Fat Funny Famous

Chapter 9

Author note: this chapter describes a funeral in the Philippines.  While I have done research and have tried to faithfully incorporate some local customs here from various faiths, I am a fallible human.  All mistakes are honest, so if you're Filipino and you would like to add a correction or speak with me about anything I've stuffed up or been insensitive about, you can leave a comment on the chapter or contact me via DM and I'll set it right x 

The heat in Manilla is so intense, it's alien, even for a girl like me from tropical Queensland. It permeates and penetrates, a humid atmosphere that feels like trying to breathe water. I love it.

Sweat drips freely along the back of my legs as we walk along the road, surrounded by a singing crowd. Children dance and weave between the grownups, their bright red clothing in contrast to the funeral black worn by the adults. Beside me, Erik grips my hand tightly as we are carried along by the procession, the two pale blonde heads in a sea of glorious dark locks.

A tiny boy in crimson trips in front of us, tumbling to the ground and exploding into dramatic tears. Erik gently releases my hand, scooping up the child and carrying him on his shoulders, and almost immediately, his tears are replaced with shrieks of delight. I catch a glimpse of Erik as a father, trying to act stern, failing because he's secretly a big kid himself.

Mila... I warn myself, trying to rein in my imagination. It's getting harder with every hour I spend beside this man. Once, I could only see him as a stoic, handsome co-star. Now, I picture him as my lover, my husband, the dad to my kids, all with alarming detail and frequency. This isn't lust or like or infatuation or limerence. I think I might be in love with Erik Brear – and we haven't even kissed off-screen yet.

It had only been a few days since Erik took the call in his room, his face suddenly slack with shock at receiving the news about his nanny. Instantly, my horniness had evaporated, and I had reached for a fluffy robe to throw over my towel as I sat beside him on the bed. "Oh my god, Erik – your grandmother died? I'm so sorry, I know how important she was in your life."

He shook his head, his normally clear eyes hazy with grief. "No... No, she wasn't my grandmother. Nanny and I weren't related."

"Oh. Oh..." His nanny. The only person who had loved him the way a little kid needed to be loved, and she was the hired help. It made everything so much worse, and a surge of quiet anger flooded me at the thought of a tiny Erik, unloved by his parents, connected to a woman who was paid to be around him.

Erik talked slowly. "She was in her sixties, from the Philippines. My mother hired her when I was born because Nanny – Maria – she used to work for the Spanish royal family. Only the best for the Brears..."

"What was she like?"

"She was wonderful." He smiled, lost in time. "She made everything magic. She was warm, with kind dark eyes."

"A Filipino Mary Poppins?"

"Yes! She would slip me sweeties when Chef wasn't looking, took me out to the zoo, read me stories. Every day, we'd sit in the kitchen and have merienda together, an afternoon snack, while we told each other jokes and made up songs. She was round and gave the best hugs. Mother used to make fun of her for being fat, used to warn me, 'If you have seconds, you'll end up looking like Nanny.'"

I didn't want to immediately hate Erik's mother, but bloody hell, she was making it hard. I shifted the topic. "Did she have a family at home?"

"Yes, a massive family. She had five kids, four daughters and a son. Her husband died when their kids were grown up, so she decided to find work overseas so she could support her children and grandchildren. Every summer, when my parents dragged me around Europe for their annual vacation, she'd go home for visits. When she came back, she brought me Filipino treats – dried mango and banana chips – and tell me stories about their lives." He shook his head sadly. "It seemed like another world, her tales of giant extended families, church events, feasts, weddings, baptisms. She was a choir leader – her voice was incredible."