My mom had grown up in Tondo, one of the poorest areas of Manila. Her neighbors had all chipped in to pay the fees and other expenses it took to enter a pageant because they knew she had what it took to obtain the crown. After she won and moved to the U.S., she sent money and balikbayan boxes home every year until she died. Tita Rosie still sent a yearly balikbayan box, even though we had our own money problems and they weren’t her blood relations. I hadn’t thought about that side of the family in a long time.
As annoyed as I was that Bernadette was still talking about my mom and making me think about things I’d left in the past, the fact that she was, dare I say, comforting me was new and a little bewildering. We’d spent most of our lives looking for ways to compete and weak points to exploit. Maybe we really were becoming friends.
Then again, she knew how I felt about my mother and the way she’d phrased what she said could be a jab at me, trying to hint that even though I’d won the crown, I’d never given back to the community. Just because she felt guilty about my mom didn’t mean she wasn’t still pissed about me beating her.
“Thanks, Ate Bernie. I appreciate it.” I even added a little smile to show her no hard feelings, and that I totally wasn’t wondering if she was plotting against me.
“So your mom was a beauty queen, too?” Katie asked.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said I was OK with it. Katie seemed to think that gave her carte blanche to ask all kinds of questions, and talking about my parents was something I did not do. Which Bernadette knew. I shot her a dirty look but she just shrugged.
I sighed. “Yeah, she won a local pageant and had a shot at the Miss Philippines title. She didn’t win, but she did well enough to save money for her move to the U.S.”
“So then she met your dad here, right? Because beauty queens can’t be married when they’re competing?”
“Those rules depend on the competition, actually. She and my dad had been a thing back in the Philippines, but they broke up when he moved to Shady Palms with my grandparents. After she moved here, they were able to reconnect and got married a few months later.”
Against the wishes of my grandmother, I didn’t add. Lola Flor had held her only son in high regard and thought he could do much better than a small-time beauty queen. I could tell by the sighs both Joy and Katie were letting out that they found the story romantic.
“A second chance at love! Those are my favorite kind of stories,” Katie said. “I used to dream that my dad would come back to Shady Palms to win back my mom.”
“And I told you that I didn’t come to this country for a man. You should never rely on one for anything. You’re young and pretty—use those assets to make your own way.” Winnie sighed. “Besides, you never even met your father and it’s probably better that way. Romance is for books. In the real world, it’s about your brains and your looks. So use them.”
Katie hung on to her mother’s words, eyes widening in what she probably thought was the wisdom in them. I’d gotten a similar speech when I was a kid. “Yes, ma’am. Don’t you worry, I’m going to win this thing, go to college, and become a high-powered businesswoman to manage a chain of our salons. Just like we always talked about.”
“That’s my girl.” Winnie threw her arm around her daughter’s shoulders and kissed her head. “Now go practice your networking skills.”
As Joy and Katie wandered off to talk to the other contestants, Winnie motioned toward the other moms. “Need to check out the competition,” she said with a wink.
“That woman is something,” Yuki said. She’d wandered over to join our group and held out a piece of sweet potato tempura, which I gladly accepted.
“She reminded me of Tita Cecilia,” Bernadette said.
I shot her a look. She’d brought up my mom one time too many. “Why are you here anyway? Where are Joy’s parents?”
Bernadette pursed her lips. “They’re not particularly involved in their children’s lives. To put it mildly. Pinky’s usually the one who attends the kids’ functions, but she had a late shift at the hospital today and asked me to come.”
“That was nice of you,” I admitted.
She shrugged. “I wish Pinky could’ve gotten some time off, but she’s the moneymaker in her family. And their parents only care about themselves. Joy’s a good kid. She deserves to have someone who cares about her here with her.”
We both turned to watch Joy laughing across the room with her friends, and my heart went out to her. I wondered what was worse: to grow up without your parents or to have parents who didn’t give you the time of day? Or to be like Katie and not even know who one of your parents was?
I took a deep breath. No need to go down that path, especially now. “I should probably get to know the other contestants as well. See you two later.”
I made my way over to Sana, who was chatting with Winnie Pang, Mary Ann Randall, and a few other women I didn’t know.
“Hey, Lila, come meet some of the women in my yoga class. Maybe they can convince you to join us,” Sana said.
“Sana’s classes are the best. I don’t know what we’d do without you,” one of the women said, almost purring as she stared lovingly at Sana.
“They leave you so relaxed, even though your body knows you just had an intense workout,” Winnie said. “Katie and I are both in her class. A little mother-daughter bonding, plus it doesn’t hurt to stay fit, especially at my age.”
The other moms in the group, clearly older than Winnie, stiffened at that comment. Sana rushed in to smooth over the situation. “That’s the beauty of yoga, it’s for all ages and levels! Great for the body and mind. You really must stop by sometime, Lila.”
“Oh yes, please! We’d love to get to know you better,” the moms begged.
I groaned inwardly. Though if I took better care of my health, maybe Detective Park would get off my back about that therapist. After all, Sana said it was good for the body and mind. “You know what? That sounds great. I’ll talk to Adeena and Elena and try to join them for a class.”
“Yoga class, huh? Maybe I should check it out, too,” Rob said, strolling over to our group. “Lord knows it’s taking more and more to get this old thing working properly.” He gestured toward his body, which, at fifty-plus years of age, was still trim and fit and he knew it. I swear on everything, the group of momtestants squealed like a bunch of young girls at a K-pop concert.
Sana rolled her eyes and walked over to the refreshments table, and to my surprise Winnie joined her. She’d seemed the ambitious sort, so I figured she’d use any opportunity to get in good with the head judge. Though maybe she was playing it smart by trying to appeal to me and Sana. The others were too busy foaming at the mouth over Rob to notice. I tried to engage them in conversation, but it was clear they only had eyes for him.
I wandered around the room, wondering who to talk to next (or if enough time had passed to politely leave) when a commotion at the door drew my attention. Valerie and the mayor, speaking in low, hurried voices, were blocking someone from entering.