The Young and the Beautiful

Chapter 36

In 1965, we were invited to the annual Charity Ball held in the National Museum of Art of the Philippines. It was a tradition that started during my time in the early 1930s to celebrate the good life and for patrons of the arts like pápa. This year they have invited Camila, and me alongside Enrique and Rita who were big fans of art no matter what platform. It was held every November every year where the weather gets a little colder. Aside from the celebration the arts, it's also a fundraiser to raise funds for the growing children who became orphans during the war.

This year, Enrique had three different suits that all looked the same to me. While today's event is the perfect time for Rita to wear the Dior dress that Enrique bought her in Monaco. I will be wearing a black tux that had a velvet black lapel. Enrique and Rita had always been the best dressed couple of the night. Last year despite the 25-degree weather, Enrique wore a mink fur lapel all over his tux just for him to stand out. He won of course, but he got sick after for sweating like a pig the whole night.

Enrique told me that he hasn't eaten his regular meals just to make sure he will look good in the photos. He said that he can't seem to look like the way he did when we were younger. Now he tries his best to trim down his weight at least.

I always opt to be simple and to just blend in the background, I'm used to it. My wife will be re-wearing her Dior pink and white dress which made her looked like a movie star in Madrid some years ago. I wasn't able to say a word like I always do when I see her all dressed up. She smiled at me and took my hand as she took the last steps of the stairs.

We had our picture taken and we both looked like we're going to the prom like how we looked like in Madrid years ago.

"Papa, papa. I can't wait to grow up and go with you. Mama looks like a princess!" Bela said as she followed us walking in the house.

"Of course we'll throw you a big, big party once you grow up and wear a beautiful dress like that." I said as I raised Bela in my arms. She's getting bigger and heavier every day. Charlie was just glued in front of the TV watching cartoons and seemed like he doesn't care about us. We kissed the kids goodbye and left them to have our first date in a long time. Camila's máma kept an eye to our new four-month old son, named Alfonso Javier.

We arrived in the hotel with all those flashing light bulbs that we can see. While the photographers are taking our photos, another guest arrived. Apparently it was Susan, and Fernando, new big movie stars. The crowd started shouting, and the photographers immediately went towards their direction and forgot about us. I smiled at my wife and took her hand and just walked inside the hotel. When suddenly, a woman called their attention.

"They're the Fábregas couple! Take photos of them, they were big social figures since the '50s." I heard someone told a man with a camera. So they did, but I let Camila had her moment when the photographers had her solo pictures taken for a fashion magazine. After that Camila held my arm as we went inside the hotel.

It was a night of dining fine food, generous donations, entertainment, and socializing among friends. We were seated next to Enrique and Rita. Both of them looked stunning. But it seems like the movie stars are getting more attention of the press now than the event itself. I remember just years ago, several people from lifestyle columns would do their best just to interview Camila on her fashion opinion. But since the showbiz industry boomed some years ago, things started to change. The showbiz section of newspapers became more interesting for the average Filipinos than the lifestyle section where we were featured.

Camila was called on the stage to give a speech about art preservation and its importance. Several people agreed with her that we should help the government in funding the art restoration projects as some started to show signs of damage. She shared that she doesn't want Manila's paintings to suffer the same fate as Manila's architecture as a side effect of the war.

"These younger people today are driving me nuts! One day they appear in front of the movie screens then they're here. They look pretty but I don't think that they should steal our show." Enrique said.

"Well it's not show mi amigo. It's about the arts." I told him and let out a laugh.

"I don't really mind growing some little more wisdom than them. Remember that we had our time in the '40s and '50s. It's now their time to enjoy the things we used to do." I replied. Then I drank the scotch I was holding.

"Pancho! What happened to you! You're just like your pápa with that scotch on your hand!" Enrique said, making fun of the drink I have.

"Well Enrique we're in our mid 40's now and I think that we should now drink the gentleman's drink on a regular basis. What do you think? We're fathers of high schoolers now. Sooner or later maybe in ten years they'll get married and we'll be-." I replied. Enrique chugged his beer and ordered for a martini.

"Don't say that word, Pancho. Don't say it!" He interrupted me. Well Enrique has always been in denial when it comes to his age. He always wanted to look young and as fit as a marine like he used to be. But time hasn't been his friend. His wife Rita can't help but laugh on her husband's remarks about ageing.

"Here, have some martini. Get rid of that scotch. It's like admitting that you're old." He said as he handed me a martini. I drank the last shot of scotch left on my glass as I won't waste a good glass of Johnnie.

As I looked around me, I was right. The world we're living in is changing. It's no longer just about us. We're not getting any younger anymore and to be honest I don't really feel good for staying up this late.

I saw Enrique pissed that he realized that both of us aren't the same twenty somethings anymore. The war consumed our youth and we lost almost half a decade of it. Well at least we enjoyed our thirties getting in and out of Europe. Not everyone can do that during our time.

People were now dancing to a different genre of music called the twist and rock and roll. The jazz music of our youth is gone, and we started to feel tired just after 10 in the evening. It didn't stop us from dancing though, Camila and I were laughing because we can't seem to dance like the younger people in the party. When we got the hang of it, we were having so much fun.

Last night's pictures were in today's newspapers. The actors were in the front page. This year, Susan and Fernando were in the front page saying that they stole the show. But I was surprised to see that our photo was included on the best dressed list, together with Enrique and Rita, but larger photos of us were on the new heritage section which payed tribute to Manila's old families. We were now a thing of the past. The fashion column consists of the heirloom diamond that my wife wore and regarded it as something that was perfect for her age.

We really are getting old, and as the months passed by Pápa has gone weaker and the doctors said that he had lung cancer due to his smoking habits. He was in denial of it and continued to smoke as if he was not sick. Just over a year later, in 1969 just shortly after a man reached the moon, he passed. Since then, Andres was the CEO and President of our company which brought him more stress and responsibilities, that made him decades older than how he really ages. We both stopped smoking when Pápa died.