Remedios T. Romualdez - Courtship

Courtship

Also in 1928, Doña Trinidad Romualdez y Lopez or "Tidad" (herself a daughter of a Spanish friar from Granada), matriarch of the Romualdez clan of Leyte (previously of Pandacan) knocked on the doors of her favorite charity, the Looban Convent, together with daughter-in-law Beatriz Buz Romualdez (daughter of Fray Salustiano Buz) and cousin Mariquita Lopez.

Doña Tidad sought to find a wife for her youngest son, the newly widowed Vicente Orestes Romualdez.

Behind closed doors, the Mother Superior asked two girls, Meding and Josephine (a mestiza with Moorish features) to enter the room and serve water and napkins to the Romualdez guests.

When Doña Tidad and her party left, the Mother Superior advised Meding and Josephine that they are to deliver a letter to Doña Tidad and to her older son, former Associate Justice Don Norberto Romualdez at the Romualdez home on Arquiza Street, Ermita a few days from that encounter. They are to wear their Sunday's best clothes. Unbeknownst to the two women, they would be judged on that day by the rest of the Romualdezes during their Sunday asalto.

Josephine wore American clothes while Meding wore her saya and pañuelo.

They took with them the sealed envelope which had nothing more than a blank piece of paper.

When they arrived, the family invited both inside graciously. Song and the musical arts being actively pursued by the entire clan, the Romualdezes clamored the two to perform immediately after a piano and harp number by one of the younger members.

Josephine flatly declined adding that she neither plays nor can she sing. The Romualdezes were shocked in disbelief.

Remedios, the less beautiful of the two, hesitated at first. After a little more prodding, and with Loreto Buz Romualdez (later Mrs. Loreto Romualdez Ramos) on the musical instruments did she sang Ako'y Ibong Sawi (loosely translated to My Love Failed Me). Some were reduced to tears with the emotion Meding brought forth. A big round of applause thundered that day. Meding won a contest she did not plan on entering.

Meding and Josephine went home with a sealed envelope from Don Norberto Romualdez. Unknown to them, it still had another blank piece of paper inside it.

After a few more months, the Romualdezes accelerated their move on Remedios Trinidad. At that same time, the Tinio son no longer visited. The nuns convinced Remedios of the benefits of marrying a man she did not love. They said the heart could be taught to love. And she would do a great service to God by helping this widower's household full of five teenager children (Lourdes, Francisco, Victoria, Dulce, Vicente Jr). Señor Orestes was wealthy, a lawyer riding on the fame of his generous brother Norberto or "Nonoy". His other brother Miguel Romualdez may someday be Mayor of Manila (he eventually did while World War II was raging). The Romualdezes were educated. And most importantly, the nuns said, the Romualdezes were catolicos cerrados.

Meding capitulated. She agreed to marry the third and youngest son of Doña Tidad.

The High Mass was scheduled at 7:00AM at the San Miguel Pro Cathedral (the church still stands today) on General Solano street, San Miguel District, Manila. However, she was awakened at 3:00AM and was asked to get ready for the wedding hours in advance. The marriage ceremony lasted for a little more than 20 minutes behind closed church doors even when it was still dark outside. Later, she would find out that another woman by the name of "Trining" (or Trinidad) had been a "confidante of leisure" of her widower husband. The Romualdez matriarch moved the marriage so this other Trinidad would not come forth, stop the marriage, and embarrass the family.