Finding a safe haven

MANILA, Philippines - When one is curious about “time traveling” to the past, or about a culture, one always asks for a storytelling from the elderly. I guess it was one form of bonding that my late grandfather and I used to do as he narrated my favorite era, the Second World War. He used to tell me how he desperately hid and transferred from one place to another and how he ended up in Mindoro, from Batangas, where he met my grandmother.

I’ve always believed that the best love stories start in the unlikeliest places and time; a love that springs from imperfect circumstances and ends perfectly — one of the most beautiful ironies of God. As they say, God writes the perfect love story for no one.

I never used to read books that had film counterparts. I thought movies contained everything you wanted to know and reading the book was just time-consuming.

I was, admittedly, wrong.

Once, while channel surfing on TV, I came across a movie that changed this whole belief. It was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. At first, I thought it was another movie that could easily be forgotten, but the day after watching it, I immediately went to the bookstore to purchase the book and made love to it for several days.

That was 2009 and I still reread it now. What made it so special to me? It is far from my own life but it evokes the same emotions every time I read it. From the little Chiyo to the beautiful Sayuri, her struggles bring tears to my eyes. She was deprived of a childhood, a love that she had always wanted and, even worse, deprived a friendship that she always thought was real. The first few parts display how her innocence is taken advantage of but she remains to have a beautiful heart; and the highlight of it is her one, single wish to be close in every way to the man that she loves, “the Chairman.”

The events, interestingly, are all encompassing. As the story progresses, I am looking forward to things that will change her life forever. When Mameha adopts her to be a Geisha-in-training, my heart is filled with hope that this unfortunate girl’s life will become better. I thought it would all be smooth-sailing and that she would finally be freed from the abuse of Mother and Hatsumomo but then, again, she is led to a different direction.

She is to meet the Chairman for the second time, but she is not allowed to and instead she is led to another man, and this is Nobu. In modern times, it is similar to when love is competing with our career. She has been making strides in her career but she always feel that there is something wrong, that there is something more to it. Money is good but love is missing. She is also forced to compete with her only shock absorber, her best friend Pumpkin.

The irony is that you get what you need, but not what you want. When I reached this part of the book, I realized I had been skipping meals, sleeping late, and sneaking time at work just to flip through the pages. I realized I had been reading the book not for the sake of finishing it but because I was very much interested in how the events would turn out. I may have watched the movie but the book left a lot more to the imagination. It was much more detailed and I wanted to know how the book would try to illustrate the highlights of the whole story.

Then, I reached my favorite part of the book, which was the war. Again, Sayuri (her Geisha name) is separated from the only man she wants. She is found by her Danna, but unfortunately, she has lost her friend. Finally, after the war has passed and after the emotional separation that she has with her Danna and the Chairman, she feels she has been released from the life she experienced.

The Chairman, all along, has known the truth and has only been waiting for the chance. I remember when I arrived at this part, the lines were becoming cloudy. I could not go on any further because I was crying. I will never forget the lines when they finally find each other: “And so you can imagine that kiss, the first real one in my life, seemed to me more intimate that anything I’d ever experienced. I had the feeling I was taking something from the Chairman, and that he was giving something to me, something more private than anyone had ever given me before.”

What has this book given me? Inspiration. I will always time travel to events I have not witnessed but have always dreamed of, just like my grandfather and my grandmother, who found each other despite the war.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden has strengthened my belief in a magical kind of love.

THIS WEEK’S WINNER

Ruby Anne Minay is a college communication arts instructor. She has a master of arts degree in English from De La Salle University-Manila. She is also a member of the Linguistic Society of the Philippines. She was a primary grade school teacher at Fountain International School and spent her pre-service teaching at UST-EHS.