How Sheryl left her heart in San Francisco

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill it calls to me.
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the sky.

Corny, yes, but that song by Andy Williams kept playing in the stereo of my mind as I watched celebrity photographer Richard Chen make Sheryl Cruz and her husband, John Norman Bustos, and their three-year-old daughter Ashley Nicole (Ashley was taken from Hollywood actress Ashley Judd) pose this way and that at a cozy suite of Mandarin Oriental Hotel (thanks to the hotel’s PR executive, Charisse Garcia-Chuidian, for letting us use the room for the pictorial).

They looked such a lovely couple, so loving and so in love (they celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary last Aug. 21.) Norman, turning 35 (on Dec. 25 which happens to be also the birthday of Sheryl’s father, Ricky Belmonte, who died three years ago), has been with the San Francisco Sheriff Department for 12 years now. He was born and raised by both Filipino parents in San Francisco. He has an older sister and two younger brothers.

Sheryl, 30, started, as movie fans know, as a child star in Candy, and later blossomed into one of the country’s popular stars, launched by Regal Films as one of the Triplets with Manilyn Reynes (now Mrs. Aljon Jimenez) and Tina Paner (now also married and based in Barcelona, Spain). She even recorded a hit song called Mr. Dream Boy.

As Andy Williams’ song says, when Sheryl met Norman in the City by the Bay, she came back without her heart – she left it in San Francisco! After a brief courtship, they got married first here in the Philippines and then again in San Francisco, with Sheryl’s late dad present and her mom, former actress Rosemarie Sonora (who’s living in Antioch, California, with her American husband).

Asked what he saw in Sheryl that he didn’t see in American girls, Norman said, "I would say her kindness and honesty and how she respects people in general – and her beauty, of course. I love her eyes. Very expressive."

They met at the right time and at the right place. He was free and so was she.

"I was, should I say, already established when I met Sheryl," said Norman. "I had my own home, my own cars and I was earning good money. I was staying alone in my house. I was feeling lonely."

Last seen in the Viva drama Ikaw Naman ang Iiyak (directed by Joel Lamangan, also starring Dawn Zulueta and Charlene Gonzalez) with Gary Estrada as her love interest, Sheryl flew back home last Aug. 13 (Friday the 13th) with Norman and Ashley for a much-awaited homecoming, her first after her father’s death. At that time, Sheryl’s inability to come home for his father’s funeral became an "issue."

What was the first thing that you did after you landed in Manila?

"After talking to the press at the airport, we went straight to Greenhills where Aunt Susan (Roces) was waiting for us. She was at the staircase when we got to her house. I was very happy; she was very happy. We hugged. Uncle Ronnie (Poe) was also there. After breakfast, we went to my condo and unpacked. I was having jet lag. I couldn’t sleep so I decided to go back to Aunt Susan and Uncle Ronnie. We talked and talked; we exchanged stories."

A sensitive question: Why didn’t you come home to bury your father?

"It’s okay. I’m glad that you ask that question. Actually, I’ve wanted to get this off my chest for a long time. You know, when my Dad died, I was breast-feeding my baby. I breastfed her for one year. I did contemplate on the idea of coming home. If only I could leave (San Francisco) and be in Manila in an instant I would do it in a heartbeat. But things were not that easy. You know, it’s so hard to lose a loved one, especially a father. I may not be a perfect daughter but I try to be a good one. When I learned that my father died, I felt a pain that was so inexplicable. Until now, it still hurts. It hurts!"

So why didn’t you come home then?

"When my father died, there was an outbreak of dengue fever. Even if I wanted to come home with my husband and our daughter, I was faced with a hard choice: To come back for my father’s funeral or risk my daughter’s life."

Did you have a chance to talk to your father (from his sickbed)?

"I did. What people don’t know is that my father and I shared a bond. Sometimes, my father would crave for attention and I did my best to give him that attention. But I couldn’t be his baby forever. I also had to grow up and have my own family."

What was the last thing you told him – and vice-versa?

"He couldn’t talk anymore but I knew he could hear. He was at the ICU, remember? On the phone, I told him, ‘Papa, I’m really sorry I couldn’t be there with you. But I know you will understand me more than anybody else will in the world." (Voice starts to crack; tears well in her eyes) "I’m sorry. I can’t talk about my father without being emotional."

This time, what did you come back for?

"For vacation – after eight years!"

Are you here to do a movie (reportedly Regal Films’ 2004 Metro Filmfest entry, Mano Po 3, as one of Vilma Santos’ children)?

"It’s very tempting but so far, there has been no negotiation yet."

What have been the major changes in your life in the past eight years?

"Well, I’ve grown a little older and much wiser. I was able to go back to school...be a regular person, you know. I’ve become a wife and a mother. In short, I was domesticated."

You left showbiz at the height of your career. Why?

