A L❤ve Made in China

Lets read this love story of a man who literally, fell in love with a girl and guess why it was entitled that way. Actually, the title was somewhat similar with the original one.

They've known each other while studying in college at a prestigious University in the city. The boy was taking up a degree in education while the girl was a Nursing student.

They have been together for only a short time, 6 months that is. Let's call them by pseudonyms, the boy as Enteng and the girl as Bakekang.

One rainy night, Enteng came out of the library from the school and realized it was raining. He had to wait for a taxi ride home. So he stood with the other students waiting outside the school.

From the other side he saw a girl also who seemed to be waiting for someone. He recognized it was his girlfriend so started to wave at her but the girl didn't even bother to bat an eye on the opposite direction, to where he was. An SUV stopped infront of her after a while. When the car sped away, he saw that his girlfriend was nowhere. His girlfriend might have hopped in because he wasn't able to see it clearly.

He heard murmurings around him. One said, "Oh no, she was picked up again."

Out of curiosity and without letting those around him that girl was his girlfriend he asked, "what was that? Picked up what?"

"She's one of the pick up girls who's hooked up with random bigtime men. Only those can pay her with large money can afford her," the guy beside him answered.

"What did you just say?" He asked but didn't voice it out.

His girlfriend was a real beauty, a head turner. It would make men in town to stare at her and girls jealous of the attention she's getting from their boyfriends.

The following day, Enteng invited Bakekang at the hotel. Well, as usual his girlfriend won't turn him down. Hotel po yan, ibig sabihin check-in so what do you expect.? She's a Nursing student so she knew how to get herself from getting pregnant. But this time it was not for se* but for him them to have the needed privacy for a good conversation. He wanted to hear her explanation about what he saw that night.

Without further ado, Bakekang admitted that she was indeed a Magdalena- a girl who flies low. How do we say that? Yeah, exactly. A pickup girl.

Bakekang came from a poor family this explained why her parents can't afford to send her to college. But she is a bright girl who would do anything just to finish up a degree at a good school. So tuition fees were a no-no joke.

Enteng understood. Well, she's not the only one after all he heard and seen others who would do so just for the sake of getting out from the gutter. He appreciated them. Their courage to be on that kind of sideline job.

However, it was way way different when you were the one who was at that kind of situation, Enteng thought. Napakasakit, kuya Eddie.. It was a pain which was inexplicable, unfathomable.. It was a pain that can't be cured and explained by science. "Why of all jobs? Don't they have any self-respect left or any conscience maybe? There were lots of jobs out there. Jobs that are respectable and dignified that make anyone admire them of their hard but honest works."

Enteng felt betrayed.

However, he found within himself to forgive. He understood that his girlfriend was trying everything she could just to make out of college with a praiseworthy degree at a reputable school.

The impact was too heavy to carry, it was a dynamite that exploded right before him, world-shattering that is. It lasted for three whole weeks that Enteng lose the will to live. The agony seemed to last forever.

Nevertheless, his desire to finish what he had started in college weighed more than his emotions. Enteng focused on his studies and tried to set aside any emotional disturbances.

At the end, however was a relationship which used to be flowing nicely was broken, shattered and thrown to the ground.

Yes. Enteng decided. It was the best move he had to make. He broke up with her.

Fate may it be. Enteng passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers while Bakekang was a frustrated registered nurse.

Now, Enteng had a big brother, a seaman who came home from their port because travels were already prohibited due to this pandemic. He was not only home for vacation but to introduce his girlfriend for two years or better yet his fiancée to us, his whole family.

They were happy for him.. Hmmm. Finally, he wouldn't grow as a bachelor.

It was a night of party-like atmosphere when the time arrived for Enteng's brother to officially introduce his fiancée. His brother had a pig butchered and he also called his childhood friends and peers at the party... Expensive colored alcohol beverages which he bought overseas were the spirit of the night. "Woow! A seaman does makes a lot of datung while at sea, eh," Enteng thougt. They were all in one table.

Unfortunately, Enteng felt nature's call when his brother's fiancee was about to arrive. He went to the comfort room and done his thing in a hurry.. Yay! Who would want to miss the chance to see his brother's soon-to-be wife? No. Not him.

He perched himself in a very good place in front of the table where he could clearly see this lucky girl his brother is about to wed. "An not late," this loco thought.

Finally, the wait is over. A car stopped infront of the house. Its door indeed revealed a lovely lady as it opened. She stepped out and walked towards the house.

That beauty which turned a gloomy ambiance into a buoyant atmosphere. She seemed to light her path as she treaded the pathway gracefully.

