Post by Lluvia/Zara/Jamie/Others on Sept 26, 2022 11:39:53 GMT -8
Marley knew that her father had said things could wait until they returned stateside from the tour, but she didn’t want to wait until December to find out what he had to say. If she did, it would cause those damn demons to come out when she, with Samuel’s help, had managed to get quite a decent grip on them. So when there was a week that Samuel wasn’t scheduled for the next show, they decided to fly back to her home to handle everything. Despite it technically being fall, the weather in Richmond that day hadn’t exactly gotten the memo since it was almost 80 degrees out. She and Samuel were standing outside of her childhood home, a light breeze blowing as she looked at the house for a moment. “I guess this is as good of a time as any.” The green-haired woman glanced over at her boyfriend and took his hand in hers, giving it a little squeeze. She bit down on her bottom lip gently, a habit that had been increasing over the last several weeks.
The uneasiness of everything began consuming her again as they made their way up the little pathway to the front door. The green-haired woman felt her boyfriend reassuringly squeeze her hand, and she gently smiled up at him. “I’ll be okay…this can’t go any worse than the last couple of times we’ve seen them.” The door opened as they reached it, and Marley felt herself being pulled into a hug by her mother. The pair separated, a light smile on both of their faces before her mom ushered them in, “Your father’s in the living room. I’ll grab some drinks and be there in a moment.” The young Filipino woman nodded and sighed before leading Samuel to the living room where they found her father sitting in a recliner. “Tatay…” Marley’s voice was firm yet gentle, which had been normal whenever her father was involved as of late.
The older man said nothing but nodded at the couple as they sat down on the loveseat that was diagonal to the recliner he was sitting in. They sat in silence for a few minutes as they waited for the green-haired woman’s mother who seemed to be taking her time. A couple more minutes passed before her mother joined them, giving everyone a drink before sitting down. Marley picked at the edges of the cast on her lower left arm as she waited to see if her father was going to be the first to speak or not though Samuel ended up taking her hand to keep her from messing up the edge of it. After several minutes of the silence continuing, the young woman cleared her throat and said, “Tatay…you wanted to see us. But if nothing is going to be said then I’m not sure why you wanted us here.”
Danilo glanced at his wife as she cleared her throat and gave him a look, telling him to say something with her eyes. He rubbed his eyes for a moment before he looked between his daughter and her boyfriend, his gaze briefly resting on their joined hands before looking back and forth between their faces for a moment. “Marley, Samuel, paumanhin ako. (Marley, Samuel, I’m sorry.)” Hearing her father actually apologize left the young woman speechless for a few moments. Before she was able to find her voice, her father continued on. "Marley, hindi ko dapat sinubukang pilitin ka. Alam kong hindi mo sinasadyang balewalain ang pamilya natin. Alam kong malaki ang kahulugan niya sa iyo para gumalaw ka nang kasing bilis. (Marley, I never should have tried to make you choose. I know you wouldn't purposely disrespect our family. I know he must mean a lot to you for you to have moved as fast as you have.)"
Marley gently squeezed Samuel's hand, giving her boyfriend a gentle and loving smile as she listened to her father. When her dad finished speaking, she gave the man a gentle nod. "Siya, tatay. Napakahalaga niya sa akin. (He does, dad. He means very much to me.)" Sandra smiled softly at her daughter as did, much to Marley's surprise, Danilo. "I know, syota (sweetheart). I think I always did but I wasn't willing to accept it after what you went through before." Danilo paused as he brought up Marley's past, not wanting to say anything to upset her and also not knowing how in-depth his daughter had gone about her past thus not wanting to reveal anything that may not already be known.
Marley sensed her father's hesitation, her brows knitted together for a moment. "Samuel knows everything, tatay…I've had an episode or two since we've been together. I told him everything that I went through on the night I had the first one. But he's helped me deal with things. I'm not better, not by a long shot, but he's helped me not want to be that person anymore…" Danilo seemed surprised to hear that come from his daughter's mouth. To find out that she had found someone able to help her feel differently than she had for so long…and in a short time. The older man couldn't help but smile at the two of them before he turned his attention to Samuel.
"Samuel…I should have given you a chance. Instead, I focused on what I thought was wrong. The happiness the two of you brought each other was clear from the beginning, but I chose to be blind to it. I chose to ignore the blatant happiness that was right in front of me." Danilo paused for a moment, taking a sip from the sweet tea that his wife had brought him. He cleared his throat then continued, "After what Marley went through a few years ago…well, I was already protective of her, and I suppose that just made it worse. Especially after seeing what it did to her, how it changed her. I wasn't sure if she could handle the potential of another heartache to that extent, and I didn't want to think about the fact that this wasn't up to me."
