Picking Up A Burden – Part 2

By Remedios Dorio

 

ABOUT the child of Lorna that died thirty-five years ago. It was in the fifties. She was seventeen years old then. Her husband Mario was the boy next door. Nice music, dances, time of a new revolution when people were beginning to forget the trauma of the just faded World War II.

 

Lorna fall in love with Mario. They were always together. But her parents were against Mario, they did not like Mario to be her husband. Mario according to her parents was no good, a man with no ambition in life.

 

Mario and her generation were still the generation that followed the tradition of just be obedient to the parents. If the parents said it was so, a child must obey without asking.

 

The parents of Lorna just kept hammering about their disliking of Mario but Lorna just kept quiet. She said no words but secretly seeing Mario. Lorna thought, no one could dictate someone who the person he or she would love, and she loved Mario, no one could stop her, even her parents.

 

The constant secret meetings were heavens for Lorna. She enjoyed it being with Mario. Their generation was a time that when a man touched a woman, he must married her. The first time that Mario hold and kissed her hands, she did not protest because she liked it. She felt liked there’s a current from Mario, creeping toward her that made her body warmed. The kisses of Mario just did not stop in her hands. Mario randomly kissed her arms and gradually into her neck to her lips that she just closed her eyes. Lorna’s first lovemaking with Mario.

 

More secret meetings, more love makings until one day, Lorna told Mario a not pleasant news.

 

“Not pleasant news?” Mario asked Lorna.

 

“Yes, Mario, I am pregnant,” Lorna told Mario that she was pregnant.

 

“Why do you say it is not pleasant? For me, it is pleasant, we would have our baby!” Mario was very excited and happy upon learning that Lorna was pregnant. He hugged her tight.

 

“You do not understand, what would my parents do if they learned I am pregnant,” Lorna was worried.

 

“We get married, I see no problem,” Mario said.

 

“But my parents do not like you to be my husband, besides we are both still studying,” Lorna answered Mario.

 

“You are already pregnant, they could not refuse,” Mario believed that because Lorna was already pregnant, her parents would not oppose anymore.

BUT they were wrong. Luis, the father of Lorna, was furious. Mario with his parents was in the house of Lorna’s family for formal asking of Lorna’s hand.

 

“You gave shame to our family,”

 

“Mario said we would get married,” Lorna answered her father.

 

“He will marry you? And how will he feed you, when even their family could hardly eat?”

 

“We would survive,” Mario said to the father of Lorna.

 

“We would survive, with your lazy bones? You are liked your lazy father that could not feed his family,” Lorna’s father insulted them, Mario and his family.

 

“We were here to ask with respect the hands of Lorna. She was pregnant, and my son will gladly stand his responsibility to give honor to your daughter,” the father of Mario calmly said. “You could insult our family because we are poor, but we are not running away from responsibilities.”

 

“My daughter is a minor. If I said she will not marry your son, she will not be married with him,” Luis firmly said.

 

“I am already pregnant. Mario and I must be married,” Lorna was crying.

 

“You will not marry him. You will have an abortion,” Luis angrily said to Lorna.

 

“No, No, I will not have an abortion!” Lorna shouted to her father, and Luis suddenly slapped Lorna. Mario stood to help Lorna but his father stopped him.

 

“If I said you will have an abortion, you would have an abortion!” Luis slapped Lorna more that his wife Antonia stopped him by putting herself in between her husband and her daughter.

 

Lorna shouted in pains. Mario could do nothing as his parents leaved and his mother almost dragging him away. Mario was crying, he pitied Lorna but he could do nothing.

 

For days, Mario was always looking next door, hoping to see Lorna but Lorna never come out their house, his father prohibited her.

 

Lorna was crying everyday, begged her mother to help her. But Antonia doesn’t know what to do to help her daughter.

 

“Help me to run away. Mario and I will elope. We will go to a very far place. Help me, Mama because I could not stand this anymore. I don’t want to loose my baby, help me or I will die,” Lorna was begging to her mother.

 

“Your father is a policeman, if you ran away and if he found you and Mario, you both will be killed,” Antonia pitied her daughter.

“Mama, please, help me,” the begging of Lorna melted the heart of Antonia and she decided to help her daughter.

 

“Here, my savings. Use the money properly. And please you and Mario go to a far place away from your father,” Antonia said to Lorna and kissed her.

 

“Thank you, Mama.”

 

Before her father would be home, Lorna hurriedly with a small bag, went to Mario but she was shocked. The family of Mario told her, that Mario for more than a week was gone and they do not know where he was. ****to be continued****