She was already dreaming big, planning to scout for a big house with a panoramic view of the mountains, even asking about my dilapidated house in Tagaytay, buying gasoline stations, and opening a grocery store. She also said she likes the Ford Bronco. She will hire a driver, daw. She imagines getting married, visiting London this year, and traveling everywhere. All these Cinderella tales were planted in her brain and heart by her online boyfriend, whom she met on the dating app Evermatch.
She asked permission to go on leave for one week because this 60-year-old British guy was arriving in the country this coming Thursday to meet her in person. He will stay daw for three months before he starts his next big contract. They will check in at a hotel, be together for three months, spend the holidays together, travel here and there, including London, where the guy is from, and get to know each other.
I asked Antonia if the guy knew her age. She said she told him she was 69. He prefers daw older women. Hmmmm. The guy’s narrative is his wife died in 2020 from Covid. He has no children; he is the chief engineer of a massive firm in Thailand that recently renewed its contract with the government for (hold your breath and sit down!), baka matumba kayo sa hurricane Three Hundred Million Dollars.
To say that our dear Antonia is inspired is an understatement. She is 69 but she is blooming like a 26-year old virgin. Her eyes are twinkling. I asked her if her marriage to her husband had been annulled. She said the mayor already cancelled their marriage contract according to her lawyer. Ganun lang? I reminded her to double check because she cannot get married without legal documents to prove that their marriage had already been annulled. She assured me that two years ago she and her husband signed waivers.
Ay bahala sya, basta sya in-love ngayon. Several times a day the guy tells her Honey I love you, and Antonia replies back with kilig Honey I love You too.
I told her maraming online scam victimizing senior citizens. Baka kuhanan sya ng pera. She seemed confident that the guy was for real. Dami ko ng napanood sa Netflix, senior citizens, both women and men, are the targets of these scammers. They raked in billions of dollars a year. And many lonely individuals, single, widows, widowers, divorcees, are titillated by the prospect of having a second wing on true love. They end up heartbroken and bankrupt.
She was on the phone speaking loudly and in straight English when I was leaving the house yesterday morning. The conversation was about his travel arrangements. The guy also promised to send her yesterday $1,000 to her bank account in Landbank. This would be for her personal expenses before he arrives on Thursday. I teased her uy pambili nya ng bagong dress, make-up, and perfume. She replied with a big smile.