Marley could feel tears build in her eyes as she listened to her dad explain himself. She hadn't thought about how what she had gone through had affected her family in the long run. Sure, she had known they were worried about the person she had turned into, but beyond that…she had no idea. The firmness that she had come to have in her voice was gone as she spoke. "Tatay…I, I didn't…I had no idea." Danilo's gaze turned towards his daughter, his eyes soft as he looked at the green-haired woman. "I didn't want you to know, syota. You were dealing with enough at the time."
The older man turned his attention back to his daughter's boyfriend, not done speaking to him directly. "Samuel, I'll be perfectly honest with you. With who Marley had turned into, I didn't see this lasting long…I thought she would have her fun and that would be it. Please, don't get me wrong, I hate saying that or having even thought about it being the case, but I was going off how things had been going with and for her as of late. I didn't want to give you a chance because I wasn't sure it would last and didn't want to condone how she was acting. But I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong, and I'm glad I was. But I haven't seen Marley this happy in a very long time. I truly am sorry for how I acted, Samuel. And, with Marley's help in translating of course, I would like to get to know you better." "As would I, Samuel."
Marley looked between her parents, a big smile on her face at knowing her father was finally willing to accept her and Samuel. Nodding to them both, Samuel then turns to Marley briefly to let her know to be ready to speak on his behalf and he turns back to his girlfriend’s parents and begins to sign, “I am honored to be accepted into the wonderful family you have created, Mr. and Mrs. Divata.” He turns specifically to Danilo now, “I understand why you were concerned, and it shows just how great of a father you are, something I wish that I had had myself…” Samuel briefly turns to Sandra now, “...as well as a great mother. Unfortunately, neither of my parents wanted either me or my younger sister and we suffered as a result. You are both wonderful parents to Marley and I was worried she was going to lose that because she wanted to be with me, but I am glad that that is not the case and I am looking forward to getting to know both of you moving forward.”
Samuel then proceeds to take a step forward and outstretches his hand towards Danilo for a handshake. Her father stood and took Samuel’s outstretched hand, shaking it firmly. “Well…my apologies for being blunt, but your parents were fools for that. But it seems, despite what you went through, you’re a very caring and loving gentleman. And that’s all I could want for Marley in the long run of it all.” “And for what it’s worth, Samuel…while obviously, we can’t change what you went through, you are considered family to all of us.” Sandra stepped up with a smile on her face as she looked between the little group. She glanced down to her daughter’s injured wrist/hand then glanced up at Samuel. “As far as that, though…kick his ass for us since we legally can’t.” “Nanay (mom)! Don’t encourage anything, please! Talking him down has been hard enough without anyone adding to it!” Marley groaned when she heard her mom, and she rubbed her eyes with her good hand in frustration.
Samuel glances down at the cast around Marley’s wrist and his temperament changes forcing Marley to give her boyfriend a reassuring squeeze to help calm him down. He looks back up to Danilo and Sandra and signs again with Marley translating, “I apologize for allowing this to happen. I swore to protect your daughter no matter what and while some of my initial methods on how to take care of the man responsible were frowned upon, I promise I will make him suffer for what he has done.”
The older couple shook their heads almost simultaneously. They didn’t place any blame on Samuel for Marley’s wrist…they had watched the show and had seen what had happened. Danilo looked at Marley for a second before his gaze turned back to Samuel. “You can’t be by her side all of the time…you have things to tend to, and she has to be with Zara for Zara’s stuff. There’s no blame to be put on you in this situation.” When he mentioned the other methods being frowned upon, Sandra gave the pair a little frown before she spoke, “Whatever they were…if she had to talk you out of them then I agree. We may want you to kick his ass, but we don’t want you getting in trouble for whatever you do. And from what Marley’s told me, you’ve done more than a fine job of that, especially from herself.” Marley blushed a little and rubbed the back of her neck as she listened to the exchange.
Samuel nods, “I promise I will make him suffer. I love Marley with all of my heart and seeing her hurt and in pain? I am normally quite a calm person, but this man first targeted my sister. He did things to her that brought her to tears, and now he has targeted the other woman in my life that I love. I cannot and will not let that stand. You have my word that he will be taken care of accordingly… within the law.” Marley took Samuel’s hand in her own and squeezed it lightly, gently kissing his upper arm in the process. Of course, in her own way, she was pissed about what had happened to her, but it was like she had told him before…she knew the risks of being there. And she definitely knew them when she purposely pissed Matthews off that night. “I love you, Samuel. And like I’ve told you…I knew what I was risking by signing on as Zara’s manager and by purposely pissing him off that night. They said it was a clean break; I’ll be fine…though I do want to clock him in the head with this thing if I ever get the chance.” She tried to murmur that last part though she knew she failed at it when she heard her mom laughing at her. “I wasn’t trying to be funny, nanay…I was being serious.”
