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  he
love story of actors Gladys Reyes, 26,
and Christopher Rojas, 24, started on
the set of "Mara Clara" in 1992. She was 14.
He was 12. It was childhood romance that no one thought
would last. But it did-12 years, so far. And the couple
have already begun counting to forever, as they vowed
undying love for each other on their wedding day last
January 23.
"Very
proud kami ngayon," says Gladys."Kasi itong
pagpapakasal naming, hindi dahil sa pinresyur kami o dahil
ang tagal na naming, kundi dahil mahal pala talaga naming
ang isa't isa."
It
was Christopher-who's the half-French Jean Christopher
Sommereux in real life, and who's nicknamed Tupe-who
got attracted to Gladys first.
"Una
akong na-attract sa puwet niya," Tupe admits today.
"Puwera biro. Sinabi ko sa nanay ko, 'Ma, tignan
mo 'yong Clara? Ang laki ng puwet." Sabi ng nanay
ko, 'Pag ganoon, sexy 'yon.' So, 'yon, medyo na-challenge
ako."
 He
wasted no time. "Araw-araw ko siyang nililigawan,"
he recalls. "First two months ng 'Mara Clara,' inumpisahan
ko na. Una, sa set, hanggang sa pinupuntahan ko na sa
bahay. Kaya lang, ayaw sa akin ng pamilya niya dahil hindi
pa ako Iglesia noon, e."
Gladys,
a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo, didn't shun Christopher,
but didn't take him seriously either. "Ang tingin
daw niya sa akin e bata, kasi laro daw ako nang laro,"
he smiles at the recollection.
It
turned out that Gladys was herself attracted to the young
mestizo.
"Para
siyang bad boy," admits Gladys. "Pero 'yon ang
isa sa nagustuhan ko sa kanya. Ayoko kasi ng lalaking
Mr. Friendship. 'Yong ngiti nang ngiti? Siya, nakita ko
'yong pagka-natural niya. Pag galit siya, galit siya.
Pag nasa mood bumati, bumabati."
He
won her after five months of courtship. He was her first
boyfriend-and clearly the last. She was the only one he
took seriously.
What
really got to Gladys was Christopher's obvious love for
her family. He was especially fond of her youngest sibling,
a special child. "Nasapul niya ako lalo sa brother
ko," says Gladys. "Hindi siya naiilang, na bakit
nganoon, iba 'yong kapatid ko."
Like
all relationships, theirs had its fair share of ups and
downs. The lowest point came in 2000, when Gladys decided
to break up with Tupe.
"Ako
kasi, pag may nararamdaman ako na parang cold ka, uunahan
kita," she explains today. Overfamiliarity also contributed
to the problem: "Parang routine ang nangyari sa relationship,
parang walang bago."
The
breakup lasted two months. It was their longest. People
close to Gladys and Tupe thought that was the end of the
relationship.
"Nakipagmatigasan
din kasi sa akin," says Gladys of Christopher's reaction.
"Ang siyempre, and tendency ng lalaki, gawin lahat
ng gusto niyang gawin. Lumabas with his barkada…
Ako naman, sige."
Christopher
admits he enjoyed his first taste of freedom after eight
years with Gladys. "Wala nang nakikialam sa kin.
Wala na akong iniisip. Gimik ka, wala kang problema."
But
all that soon got boring.
"Hindi
ganoon 'yong buhay, e," Christopher philosophies.
"Kailangan mo talaga ng kasama, e. Hindi pala puro
saya lang. Ayun, bumalik ako. Ayaw na niya akong tanggapin
noon, e. Noon ko talaga nalaman ang salitang katinuan…
kasi ayaw na, e. Nakuha sa tiyaga. Nagtino na ako mula
noon."
For
Christopher, katinuan, or coming back to his senses, meant
going abroad to work-as receptionist, as construction
worker, as snack-bar attendant-in order to save money
for the future.
On
January 8, 2003, the 11th anniversary of their being "on,"
Christopher came back from Los Angeles and surprised Gladys
with a wedding proposal.
"Expected
niya na darating ako January 19," Christopher recalls,
smiling. "Umuwi na ako, umaga ng January 8. Dumiretso
sa bahay nila. 'Binigay ko 'yong singsing, 'Yon lang.
Hindi naman ako nag-'Will you marry me?' Basta ginising
ko lang siya, inabot ko 'yong singsing. Kaswal. Sabi ko,
'O,'"
Gladys
needed no other sign.
"Kasi,
'yon na 'yong representation, 'yong ring, na eto na, totoo
na," she says, beaming. "Kasi kung sa plano,
matagal na kaming plano nang plano. This time, kumbaga,
this is it!"
Last
January 23, Gladys officially became Mrs. Jean
Christopher Sommereux.
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