'My King and I'

Seven years ago on a sojourn to Thailand, Michelle Asence walked into a temple. There she met a solemn-looking monk who told her she was destined to marry into a family of royalty, possibly a prince or even a king.

“You would meet him at age 29 and marry at the age of 32,” the monk told Michelle.

This message of the monk resulted in a life-changing experience for her as it turned into a madness of hilarious proportions with Michelle focused on pursuing her so-called royal destiny. She already assigned positions for family members and friends in her future palace. And she had everyone calling her “Madame.” She even taught her helpers how to greet her in royal fashion. Her pillows, towels, glasses, calculators and other things had king and queen motifs. Her prayers were quite specific, too: “Lord, help me please, if this is Your will, I will not complain.”

Tracking down her prince even led her to the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. Michelle’s mom, Goc Dula Asence, gamely mapped out a plan and coached her daughter through different scenarios. First on the list: find out the Prince’s schedule. On the phone, while Michelle was in Brunei, her mom told her albeit in between giggles: “Make sure you are there when the prince is around. When he passes, drop all your things so you will be noticed. When his car comes, drop yourself in front of it.” Well, Michelle tried in vain to find him. But sadly, none of the above transpired.

Never did Michelle realize that all this time the king she was looking for was right here at home waiting for his own special queen.

In God’s good time, she met a God-fearing gentleman who began courting her in proper fashion, indeed treating her like a queen. She was 29. 

Last Oct. 30, 2009, Michelle married her King, Sunday Fontelera, at an intimately beautiful wedding at Santuario de San Antonio in Makati. Coincidentally, she is now 32.

Michelle is the owner and president of Zen Zest, a proudly Filipino company that specializes in body care products with retail shops in all major malls nationwide. Sunday is the corporate finance and administrative manager of Rex Bookstore and Publishing.

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When Gok first met Sunday, she told me, they talked about his family and their business. She found out Sunday works for their company called Rex, a highly respected name in the publishing and bookstore business.

Gok recalls, “I curiously asked Sunday: ‘Why Rex?’ He answered: ‘Oh, it’s because rex is a Latin word that means king and the company logo is a crown.’ I felt a lightning flash. ‘Dear God,’ I told my self, ‘could this be my daughter’s king?’ I kicked Michelle hard under the table and looked at her with wide open eyes.”

As soon as Sunday left, a shocked Tita Gok pounced on Michelle. “Hey girl, all this time you had us all believing we had ready positions in the royal palace, that we had to change religion and geographical location. Only to find out the King you have been looking for is right here in the Philippines!”

Both mother and daughter laughed their signature crazy laugh.

* * *

The couple had a beautiful wedding punctuated with romance and wit — and yes, again, crazy laughter.

Michelle’s wedding march was not the usual song sung in weddings: Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye). “It meant saying goodbye to the past in order to look forward to a new beginning between me and my husband,” Michelle said. This opening made many people in the church cry.

Sunday shed tears of joy when he saw his radiant love walking towards him, a beautiful dream come true. Sunday was overwhelmed with emotion as by the altar he waited for his “crazy, lovable, funny girl.”

At the Peninsula Manila for the reception, everyone burst into laughter as soon as Michelle pranced into the reception hall with Sunday dancing around her to the beat of Black Eyed Peas’ I Got A Feeling.

The highest moment at the reception was the speech of Tita Gok, the mother of the bride. She is also Michelle’s BFF and bedmate for 32 years. Yes, they sleep together. Even if they have their own rooms, they still sleep together every night in the same bed.

“We are just of a different breed,” Tita Gok told me. “Our bond is just so strong.”

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I’m sharing with you excerpts of Tita Gok’s speech at the wedding reception that made everybody laugh and cry.

No guy has ever been good enough for my daughter. Until I met you Sunday... you passed with flying colors!

You earned your first 10 points when you first showed up in the house all dressed up. Pormal na pormal... kulang na lang bow tie. You earned another 10 points when I learned you and Michelle met in a karaoke bar and you endured and survived Michelle’s singing. I also learned that you love watching Tagalog movies, you found your match in Michelle. You earned more points when I met your sister Jan, your loving parents Rogelio and Rose Ann Fontelera, and your entire clan. I really liked them a lot and enjoyed their company.

But the most points you earned was when you first held Xavi (Michelle’s five-year-old son) in your arms. I saw him smile and chuckle. I knew then that Michelle and Xavi will be in very good hands.

Michelle, I will miss you a lot. The days will not be a problem since we work together in the office (Gok is the business development manger of Zen Zest).

But the nights I will terribly miss. After all, we shared the same room and the same bed for 32 years. I slept at 5 a.m. last night. Spent the night thinking and crying. It was our last night together.

I will cherish those crazy, wonderful nights we spent together!

There was pimple night when you were a teenager. You made me count your pimples in the evening and again in the morning to check if they were gone.

The fashion nights. We endlessly fitted our party clothes and critiqued each other for hours. The room would be a mess after those fashion nights!

The pizza nights that turned into diet nights. We ordered pizza night after night. Then we talked endlessly about the diet that would make us lose the pounds we gained.

The “Where are you?” nights. On days when you were out partying, I would text and text you non-stop starting midnight. When it’s my turn to go out, you would also repeatedly text me till I got home.

The horror nights. I still do not understand your fascination for horror films. Japanese, Korean, English, Tagalog including Shake Rattle and Roll. I had to suffer and watch those movies with you. And when it was my turn to watch the English romantic movies that I love, you would say, “Just read the book, mom, you will learn more.”

Michelle, thank you so much for those wonderful crazy nights. I did not miss having a husband because I had you as a bedmate. I will miss those nights terribly.

So, today on your wedding night, I have just this simple message for you... I hope that you will always have a restful sleep.

Goodnight my sweet little princess. I love you, Michelle.

* * *

As I write this, Michelle is on her honeymoon in picturesque Tiburon, California. Still, she hasn’t stopped calling her mother.

Tita Gok concluded: “Michelle and I will remain BFF — best friends forever!”

(Would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com)