(RONNIE CARRASCO III)

NAY quotable quote we distinctly remember having heard from Marjorie Barretto.

This was in the early 90s, noong may mga pagkakataong we’d go out as a group. Magkatuwang kasi kami noong binyagan si Sophia, bunsong anak ni Ai-Ai delas Alas sa dating partner niyang si Miguel Vera.

One evening ay nagkayayaan ang grupo (Ai-Ai, Miguel, Marjorie with her then-partner Dennis Padilla) sa hilltop sa Antipolo overlooking Metro Manila whose bright lights look like scattered diamonds.

We got to finally settle at a bar, seated at a kubol (hut) where we had an endless exchange of stories. Pero hindi ‘yon tungkol sa showbiz, but about life in general.

Marjorie has always earned our admiration. Mas angat man si Gretchen nang ilang paligo sa kanya, but what makes Marjorie truly a standout is her oral communication skills (ah, oo nga pala, if I remember right, she’s an alumna of Colegio San Agustin).

Over buckets of beer, the starry night seemed too short para pagkasyahin ang maraming kuwento that would make for a book.

Dumako ang kwentuhan sa paghihiwalay ng mga magkakarelasyon, particularly when it was the guy who initiated the breakup.

Hirit ni Marjorie in her unmistakably articulate stance, “When a man leaves you, shame on him… but when you take him back, shame on you!”

Applicable to straight relationships, it also did make sense sa mga tulad namin, kaya naka-relate din kami.

Oo nga naman, unless may napakabigat na dahilan para tanggaping muli ang isang nagkasalang karelasyon, katangahan na ang pabalikin pa o balikan pa ang isang nagtaksil.

Present year. Bigla tuloy sumirit mula sa baul ng aming alaala ang tinurang ‘yon ni Marjorie.

Relating it to what has befallen Bea Alonzo, nobody could have said it better.

Tulad ng alam ng lahat, ang anak ni Marjorie na si Julia ang itinuturong dahilan sa paghihiwalay nina Bea at Gerald Anderson. Ang kaibahan nga lang, Bea and Gerald did not officially break up, based on the former’s claim.

Basta hindi na lang daw kinakausap ni Gerald si Bea, and before the latter knew it ay napunta na ito kay Julia.

Back to Marj’s quotable quote (which we mentally lauded), ‘yun marahil ang maaari niyang maibigay na piece of advice kay Bea even without closure to her romantic chapter with Gerald.

Kung hindi kami nagkakamali, pangalawang pagbabalikan na ‘yon nina Bea at Gerald. Ito na nga lang ang masasabing proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back.

From the looks of it, Bea is firm enough never to commit the same stupid mistake ever again.

Because if she does, sabi nga ni Marjorie, “shame on her.”

Call it self-respect.