bryan and mirla hold a very special place in our hearts. mirla — or “tita dawn,” as eileen and i call her — is actually eileen’s second cousin… err, no, she’s eileen’s first cousin once removed… that is to say, she’s eileen’s mom’s first cousin. (now you know why everyone in filipino culture simply defaults to “tita.”) bryan is a newer addition, but no less part of the family. (in fact, with all those once-removals, he may actually be more closely related.) it wasn’t so long ago bryan showed up at our house to pick mirla up for their first date together. aaah! those crazy kids. they grow up so fast.

anyway, if you know eileen’s and my story, you know that mirla fits into it in a curious way. a pro actor and professor at uga’s drama and film school, she was actually my dialect coach for theatre productions long before i met eileen. however, we didn’t make the connection until eileen and i  were nearly engaged. ours was admittedly a whirlwind courtship, but the fact that mirla became aware of our relationship even later made it all the more shocking when i came into her office and greeted her as “tita dawn” for the first time. if i recall correctly, she returned my greeting with a stare that would stop a charging rhinoceros in its tracks, told me to have a seat, then asked very seriously, “what the heck are you thinking!?” apparently she had heard the news. she proceeded to grill me much more thoroughly than even eileen’s parents before they gave me their blessing to propose! tita dawn says she wasn’t that hard on me. and who am i to disagree with her — after all, i’ve now spent countless hours in therapy erasing the incident from my memory.

now i really ought to be the one asking the questions! what do you think you’re doing marrying my caucasian brother so soon!? do you really know him!? do you really intend to care for him!? how will you support him on a meager professor’s salary!? huh!? huh!? (man, that felt good.) of course the answers are clear: not a moment too soon; just in time. these two are perfect for one another. and their love for each other is inspiring.

we had a great time with you two, shooting and eating… and eating. let’s do it again soon, shall we? but for now, we’ll leave you two alone. in a dark movie theater. in the dark. alone. by yourselves. (if i know these two, you should probably take that as a cue to shield young eyes.) 😉

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