"I fell in love. I met my Dream Boy."

No regrets?

"No. None. My Dream Boy is worth giving up my career for."

How did you meet Norman?

"We met in San Francisco during the Fiesta Filipiniana sometime in 1995; I was a guest in that affair. He was assigned to be one of my escorts. I sang for him, Mr. Dream Boy, without me knowing that he was really my Dream Boy."

Was it love at first sight?

(Joking) "I guess he was struck by, I don’t know, my beauty? He grew on me. He works in San Francisco and traffic is no joke going to the East Bay where I stayed with my mom. Everyday, after work, he would travel something like two hours just to see me. He was matiyaga, so I thought, ‘He must be serious with me.’ Besides, he’s very good-looking."

What attracted you to him?

"I love his eyes. Nangungusap ang mga mata niya. And his lips. Kissable lips."

What do you think attracted him to you?

(Joking again) "I think he likes my behind! And my smile. He told me later that he likes girls ‘with curves and with a butt.’ Ayaw niya ng flat."

You’ve lasted this long and looking forward to many more years together. Obviously, you two are compatible.

"Well, we try to be. We’re constantly working at it."

What do you have in common? How was your adjustment period?

"Like any other couple, we have arguments. There were times when I wanted to give up on him and he on me."

During the marriage?

"Yeah. During the marriage."

What did you argue about?

"A very, very small argument that escalated. A molehill that turned into a mountain. You know, how men are with their friends...They stay out late drinking beer and all that. It took time for me to get used to that. I appreciate the fact that when he and his friends want to have a good time, they just do it at home. They don’t go out; doon lang sila sa bahay."

Is Norman demonstrative with his feelings?

"He is – when he wants to be."

Is he the, you know, kissing and "I love you" kind of guy?

"No, he’s not that kind but he takes care of me very well. His feelings are very genuine. He’s not mushy."

Didn’t your being "showbiz" get in the way of your relationship?

"Not at all. He’s very proud of my being an actress."

So how’s life in San Francisco?

"The one thing that I eventually liked about San Francisco is the weather."

How were you able to adjust to the San Francisco lifestyle?

"Thanks to my in-laws. They’ve been very nice and very supportive. They helped me adjust."

How’s your mom?

"She’s okay; she’s well. Her marriage (to an American divorcee) is going strong. She’s happy. My stepfather is a good man."

You went to school. What did you take up?

"Marketing. Why Marketing? I don’t know why."

Did you perform in shows?

"I did during the first two years of our marriage. And then I stopped. So I’ve been inactive from showbiz for six years."

Didn’t you miss showbiz?

"In the beginning, no, I didn’t. I was getting good grades in school. I still have three semesters to go. I went to Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, close to my mom’s place, and then I transferred to City College of San Francisco. And then, I took a nine-to-five job in a construction office, in the administration department. Sometimes, I’d be working with the engineers doing some drafting."

Describe a typical day in your life in San Francisco.

"There are no maids, unlike here in the Philippines, which is nice because you make do with everything as a family. I would wake up at around 8 a.m., prepare breakfast. I feed Ashley and dress her up. Then I go to the gym – everyday as much as possible. I do cardio workouts and lift weights. Then, Norman and I would cook as soon as he’d come home from work. He’s a better cook than I am. Sometimes, I try to do his recipes but it’s not that great. Sometimes, Norman and I would drop Ashley at my in-laws’ place and we go on a date."

Where do you usually go?

"Watch movie previews. Norman gets tickets to advance screenings from his office. Or we spend time with his brothers, or with his friends."

What other household chores did you learn in San Francisco, things that you didn’t usually do back home?

"I love using the washing machine and the dryer. I’m very good in pressing and folding clothes. What else? I’ve become good in vacuuming which is also a form of exercise for me."

How’s your life as a mom?

"My whole life now revolves around our daughter. It feels great to be a mom. It’s a tough job being a mom but I enjoy it. It’s a 24-hour job. Now that I’m a mom myself. I really appreciate everything that my own Mom was doing for me. As a mom, you always think of what is best for your daughter. Not only for your daughter but for your family."

How long are you staying?

"Oh, I’d like to stay...indefinitely. Norman is going back to San Francisco first week of September. Meanwhile, I’m staying with Ashley. I want naman to enjoy my condo. It’s the first time I’m staying in it this long."

Given a choice between living in San Francisco and living here, which would you choose?

"You know, I love both. There are some things that I love here that are not in America and there some things that I love there that are not here. So I consider both places as my homes, one where you can enjoy privacy and that’s San Francisco, and the other where you have your old friends and where everybody knows you and loves you, which is the Philippines."

How would you like to do a movie again with Romnick Sarmenta (now married to Harlene Bautista), your former loveteam-mate?

"Why not? As long as it’s a good movie, I’m open to the idea."

* * *

E-mail reactions at: [email protected]