Robin to son Ali: Call her Aunt BB

Had the confinement of BB Gandanghari been delayed by only two days, she (take note of the pronoun) would have ended up attached to a dialysis machine.

“I dread the thought,” shuddered BB between bites of sushi during this exclusive interview over lunch yesterday at Toki (right across from St. Luke’s Medical Center in The Fort, Global City), her first (and probably only) big meal for the day. “I was already peeing blood when I summoned my mom (Eva Cariño) to my condo unit (a stone’s throw from St. Luke’s). I couldn’t even walk straight from my bed to the bathroom. I was that serious!”

Because she was working out too hard (in the gym almost every day besides practicing yoga, usually with her bosom friend Gretchen Barretto) and not drinking enough water (“I didn’t want to be urinating too often”), BB suffered from an acute case of urinary tract infection that led to severe dehydration that almost destroyed her kidney and bladder. She was sweating profusely and running a 40-degree-plus fever that drove her into spells of hallucination (“I was delirious and kept calling, ‘Mama, Mama!’”) when she finally decided to send an SOS to her mom.

“My white blood cells were more than 20,000, way above the maximum normal,” recalled BB, “and my vital organs were almost collapsing. Kung na-delay pa raw ang pagdala sa akin sa ospital, I would have been a goner by now.”

More than the physical causes, BB’s condition was made worse by a lingering depression over the non-acceptance of her new identity by her younger brother Robin Padilla who was in denial since nearly two years ago when BB came home from the States dressed as a woman, announcing to the whole world that she had killed Rustom Padilla, an unsolved “crime” that didn’t land the suspect in jail because Rustom’s corpse was never found (no body, no case, see!).

“When we were younger,” recalled BB, daintily sipping her Japanese tea, “Robin and I were really close. Nagba-boxing kami at naglalaro ng games na panlalaki. His son Ali, whom I took care of when he was small, grew up knowing me to be a macho guy. I used to watch wrestling on TV with the boy.”

Her depression made BB irritable; it was adversely affecting the way she was dealing with people.

“Lagi akong galit,” she admitted. “I kept on making my mom kulit to act as bridge between Robin and me. Kasi naman, all the other members of my family have accepted me for what I have become at si Robin lang ang hindi makatanggap. It stayed at the back of my mind, in my subconscious. Magkasunod kami ni Robin and he was the one I would run to when I had problems, so even if my family was okey na with me, I felt sad that Robin was in denial. I got sick na before but when I got well, but after only a few days I returned to my old ways (not taking enough water) so n’ung nag-relapse, matindi na talaga. My depression worsened my condition.”

Her illness turned out to be, ironically, a blessing in disguise. It paved the way for BB and Robin’s long-delayed reconciliation…and an unplanned family reunion.

As soon as Mama Eva brought BB to the hospital, she informed the Padilla siblings to rush in so that the sick member would get the moral support she badly needed. But Robin arrived the next day, with son Ali, and the first thing he asked BB (who was roused from sleep) was, “O, ‘Tol, anong nangyari?” Upon learning what her ailment was and that, according to the doctor, it’s common among women, Robin tsk-tsked and remarked, “Pati sakit mo, pambabae na talaga, ha!” That made both of them laugh. Then, Robin posted an Instagram message that immediately went viral, enclosing a picture of BB in bed playing with Ali, calling BB “sister.” Robin showed that Instagram entry to BB before he sent it and, again, they laughed and laughed.

More relatives came and when goodbye time came, BB recalled that while saying thank-you to them, she overheard Robin telling Ali, “Mula ngayon, Aunt BB na ang itawag mo sa kanya, ha!”

Laughed BB while finishing her green tea ice-cream, “I think Ali is still a bit confused because he grew up nga seeing me so macho. At first, sila ni Robin parang hindi malaman kung ano ang itatawag sa akin…kung tito pa ba o kung tita na. Until before they said goodbye and I heard Robin telling Ali how to call me.”

In a jiffy, BB felt better.

“Parang bigla akong gumaling knowing that Robin has finally accepted me,” said BB, her voice breaking. “Ang gaan-gaan ng pakiramdam ko, para akong nabunutan ng tinik sa dibdib.”

After his five-day confinement, BB stayed with Mama Eva at Eva’s Parañaque house, moving back to her condo unit (where she lives alone) only two days ago. As per doctor’s advice, BB (still on medication) has started drinking water and eating not just once (small meals because she was reducing) but as often as her body needs to be nourished. She hasn’t resumed working out yet, but she’s already rehearsing for her Aug. 2 show with John “Sweet” Lapus (titled The Beauty and The Sweet in Music Museum, produced by Pops Fernandez who’s also BB’s close friend).

After that first long-delayed hospital reconciliation with Robin, brother and sister haven’t met again but the bond between them has been restored, far stronger now. They have been texting each other.

Robin’s last text message made BB cry.

“He said, ‘Your joy is our happiness’,” said BB, wiping a tear from her heavily made-up face. “Bongga, di ba?”

(Reminder: For more on BB Gandanghari, watch tomorrow’s episode of Startalk on GMA, 2:30 p.m. after Eat, Bulaga!)

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