Chapter 1 - The Palmers

"What did you say?" Danley's mother, Aurora Palmer, asked, her eyes wide. She even stood up when Danley told her she was going to marry Isidore Leventis and that his family would be there any minute to ask for her hand in marriage. "Please tell me this is just one of your pranks, Danley."

Danley bowed her head and bit her lower lip. She was having lunch with her mother, Aurora, and her two younger sisters when she told them about her engagement to Isidore Leventis, the grandson of the man her mother despises the most.

She already knew that her mother would be upset by her decision to marry Isidore Leventis. After all, the Leventis, particularly Irnes Leventis, have done nothing but press them about her father's debt when they had nothing to do with it. Even she didn't want to marry Irnes Leventis' grandson, but there was nothing she could do. She needs to protect her family, and the only and safest way she knows is to do what the old Leventis wants her to do. She also refuses to deny that she was tempted by the old Leventis offer. Sa oras na pakasalan niya si Isidore Leventis ay mawawala na rin sa wakas ang mga utang nila. Makakapagtapos na ng pag-aaral ang mga kapatid niya ng walang ka proble-problema, at makakapagsimula na ulit ng bagong buhay ang ina niya. They will be free of all of their problems. So, even though she doesn't want to, kahit alam niyang magiging impyerno ang buhay niya sa oras na maging asawa na siya ni Isidore Leventis, she'll go through with it. It is better for her to suffer alone than with her mother and sisters.

Isang malalim muna na buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan ni Danley bago niya sinagot ang sinabi ng kanyang ina. "I am serious, Mama." 

Aurora Palmer was rendered speechless. She just stood there staring at Danley, unable to believe what her daughter had said. Aurora wanted her daughter to say she was joking, but the look on Danley's face was more than enough to convince her that Danley was serious. Aurora, who appeared to be losing strength, sat down on the couch once more. "Why?" was the first question Aurora asked after going speechless for a few seconds. Aurora asked again after Danley did not answer immediately. "Why do you want to marry him?" she asked her daughter, her eyes icy cold. "I am pretty sure you haven't socialized with that family because you disliked them so much, so how did you get to know Isidore personally that you even wanted to marry him? Tell me, did they threaten you? Did they offer you something you couldn't refuse? Is that it?"

Nanatili na nakatungo si Danley. Hindi niya magawa na sagutin ang tanong ng ina dahil talagang natumbok ng kanyang ina ang dahilan kung bakit pumayag siya na magpakasal kay Isidore Leventis. Kapag nalaman ng kanyang ina ang dahilan ng pagpapakasal niya kay Isidore Leventis ay siguradong lalo lamang ito na mamomroblema at makokonsensya. Sisisihin lamang nito ang sarili, at iyon ang ayaw niyang mangyari. Her mother has too much in her plate already since her father died. At kahit naman noon na nabubuhay pa ang ama niya ay halos araw-araw itong may hatid na problema sa pamilya nila. Ayaw na niyang dagdagan pa ang iisipin ng ina, so she wanted to keep the true reason for her sudden engagement to Isidore Leventis a secret, even though it was impossible. As what her mother said, she had never mingled with any of the Leventis since she disliked them. When their paths cross, she always finds a way for them to avoid each other. Even when it comes time to pay her father's debt, she makes every effort to pay on time through the bank so that Irnes Leventis would have no reason to visit her or any member of her family anymore.

"But, regardless of the reason, you should not have agreed to marry that devil's grandson! You know what kind of people that family is!"

"Ma, don't you think you're overreacting? It's not like the Leventis are a bunch of killers for you to be so opposed to Ate's marriage," Danica, the Palmers' middle child, says.

Aurora turned her gaze to her second child, her eyes gleaming. "How could you say that? You know what that family is doing to us! They are pressuring us for your father's debt when we had nothing to do with it! They already took our mini-mart and our lands but they are still not satisfied with it; they still make us pay even though they know we're struggling! Tapos ngayon ay ang ate mo naman ang gusto nilang kunin? Hindi na ako makakapayag!" Ibinalik ni Aurora ang tingin kay Danley, "Mamamatay muna ako bago ka nila ipakasal sa Isidore na iyon!" 

"Ma!" Saway ni Danley.

"Can we not talk about death over lunch? It's making me lose my appetite," Danny grumbled.

Danica sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she replied to her younger sister before turning her gaze to Danley. "Ate, you are no longer a child. You are already twenty-five years old. You are of legal age to make your own decisions. If you want to marry Isidore, then do it! I know you have your own reasons why you suddenly got engaged to that man, and I trust you. I trust your decisions. I know that whatever reasons you have, you thought hard about it, which led you to this. I mean, you are not the type of person who rushes your life decisions."

"Shut your mouth, young lady!" Aurora said sternly to Danica before turning to Danley and reaching for his hand, "Be honest with me, Danley. "Be honest with me, Danley. Did that devil threaten you? Did he use us to force you to marry his grandson? Dahil kung kami ang ginamit niyang dahilan para pumayag ka na pakasalan ang Isidore na iyon, then forget it. Forget whatever deal you had with that devil dahil kahit ano pa ang mangyari, hinding-hindi ako papayag na makasal ka sa apo ng demonyong iyon at maging isang Leventis. If I have work three or four jobs at the same time, then I'll do it. There is no way I'd let my daughter to sacrifice herself for my sake." 