“That’s what makes it funny, dear…I know you were, and I know you’ll try to find a way to do it.” Sandra hugged her daughter before turning towards Samuel, surprising him with a quick hug. “I’m sure the two of you have plans for this evening already, but please come over for dinner before you leave to go back to the UK.” Marley nodded lightly, agreeing to have dinner with her parents one evening. As she hugged her dad, she whispered gently to him, “I love you, tatay….thank you.” The older man simply nodded before turning towards Samuel, shaking his hand one last time before the young couple left the home.
The uneasiness of everything began consuming her again as they made their way up the little pathway to the front door. The green-haired woman felt her boyfriend reassuringly squeeze her hand, and she gently smiled up at him. “I’ll be okay…this can’t go any worse than the last couple of times we’ve seen them.” The door opened as they reached it, and Marley felt herself being pulled into a hug by her mother. The pair separated, a light smile on both of their faces before her mom ushered them in, “Your father’s in the living room. I’ll grab some drinks and be there in a moment.” The young Filipino woman nodded and sighed before leading Samuel to the living room where they found her father sitting in a recliner. “Tatay…” Marley’s voice was firm yet gentle, which had been normal whenever her father was involved as of late.
The older man said nothing but nodded at the couple as they sat down on the loveseat that was diagonal to the recliner he was sitting in. They sat in silence for a few minutes as they waited for the green-haired woman’s mother who seemed to be taking her time. A couple more minutes passed before her mother joined them, giving everyone a drink before sitting down. Marley picked at the edges of the cast on her lower left arm as she waited to see if her father was going to be the first to speak or not though Samuel ended up taking her hand to keep her from messing up the edge of it. After several minutes of the silence continuing, the young woman cleared her throat and said, “Tatay…you wanted to see us. But if nothing is going to be said then I’m not sure why you wanted us here.”
Danilo glanced at his wife as she cleared her throat and gave him a look, telling him to say something with her eyes. He rubbed his eyes for a moment before he looked between his daughter and her boyfriend, his gaze briefly resting on their joined hands before looking back and forth between their faces for a moment. “Marley, Samuel, paumanhin ako. (Marley, Samuel, I’m sorry.)” Hearing her father actually apologize left the young woman speechless for a few moments. Before she was able to find her voice, her father continued on. "Marley, hindi ko dapat sinubukang pilitin ka. Alam kong hindi mo sinasadyang balewalain ang pamilya natin. Alam kong malaki ang kahulugan niya sa iyo para gumalaw ka nang kasing bilis. (Marley, I never should have tried to make you choose. I know you wouldn't purposely disrespect our family. I know he must mean a lot to you for you to have moved as fast as you have.)"
Marley gently squeezed Samuel's hand, giving her boyfriend a gentle and loving smile as she listened to her father. When her dad finished speaking, she gave the man a gentle nod. "Siya, tatay. Napakahalaga niya sa akin. (He does, dad. He means very much to me.)" Sandra smiled softly at her daughter as did, much to Marley's surprise, Danilo. "I know, syota (sweetheart). I think I always did but I wasn't willing to accept it after what you went through before." Danilo paused as he brought up Marley's past, not wanting to say anything to upset her and also not knowing how in-depth his daughter had gone about her past thus not wanting to reveal anything that may not already be known.
Marley sensed her father's hesitation, her brows knitted together for a moment. "Samuel knows everything, tatay…I've had an episode or two since we've been together. I told him everything that I went through on the night I had the first one. But he's helped me deal with things. I'm not better, not by a long shot, but he's helped me not want to be that person anymore…" Danilo seemed surprised to hear that come from his daughter's mouth. To find out that she had found someone able to help her feel differently than she had for so long…and in a short time. The older man couldn't help but smile at the two of them before he turned his attention to Samuel.
"Samuel…I should have given you a chance. Instead, I focused on what I thought was wrong. The happiness the two of you brought each other was clear from the beginning, but I chose to be blind to it. I chose to ignore the blatant happiness that was right in front of me." Danilo paused for a moment, taking a sip from the sweet tea that his wife had brought him. He cleared his throat then continued, "After what Marley went through a few years ago…well, I was already protective of her, and I suppose that just made it worse. Especially after seeing what it did to her, how it changed her. I wasn't sure if she could handle the potential of another heartache to that extent, and I didn't want to think about the fact that this wasn't up to me."
Marley could feel tears build in her eyes as she listened to her dad explain himself. She hadn't thought about how what she had gone through had affected her family in the long run. Sure, she had known they were worried about the person she had turned into, but beyond that…she had no idea. The firmness that she had come to have in her voice was gone as she spoke. "Tatay…I, I didn't…I had no idea." Danilo's gaze turned towards his daughter, his eyes soft as he looked at the green-haired woman. "I didn't want you to know, syota. You were dealing with enough at the time."
