Her Mother, Rita Hayworth–Jungle Chronicle (II) Summary
Her Mother, Rita Hayworth
Delores tells the story of when Rio was born. She was in labor in a Catholic hospital, but no one was there to help her. She heard sirens in the distance, perhaps a typhoon warning, or an air raid, and she saw a hairy ape at the foot of her bed, which she dubbed her guardian angel.
Rio, her mother, Salvador (her manicurist), and Panchito the dressmaker are talking in Delores’s dressing room. While Rio and her mother generally like the two men, Freddie hates them and wishes Delores would hire a “real” female dressmaker. On the rare occasion that Freddie stays home on the weekends, Delores and occasionally Rio go to meet the men at Panchito’s shop. Sometimes, Panchito dresses in women’s clothing, and Delores supports this by donating some of her clothes to him.
The week before Rio’s birthday, Rio is forced against her will to try on dresses. Rio complains, Delores sends Rio to her room, and Rio’s mother and Freddie fight over Rio’s strange habits, blaming each other. Freddie has been sleeping with a starlet from Hong Kong, and during the fight, Rio’s mother physically attacks Freddie. At the same time, Freddie likes Jaime, the Brazilian ambassador, and does not seem to know about him and Delores. At parties, they generally avoid each other, although Rio has the precocious ability to understand their limited interactions.
Meanwhile, Panchito dislikes how dark Rio’s mother keeps her room. Delores continues speaking about the angel gorilla and how she sees him occasionally. Delores jokes about her sanity, and they begin gossiping about people in mental institutions. Rio tries on her mother’s perfumes as they talk about a new Anita Ekberg and Rita Hayworth movie, and Panchito offers to cut Rio’s hair.
High Society
The Gonzagas are throwing a bienvenida party for Rio’s paternal grandmother, Abuelita Socorro, a widow like Lola. In attendance is the entire extended Gonzaga family, including Uncle Cristobal, whom Delores does not like but who often tries to win her affection. While Abuelita is in town, the family fawns over her, which makes Rio feel sick. Pacita, the Gonzaga family cook, makes large quantities of food and elaborate pastries. Rio waits until everyone has finished eating and has retired from the table to eat in secret with Lola. Rio thinks her mother is an excellent host, and she reminisces about a photograph in which blind musicians play during one of the Gonzaga dinner parties. Everyone was impressed and happy at the time.
Abuelita Socorro, despite speaking mostly in Spanish and adopting Spanish culture, is fully Filipino. Her husband, Abuelito, was a scornful man. Despite spending much of his life in Spain, he returned to Manila to die. His funeral was large, but Rio and Raul felt that they had lost an unfriendly stranger. Although Abuelita acts more kindly toward the children than her husband did, Rio still feels uncomfortable around her.
Surrender
General Ledesma tightly pulls Lolita Luna’s hair, and Lolita restrains herself from screaming. He is alone with her in her apartment, having arrived for a secret “lunch” with her. He asks her to sit on his lap, but she wants to put on music first. She then goes to the bathroom to make Ledesma wait. He insists that she come out, and when she does, she is high and naked. During these rendezvous, he is often aggressive with her, and she asks him to describe the tortures that he inflicts at his camps. This makes him uncomfortable, but Lolita enjoys the control she has over him. In this instance, she asks...
(This entire section contains 1239 words.)
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him to buy her a dress. She promises to let him have sex with her while she wears it. She then asks about his wife, which she is not supposed to do, and he implies that she has been using heroin, grabbing at her arm. He overpowers her and tells her that he loves her.
Avila Arrested in Human Rights Rally Dispute
This chapter is a brief newspaper story about Senator Domingo Avila and several other human rights protestors being arrested for staging a mock trial at the American Embassy.
Sleeping Beauty
The chapter opens by explaining that when Daisy Avila was young, she was crowned the most beautiful woman in the Philippines. Domingo, Daisy’s father, believes that Filipinos need to fight against Spanish and American colonialism, but government newspapers ridicule him. Given all of the contestants—those related to Severo Alacran, prominent doctors, and other congressmen—it is unclear why Daisy is crowned the winner. General Ledesma believes Domingo should be assassinated, but the president uses the fact that Domingo is still alive to prove that the Philippines are a free nation. Though Daisy’s mother hates the beauty pageant, Daisy’s father indulges his daughter, and much of the country is excited by the pageant.
One Christmas in a Mountain Lodge up in Baguio, Date Unknown
Delores asks why, if all the politicians and upper-class men are related, they cannot just “patch up their differences.” This is why Cristobal and several other family members have opted to live in Spain.
Epiphany
After winning the beauty contest, Daisy Avila spends most of her days crying, and she fears sleeping because her unhappiness starts in her dreams. Meanwhile, Daisy is supposed to be catering to fans, making appearances, and starring in roles, but she is too depressed, and this begins to reflect badly on the family. The First Lady of the Philippines mentions Daisy on a talk show and is moved to tears, claiming that Daisy has shamed the country. Journalists wait outside the family home hoping to catch a glimpse of Daisy, and rumors begin to start about why she won’t leave the house. Daisy tries to escape by sleeping but cannot; it is too hot, and she is restless.
Breaking Spells
Daisy decides to do a live television interview wherein she denounces the pageant as a step backward for all women. Many support Daisy, and a band writes a song about her, although it is banned and the members are thrown in prison. A foreign banker named Malcolm Webb invites Daisy out to dinner. As the scandal dies down, Daisy marries Malcolm. However, she retreats from the public eye, and her husband leaves her. Daisy is blamed and becomes the butt of many jokes.
In the Artist’s House
Daisy decides to visit her cousin, Clarita, who is like a sister to her. Although Domingo and Clarita’s father, Oscar, hate each other, Domingo helped to finance Clarita’s artistic endeavors, buying her supplies. Clarita’s mother and father do not like the sexualized paintings that she produces, but Daisy respects her talents and feels younger than Clarita due to those talents and Clarita’s measured disposition. When Daisy visits her cousin, she is surprised to meet Santos Tirador there as well.
Excerpt from the Only Letter Ever Written by Clarita Avila
Clarita describes Santos to Daisy. She believes that he is smitten with Daisy and warns Daisy to stay one step ahead of him because he is clever. She encourages Daisy to run away with Santos, even though it will mean another scandal in Daisy’s life.
Jungle Chronicle (II)
This section is a short quotation from Jean Mallat’s The Philippines about how meaningful insignificant events can be in Filipino lives.