Tuluyan ng binitiwan ni Danley ang hawak na kutsara at tinidor, saka ipinatong ang kamay niya sa kamay ng ina na nakahawak sa kabilang kamay niya. She gave her mother a weak smile, then said, "Ako naman po ang hindi makapapayag na gawin ninyo iyon. Ano pa ang silbi ng pagtatrabaho ko at ng desisyon kong pakasal kay Isidore Leventis kung magtatrabaho parin kayo?"

"That's why I'm telling you that you don't have to do what the Leventis wants; I may be old, but that doesn't mean I can't get a job; I can be a housemaid, a gardener, a babysitter, a laundress, or a saleslady; I can do anything you young women can."

"I can also help; I can do some tutoring," Danny said.

"I can do a part-time job too, and going to University at night won't be a problem for me," Danica said, sighing. 

"No," Danley replied quickly. She turned to her two younger sisters and said, "No one will work. You, Danica, and Danny will focus on your studies, especially you, Danica. You're already in college. I don't want you dropping your grades just because you've been working. You, Danny. Focus on your studies. Let us adults solve this problem." She then turned to her mother and said, "And ma, yes, you may still do what we can do, but for how long? You are not getting any younger, Mama. Paano kung sa pagtatrabaho mo ay magkasakit ka pa? That is something I cannot and do not want to happen. So, no. Hindi ka magtatrabaho. Just let me take care of our problems."

"It is my job as your mother na protektahan kayong mga anak ko. Anong gusto mong gawin ko? Ang tumunganga na lang at hayaan ka na isangkalan ang sarili mo at ang kalayaan mo para sa pamilya natin? Danley, there must be something that we can still do. I...I can beg. Magmamakaawa ako sa matandang demonyo na 'yun. I'll swallow my pride if it means saving you."  

"You won't do that, Mama. Pride nalang ang meron tayo, isusuko pa ba natin?" 

"But, Ate, agreeing to marry Isidore Leventis also means you're giving up your pride, doesn't it?" Danny asked. 

"Hey!" Pagsaway ni Danica sa nakababatang kapatid. "Just eat,okay?" Nilakihan pa nito ng mga mata si Danny but the younger one only made a face, pissing her sister off.

A bitter smile appeared on Danley's lips. She can't answer Danny's question because Danny was right. Accepting Irnes Leventis' offer to marry his grandson is the same as giving up her pride. But even so, she would rather lose her pride than her family.

She looked around at her sisters and mother. "You guys know me, right? You know I'm not the type of person who would just let anyone hurt me. Just because I'll be married to Isidore Leventis doesn't mean I'll let him and his family do whatever they want to me. I'll always fight back." She tried to replace her bitter grin with a bright smile and said in a lighter tone, "so, the three of you have nothing to worry about. I will be fine. I promise!" 

"But Danley..." 

"Don't worry about me, Mama. I'll be fine, and no matter what you say now, the wedding will still go on. I already made a deal with that old devil, and there's no way I can back out now." Aurora averted her gaze, her eyes beginning to water, and Danley noticed. "I understand your reasons, Mama. I swear, I do," she sighed, "but I hope you will also understand my reasons for making a deal with Irnes Leventis, Mama. Besides, just because I'll be married to a Leventis doesn't mean I'll forget what they've done to our family."

That's right. Just because I'm going to marry a Leventis doesn't mean I'll forget how they took away our only amount of livelihood and our lands, which our grandparents left to our parents. I'll never forget how close we came to losing everything just to repay Papa's debt to them. Fortunately, they did not interfere with the house or the land on which our house now stands, and we still have a place to call and return to.

"But come to think of it, hindi ba at unfair naman kung isisisi natin ang lahat sa mga Leventis? When in the first place, wala naman sana tayong babayaran kung hindi umutang ng umutang si Papa na sa mga bisyo niya lang naman napunta. It's not like Irnes Leventis offered him money to borrow. It was Papa who came and asked help from them with the promise of giving it back in a month with a 20% interest," Danica explains.

"Are you saying that because it was your father who came to them, we should just let them do whatever they want? Does that give them the right to pressure us into paying your father's debt? May I remind you, Danica, that we have nothing to do with your father's debt; I didn't even know he borrowed millions from them until he died!" 

"All I'm saying, Mama, is that blaming them for everything sounds so unfair. Papa is partly to blame for all of this, but you're acting as if the Leventis are entirely to blame. Sure, they took away our only source of income and our lands, but that's only because we had nothing else to pay for Papa's debts. A debt is a debt, Mama, and it must be paid."

"That is, if I was aware of the debt, which I was not! How many times do I have to say that?"

"Well, Papa definitely said that if something happens to him, you will pay every single penny that he owes, and if you cannot pay, the Leventis has the right to take away our mini-mart and our lands because Papa used them as collateral; you even signed that document."

