenhills to undergo kidney stone removal. Inday kept on sending flowers and kept on greeting me on her radio show and TV show, which intrigued very much LOLIT SOLIS, who did a lot of searching to find out "who is this Meloy " that Inday always greets and writes about in her newspaper column.

when i got out of the hospital, we again did the same routine of talking on the phone. we talked about how to assists and aid the wife of Panchito Alba, who was comatose at home togerther with their son Jr. who is also at home and sick. i was able to get some contributions with strict instructions from the donors that heir names not be mentioned.

for ten years, Inday and I were that close and always in contact on the phone, with once in a while dinner in a very quiet place. my wife became jealous, but she called my wife in the states and assured her, it was purely PLATONIC.

i wanted to write again the narrative poetry that i have written for Inday, but i thnk it is just better left unsaid and be kept in the shadow.

the narrative poetry was entitled:

'TIS TO THE LADY WITH A BIG HEART, CALLED INDAY"

I WILL MISS YOU, AND I WILL ALWAYS PRAY FOR YOU.

posted by infraternam meam @ 11:46 PM

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