The Ill-Fated Bride

The fragrance of field flowers suddenly filled the entire church
as a figure in white slowly floated down the aisle, chose a pew and
knelt down to pray …..

FOR THE MARRYING MONTH OF JUNE… A MUST READ FOR BRIDES-TO-BE.

The Ill-Fated Bride
by mimi illenberger mapa

Wedding traditions abound in superstition. Leonard RN Ashley, author of the book The Wonderful World of Superstition, Prophecy and Luck warned: The marriage will be ill-fated if the groom sees the bride on the wedding day before they meet in church…if a dog passes between the couple on their wedding day…if the party meets a funeral cortege en route to the church…if the bride tears her gown or bursts a seam…if it rains…it the bride stumbles across the threshold of her new home

He also wrote: Don’t get married on February 1 or any day in May (it brings poverty), any day in Lent, June 2, November 2 (All Souls Day), December 1 and December 28 \9\holy Innocents Day.

There are also beliefs in gem stones. Pearls are considered unlucky especially for engagement rings, as they bring tears to a marriage. Opals are lucky only for those born in the month of October but disastrous for others.

Did the failure to heed these warnings bring about the events that led to the tragic shooting of the bride in the Monina-Daniel nuptials? The elders of the large and affluent Asuncion-Romano clan maintain to this day that had Danny not given his great grandmother’s heirloom to his bride, if Monina had chosen a different date for her wedding day…had they not scoffed at the ancient taboos, things might have been different.

Cursed Church?
There was this ancient church in Barangay Buenavista which had, for many years, the reputation of being haunted by a “ lady in white”. But this was long before it was destroyed by fire of mysterious origin. Today, a modern circular edifice stands in its place . The new Sta. Maria Chapel was constructed without walls and windows. As protection from unwanted intruders and wandering animals, instead of the usual mortar and stone walls, the new architect had opted for iron art in whimsical curlicues and delicate paisley. The lacy iron grills that surrounded the entire chapel kept the place of worship cool and well-ventilated during the hot summer days and its extended eves kept the interior dry during rainy months. From an aerial photograph, the church roof looked like a giant salakot (a traditional wide-brimmed hat of rural Filipinos) thus giving it a unique identity -” ang simbahang hugis salakot ” - when out-of-town folks asked for directions to its whereabouts.

The new church with its cool, modern ambiance coupled with its surrounding lush and beautifully maintained garden , made the place a popular venue for weddings and other religious affairs. Around that time also, a group of out-of-town youths were slowly making a name for themselves in the music industry. It was such a pleasure listening to the Sta. Maria Choir which drew a full-house of worshippers every Sunday. Out of town folks would come all the way from the city and many of them generously contributed to the Offertory boxes.

The “ simbahang hugis salakot” was now a place of beehive activity. The regular, almost daily practice of the choir was the added encouragement to those living nearby to come in and join the 5:00 pm rosary brigade or simply to drop by for Angelus Hour Prayers. The eerie tale of the lady in white was all forgotten.

Until one stormy night!

Very few people had gone to church that day because of bad weather. Kalaw, the newly hired janitor was about to lock up for the night when he espied this lady in white praying before the rack of flickering vesper candles. He decided to approach and tell her of his plan to lock up early. Up close, however, he was shocked to see it was someone dressed in opalescent bridal finery , almost transparent like a cut-up cellophane figure and swaying with the wind! And then, to his horror, she turned to smile at him before melting into thin air.

The hysterical Kalaw screamed all the way to Aling Sepa’s Panciteria , a good 500 meters away from the church grounds. There he collapsed, gasping for breath. His non-stop incoherent shouts, brought a policemen and a number of people rushing out of their homes. A doctor had to be summoned and the over-wrought man was given a dose of sedative to calm him. The incident became the talk of the barrio the following day and elders agreed that he surely must have seen the returning ghost of Monina, the ill-fated bride.

But who was Monina? Why did she come back?