"Once again, I did not sign it; your father forged my signature!" 

"See? Then this is all Papa's fault!"

"Danica!" Galit na sigaw ni Aurora sabay tayo ulit habang matatalim ang mga mata na nakatuon kay Danica. Halos umusok na rin ang mga ilong nito sa labis na galit na nadarama. "Don't talk about your father like that! Wala ka na bang galang sa ama mo, ha? Porque ba wala na ang ama ay hindi mo na siya gagalangin?" 

"I'm just telling you the truth, Mama. Papa is the root of all this problem, and that's what I want you to see! I know how much you love Papa, and that's why you're trying to be in-denial and blind. But, Ma, let's all accept it. Papa is the reason why this is happening to us. If he hadn't borrowed money from the Leventis, Ate wouldn't have to marry someone she doesn't love, and me and Danica wouldn't have to beg our teachers and professors to let us take our exams without paying our tuition fees! We wouldn't be in this situation if he hadn't borrowed money from the Leventis!"

Doon naman na hindi nakasagot si Aurora. At iyon ay dahil nakita nito sa mga mata ni Danica ang matagal na nitong kinikimkim na sama ng loob. Maging si Danley ay natulala na nakatitig sa kapatid. 

Napaupo muli si Aurora. Hindi pa rin ito maka imik. It was as if her mind was still processing what she had heard from her daughter and struggling to find the appropriate words to say. But the fact that Danica was right makes it even harder for Aurora to speak.

Dante Palmer, her father, is a loving husband, a caring father, and a good provider. Their family was not wealthy to begin with. They are a middle-class family who are debt-free. Her mother used to be a cashier at their neighborhood grocery store, and her father works at the municipal hall. However, after six years of working at the municipal hall, her father decided to open a sari-sari store, which later became their mini-mart. Their lives were going well. They were able to travel to places they had only imagined, eat, and buy whatever they desired. Danley thought that their lives would either remain the same or improve, but she was mistaken. Her father had developed a gambling addiction. He kept winning at first, which is why he became addicted. But after only a month, her father began to lose money at gambling. But he didn't give up. Her father bet every penny he had saved, as well as her mother's savings, in the hopes of winning again and recouping every penny he had lost. However, this did not happen. He kept losing, which made him even more addicted, to the point where he began borrowing money from people he knew. However, because they were aware of her father's gambling addiction, they did not lend him money. And it was because of this that her father decided to borrow money from Irnes Leventis by using the mini-mart and the lands that he and Aurora inherited from their parents as collateral.

Her mother had the option of fighting for it. Because Dante forged her signature, she could take legal action to avoid paying the debt, but since she will be fighting the Leventis, they already know how it will end. There is no way she could win the case with the Leventis' power, money, and connections. They had another option as well. And that is running from the Leventis, but they also knew that no matter where they went, the old Leventis would find them. There's also the issue of starting over. Starting over in a new place means a new home and new expenses, which they cannot afford. Their remaining funds are nearly depleted just by burying their father. So, in the end, they had no choice but to repay Dante's debt.

If other people's parents left them lands, houses, and money, her father left them debt and resentment.

And so, that made Danley understand Danica's point of view. Danica had crossed the line, but Danley couldn't blame her. Because she had the same thought when she learned about her father's debt. She also blamed her father for being a gambler, and for not thinking about them first. She blamed and hated her father for forging her mother's signature, and using their mini-mart and their lots as collateral. She blamed her father for their life now being miserable. But as time passed by, she realized that no matter how much she blamed her father, nothing would change. Her father is already gone but the debt still remains. So, rather than hating and blaming her father, she focused her efforts on repaying the debt until she finally accepted their new reality.

"All right, can we all just calm down first?" Danley sighed before continuing. "I understand how everyone is feeling; your feelings are valid, as are all of our feelings; but what's the point of blaming right now? Kahit buong araw pa tayong magbangayan at sisihin si Papa o si Irnes Leventis ay wala pa ding magbabago. We still have to pay our debts. We are all having difficulties, and until we have a debt to pay, our difficulties will never end and will continue forever. We will not be able to return to the comfortable and peaceful life we once had until we settle our debt. That is what drove my decision to marry Isidore Leventis. Because, let us be honest, we will never be able to pay that four million and nine hundred thousand pesos with our current finances. Being a part of that family would undoubtedly be hell, but what other option do we have? We can't keep living like this forever. I can't keep you and Danica and Danny like this forever, Mama." She then turned to face her mother. "So, please, Mama. Please give me your blessing. You don't have to forgive the Leventis', and you don't even have to come to my wedding if you can't stand seeing their faces, but at the very least, give me your blessing and let me save our family from this hellhole."

It took a long time before Aurora finally responded. Makikita ang kaguluhan sa mukha nito habang nakapikit ang mga ngunit sa huli ay isang malakas na buntong-hininga ang pinakawalan nito saka nito ibinukas ang mga mata. She looked at Danley with a faint smile on her lips and said gently, "How can I not attend my precious eldest daughter's wedding?"