This was..

It was..

Then he recognized her..

No other than Bakekang..

With just one stare at him, he knew what she meant. So that when Bakekang scanned the place and met his eyes, he already knew what those deadly gaze meant.

"Keep your mouth shut," was the warning that came from those balls of eyes that stared at him.

He pretended it was their first time meeting. He smiled and laughed with the others. He was having a good time. But then it was all pretentions so as not to ruin the night.

Enteng never expected that his ex-girlfriend was his brother's girlfriend all along. A student that his brother was talking about when he came home. The girl whom he supported with her studies as his brother told. He was stupefied.

His brother used to rent a car for him to use as his service when he was coming home for a vacation.

Enteng was filled with lots of phenomenal questions in his head.

"It was my brother on that SUV that parked alongside the school on that rainy night after I came out of the school library?" He asked within himself.

"Hoooo my goosh.. Dios mio garapon," he silently exclaimed.

The moment Bakekang admitted she was that kind of girl, he already knew himself that she had this indifferent relationship with other men. And that was one reason why he chose to broke up with her. And that was already a long time ago. But of all men, his brother? She knew they were brothers which was unknown to him yet she had the guts to be both her boyfriends? Yikes! Yes, Enteng broke up with her. And she had his brother without her attention being divided. "Pero teka lang! Kung nagawa nya kaming pagsabayin bka mas marami pa syang naging boyfriends after me? And it was without the knowledge of my brother kase lagi naman sa barko. Baka pineperahan ka lang ng lokang ito." Enteng was grumbling to himself. He was even cursing words.

Bakekang, on the other hand was with his brother and their parents at another table. They talked about marriage. The plan was them to be wed civilly because of the pandemic's restrictions. A church wedding will soon follow after Covid-19 will be out pf the way.

However, one thing was disturbing the poor author of our story.

The soon-to-be husband and wife had no house yet of their own wherein they can stay. His brother said that after their union his wife will stay with them while he will be away offshore. He will sail one more time to earn an amount for their own house.

"That can't be. Ay inayan ito."

"My ex-gf? Your wife-to-be, stay within my area of responsibility? What if it will take you a year before you come ashore. When I knew how lecherous she was." Enteng was really, badly agitated about it.

Those were the things that had him troubled. How come his already peaceful life suddenly turned in a topsy-turvy?

________________________

I have read another story which is somewhat related to this and I thought it was the same story but it wasn't. The younger brother had a relationship with a girl in college but unbeknownst to him, the girl was at the same time his older brother's gf too. The older brother was the breadwinner, working overseas and was the one sending him off to college that's why this younger brother had done his best in school in reciprocity to his brother's hardworks and sacrifices for the whole family. Thus, he made it a secret that he was in a relationship.

The younger brother finished his studies and finally has a stable job so the older brother decided to come home. Of course he had been coming home in the past but he never introduced his girlfriend yet because he doesn't want his family to feel guilty when they will learn about his girlfriend. He doesn't want them to think that he's way to baakhood, I mean a bachelor- age nearly done the calendar and was supposed to be married than supporting them all along.

On the other hand, this younger brother gave way for his older brother to introduce his gf in respect of him. He thought that he still had plenty of time to finally introduce his girlfriend.

It was a stomach-belching feeling for the younger brother when his older brother finally invited his girlfriend home. The girl was no other than his girlfriend. How could she? But they reacted as if they had just met that day.

The younger brother went far away for some time to give his thoughts a fresh start. He needed a space to think and overcome a little of the mindblowing act of the girl. He had seen how much his brother's eyes sparkled when he was with her. He had loved the girl but he is ready to give up for his brother.

The younger brother came home after months. He mustered all the courage he had and faced his brother. He admitted that he had a relationship with his girlfriend in the past which he didn't know was the same time in a relationship with him. He had expected for his brother to give him a hard blow but it didn't happen. His brother was quite some time. He was the quite type of a man that doesn't do actions without giving things a thought and contemplating on it.

At last he spoke and said it was due to the reason that he didn't let them know about his girlfriend in the past. That had made his younger brother came to meet her and had a relationship with her. But the sole root of it all was the girl. She knew both of them.

To make the long story short, the younger brother decided to get as far where he had before for months. He had found a promising job while he was away. While his older brother made the decision to wed his girlfriend. Maybe he had seen the girl's sincerity after.

These stories were both in Ilocano dialect written on a fun page for us, Igorots.

Now, back to the main story, why do you think was it made in China?

06-19-21

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