Monina was the oldest child of Don Paco, a wealthy rancher who owned vast tracts of land in Buenavista. She was a sight to behold as she clung to her father’s arms, radiant and lovely in her bridal gown of Spanish lace. Conspicuously dangling from one hand was an antique rosary made up of almost perfectly formed beads of grayish pearls and a silver cross richly adorned with opal, tiny square cut diamonds and blue sapphires chips.

At the foot of the altar stood the beaming bridegroom with his best man. The Don gently released his daughter to Danny, noting with fatherly satisfaction how lovingly the young man guided his bride to the lace-covered bridal pew. A youthful priest- the bride’s first cousin- was officiating the wedding rites.

Father Sonny smiled benevolently at the handsome couple as he waited patiently for the last strains of the traditional organ music to fade away. The organist, visibly inspired, was playing Lohengrin’s “Bridal March” with such flourish that it took him a minute longer to finish the piece. He was the groom’s brother and was as excited as everybody else. The guests, on the other hand, already had their thoughts on the long tables set up on the mansion grounds which were piled up with imported drinks and prime cuts straight out of roasting pits; steamed or grilled lobsters and rock fishes fresh from the days catch and other mouth-watering dishes whipped up by the best chefs in the region. But what was foremost in everybody’s mind to was to have on his plate, a generous serving of Rancho del Vaca’s famous, perfectly roasted fatten calf.

The young priest was about to begin the rites when suddenly, from the middle aisle, a dishevelled young man who was visibly drunk rushed to the altar with revolver and screamed “Stop the wedding Sonny!” And then, pointing the gun at the astonished groom, he barked “ I already warned you, Danny, you do not deserve Monina !”

The startled priest nearly fainted when he saw it was his older brother, Tommy. What could have gotten to him? He reeked of liquor and looked positively deranged.

Everybody froze with shock. The bride reacted quickly and instinctively shielded her groom with her body, softly pleading…”please don’t do this cousin Tommy. What has gotten into you?”

The gun went off. Her words died on her lips as she fell after receiving the bullet meant for her bridegroom on her chest. The shocked Danny caught her and desperately tried to stop the spurting blood with his hands as he sobbed aloud for help. The whole episode was like a gruesome scene from a horror movie.

Horrified at what he had done, Tommy turned the gun on himself and blasted his brains out. The guests screamed in terror and revulsion as blood and bits of custard -like matter splattered on the floor and on nearby baskets filled with pristine white lilies and orchids. There was pandemonium as shrieks and sobs filled the church.

The occasion for joy had been turned into a moment of unspeakable grief. Tommy’s best friend and classmate who was with him in church, tearfully and desperately tried to make sense of the whole tragedy. He told the whole family how Tommy had been in love with his first cousin from the time they were children; revealed to Tommy’s parents the reason why their son refused to study abroad; how he almost lost his mind when he knew she already had a boy friend and how he had turned to drugs in his desperation and anguish. Apparently Monina thought her favourite cousin and childhood playmate was only joking when he confessed his love for her a few weeks before her wedding day.

The cousins were interred in the same, imposing century old mausoleum of the Asuncion- Romano Clan, the burial place of their ancestors and relatives. The parents of Tommy and Monina were sibblings and like most blue bloods to the manor born, they quietly stood by each other while separately enduring each one’s private grief. The family also stood as one in their shame over the unspeakable tragedy with stoic silence and dignity.

Not too long after the deaths, the church slowly acquired the reputation of being haunted by a lady in white. The story telling made the rounds of beer joints and beauty parlours. As more tales came up, the details remained the same …. the apparition was seen during late evening after the church doors had been padlocked and the lights turned off , and it was usually on the 28th day of the month.

Unexpectedly, one hot summer evening, the ancient edifice was gutted to the ground by a fire of unknown origin. The only thing that survived the fire was the massive altar said to have been constructed from Carrara marble brought in all the way from Italy during the Galleon Trade. The new church was built around this highly prized centuries old altar. By the time it was ready for its first mass, the stories about the lady in white had all been forgotten.