The older man turned his attention back to his daughter's boyfriend, not done speaking to him directly. "Samuel, I'll be perfectly honest with you. With who Marley had turned into, I didn't see this lasting long…I thought she would have her fun and that would be it. Please, don't get me wrong, I hate saying that or having even thought about it being the case, but I was going off how things had been going with and for her as of late. I didn't want to give you a chance because I wasn't sure it would last and didn't want to condone how she was acting. But I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong, and I'm glad I was. But I haven't seen Marley this happy in a very long time. I truly am sorry for how I acted, Samuel. And, with Marley's help in translating of course, I would like to get to know you better." "As would I, Samuel."
Marley looked between her parents, a big smile on her face at knowing her father was finally willing to accept her and Samuel. Nodding to them both, Samuel then turns to Marley briefly to let her know to be ready to speak on his behalf and he turns back to his girlfriend’s parents and begins to sign, “I am honored to be accepted into the wonderful family you have created, Mr. and Mrs. Divata.” He turns specifically to Danilo now, “I understand why you were concerned, and it shows just how great of a father you are, something I wish that I had had myself…” Samuel briefly turns to Sandra now, “...as well as a great mother. Unfortunately, neither of my parents wanted either me or my younger sister and we suffered as a result. You are both wonderful parents to Marley and I was worried she was going to lose that because she wanted to be with me, but I am glad that that is not the case and I am looking forward to getting to know both of you moving forward.”
Samuel then proceeds to take a step forward and outstretches his hand towards Danilo for a handshake. Her father stood and took Samuel’s outstretched hand, shaking it firmly. “Well…my apologies for being blunt, but your parents were fools for that. But it seems, despite what you went through, you’re a very caring and loving gentleman. And that’s all I could want for Marley in the long run of it all.” “And for what it’s worth, Samuel…while obviously, we can’t change what you went through, you are considered family to all of us.” Sandra stepped up with a smile on her face as she looked between the little group. She glanced down to her daughter’s injured wrist/hand then glanced up at Samuel. “As far as that, though…kick his ass for us since we legally can’t.” “Nanay (mom)! Don’t encourage anything, please! Talking him down has been hard enough without anyone adding to it!” Marley groaned when she heard her mom, and she rubbed her eyes with her good hand in frustration.
Samuel glances down at the cast around Marley’s wrist and his temperament changes forcing Marley to give her boyfriend a reassuring squeeze to help calm him down. He looks back up to Danilo and Sandra and signs again with Marley translating, “I apologize for allowing this to happen. I swore to protect your daughter no matter what and while some of my initial methods on how to take care of the man responsible were frowned upon, I promise I will make him suffer for what he has done.”
The older couple shook their heads almost simultaneously. They didn’t place any blame on Samuel for Marley’s wrist…they had watched the show and had seen what had happened. Danilo looked at Marley for a second before his gaze turned back to Samuel. “You can’t be by her side all of the time…you have things to tend to, and she has to be with Zara for Zara’s stuff. There’s no blame to be put on you in this situation.” When he mentioned the other methods being frowned upon, Sandra gave the pair a little frown before she spoke, “Whatever they were…if she had to talk you out of them then I agree. We may want you to kick his ass, but we don’t want you getting in trouble for whatever you do. And from what Marley’s told me, you’ve done more than a fine job of that, especially from herself.” Marley blushed a little and rubbed the back of her neck as she listened to the exchange.
Samuel nods, “I promise I will make him suffer. I love Marley with all of my heart and seeing her hurt and in pain? I am normally quite a calm person, but this man first targeted my sister. He did things to her that brought her to tears, and now he has targeted the other woman in my life that I love. I cannot and will not let that stand. You have my word that he will be taken care of accordingly… within the law.” Marley took Samuel’s hand in her own and squeezed it lightly, gently kissing his upper arm in the process. Of course, in her own way, she was pissed about what had happened to her, but it was like she had told him before…she knew the risks of being there. And she definitely knew them when she purposely pissed Matthews off that night. “I love you, Samuel. And like I’ve told you…I knew what I was risking by signing on as Zara’s manager and by purposely pissing him off that night. They said it was a clean break; I’ll be fine…though I do want to clock him in the head with this thing if I ever get the chance.” She tried to murmur that last part though she knew she failed at it when she heard her mom laughing at her. “I wasn’t trying to be funny, nanay…I was being serious.”
“That’s what makes it funny, dear…I know you were, and I know you’ll try to find a way to do it.” Sandra hugged her daughter before turning towards Samuel, surprising him with a quick hug. “I’m sure the two of you have plans for this evening already, but please come over for dinner before you leave to go back to the UK.” Marley nodded lightly, agreeing to have dinner with her parents one evening. As she hugged her dad, she whispered gently to him, “I love you, tatay….thank you.” The older man simply nodded before turning towards Samuel, shaking his hand one last time before the young couple left the home.