A few years later, Dina, the new organist Father Joel had requested to substitute for the regular player who was on maternity leave, was so engrossed with the unfamiliar pieces, she failed to take note of the time. Dina had been out of the country for the past many years and all these were new to her.. but she was delighted to be back in Barangay Buenavista and to the neighbourhood where she had grown up as a child. She found the circular church a sight to behold and loved the outdoorsy feeling the see-through grilles provided. She also loved the lush ferns and trees in the church yard and the coolness of the summer breeze as it passed through unhampered by any stone wall.

The old sacristan who was seated at the last pew patiently waited for Dina to be done with her organ-playing practice. He was starting to doze off when he suddenly espied a white figure slowly floating its way down in the center aisle. He wanted to shout and warn the organist but no words came out of his mouth, he was rooted to his seat in fear for he knew this was the “lady in white.”

The organist must have sensed a presence because she abruptly stopped playing and turned around.

“Ate !!” she screamed in recognition. She had no fear whatsoever in her heart... She was looking at the ghost through the eyes of love. This was the beautiful sister whom she had missed all her life.

She was only four years old when her sister had been killed. She was holding on to Monina’s skirt when the shot rang out. For years she kept remembering how her flower girl attire was drenched with blood as she hugged the lifeless body of her sister. Every detail of that terrible moment was painfully seared in her memory and it took a long time for the recurring nightmares to disappear. Her concerned parents decided to send her away to live with her maternal aunt in Switzerland. There she grew up with a girl cousin her age and there amidst the beautiful, snowy countryside of one of the world’s most peaceful and scenic countries, her wounded heart began to heal.

“ Yes, Dina.” The ghost sadly smiled, speaking softly to her now shivering sister. “ Please ask someone to look into that crack at the base of the old altar. When I fell, the silver cross broke from the rosary beads and slid unnoticed into that narrow crevice. I want you and Danny to have my tomb opened and seal that accursed icon with me forever. I do not want a similar fate to befall anybody again – ever.

“ Tell our parents and the rest of the clan to please forgive Kuya Tommy and pray for him. I am happy where I am but Tommy pleads for everybody’s forgiveness. He is in great pain and will only find his peace when our families will have found theirs.”

The ghost bride smiled, her face radiant with ethereal glow. The church was suddenly, filled with the scent of roses in full bloom. Dina recognized the favourite perfume of their mother. It was the “something borrowed, something old” her sister had worn that fateful day. When Monina bent to kiss her younger sister goodbye, Dina’s face was wet with tears.

“Öh Ate, it was never the same again without you.”… she sobbed. When she looked up, the beautiful ghost had vanished.

This story had a strange but happy ending. You see, when Danny returned to Buenavista to carry out the strange request about the cross, he was delighted to find his flower girl all grown up and so beautiful. Her resemblance to Monina was uncanny, they could have passed for identical twins. It was love at first sight for the bachelor Doc Danny.

The day they were married, the guests could not help but notice the changes around the Rancho del Vaca premises. The pall of gloom was gone. In its place stood a picture-perfect postcard of happiness.…. gentle sunlight, blue skies, verdant meadows, tropical blooms in a kaleidoscope of brilliant colours, fruit trees heavy with ripening fruit. The birds had returned and the air was filled with their happy chirpings. Dragonflies and butterflies of all shapes, sizes and colours swooped and flitted across the wide, green pasture. And to complete the happy feeling, the exhilarating fragrance of orange blossoms coming from a nearby orchard of citrus trees perfumed the air. It was an exceptionally happy day for the families who had suffered so much.

Could there be a grain of truth to what the superstitious folks of Barangay Buenavista continue to claim - that all those pain could have been avoided had the sweethearts simply adhered to the customs and traditions of getting married. True or false?