Survey Says: Humor Has It!

Height doesn’t matter: Joanna slipped off her wedge shoes, “para hindi ako mas matangkad sa’yo.” They do not have terms of endearment; they just call each other by their first names.

“…Another trait that long-lasting marriage partners often share: a sense of humor. Humor is vital, but it is vital to be happy, too. A happy marriage is a marriage between two happy people.” – Frank Pittman

Maybe we should invent stories so we can appear interesting,” businessman Oggie de Guzman encouraged his wife of more than a decade, Joanna. Of course, it was only meant as a joke, an introduction for the interview that nobody knew would be that engaging and revealing—amidst the endless banters of the couple and Oggie’s wacky antics. 

Apparently, the couple didn’t need to fabricate tales and used instead their creativity and vivid imaginations on their furniture business. Definitely not on an “intimidating and unexpected interview” as the couple would put it—because they have a story to tell. 

 “This is really how he is, he’s really a joker. This trait is what I like best in him,” said Joanna who could not get over his husband’s endless teasing and funny tricks. Maybe this is the secret of their youthful appearance and perhaps their seemingly too-good-to-be-true and worry-free life (and love) story, because they learned to laugh things off.  

From friends to lovers

Just like other romantic relationships, theirs blossomed from friendship.

“Our moms were high school best friends. When they lost communication when they entered college, they decided to have an out of town trip to bond. And they tagged us along so we were there. That was how we met,” Oggie said.  

But they didn’t start immediately as friends. Although Ogie is a comic today, apparently he was not when they first met. He was very “snobbish” to acquaintances and people he barely knew, a complete opposite to the people-person Joanna. Until eventually, they became friends. 

Joanna and Oggie often went on trips with both families and friends on the guise of family bonding and building camaraderie. But not long ago when their cousins seemingly sensed the chemistry and connection between the two that they started teasing them. “Hindi ba doon naman naguumpisa ‘yun? Sa mga tuksuhan,” the couple said smiling, perhaps reminiscing their kilig moments and first encounters.   

“How did our relationship start?” Oggie asked his wife. “Ah, noon bang hindi ako nakatingin tapos bigla mo kong kiniss or nung binigyan mo ako ng anim na beer para lasingin?” the jester with a poker face asked his wife. 

As if on cue, laughter echoed in the humble yet artsy fartsy confines of ‘Biara’ store, their furniture business in Makati.  This is also how they are in their home: brimming with giggles and amusement shared with their two kids Danielle Bianca, 17, and Raphael Louise, 13 (hence the name, ‘Biara’.) 

Joanna and Oggie affirmed their growing affection on one of their out of town trips with their families and relatives. “It started when we went to Calatagan, Batangas for our Holy Week vacation. Then we became closer and that was it. Every summer, we go out of town with our friends.”

Their growing fondness for each other needed no formal and long courtship. Since actions speak louder than words, “it just happened.” 

It may seem though that telling both their parents about their relationship would be a breeze to the new couple who were in their teenage years then; but it was not. Aside from their young age, they were scared of what their parents would think. Their cousins knew their romance but not their mothers and fathers—until Joanna’s dad fetched his daughter from school where Oggie also happened to be there, fetching her too. 

 “Sabi ng father ko, ‘boyfriend mo ba ‘yun?’” “And his father of course knew me. So she had no choice but to tell him and the others about our relationship. Good thing, they approved of our relationship since both our families know each other’s background,” the couple said.

Second chances and forevermore

However, it wasn’t smooth sailing for them. They ended their then three-year relationship out of whim, or they ‘cooled off’. “Hindi ba kapag bata ka, ganoon? Konting tampo, ‘ah, wala break na tayo’ agad,” Joanna said.  The couple could not remember the reason for their breakup but they were sure it was something petty. Oggie cracked another gag and resorted to his athlete’s foot for the lack of a fitting reason for their parting. His joke sold us out, again. 

Kidding aside, Oggie shared that: “Medyo ako pa kasi ang nagdadala [ng relasyon] kasi bata pa siya noon. Our relationship was typical, I gave her cards, roses and then, telebabad, hindi pa kasi uso ang internet noon... Pero one day, we broke up, wala lang. Sabi ko sa sarili ko hindi ko na babalikan ito (Joanna) kasi nga bata pa kasi.”

Until one fateful event happened.  

A heavy downpour left Joanna and her family stranded one weekend night on their way home from a reunion.  The flood was above gutter deep and they were marooned.  They had no choice but to seek refuge in the nearest house, which happened to be that of Oggie’s. 

“The next thing I knew, we were knocking on their door. I was thinking to myself ‘what were we doing here?’  It was very awkward,” Joanna shared with giggles. 

Right there and then, they patched things up and compromised their differences.  If Joanna’s family was relieved to survive the deluge the morning after, the couple was happier about their unplanned reconciliation.  

After all the stops and starts, they came back together, running to each other’s arms again. The universe perhaps connived to help them come to terms because they were really meant for each other. Thus, the next best thing to do was to get married. They decided to tie the knot after eight years of being together. They were each other’s first and last boyfriend and girlfriend.

So happy together

“Bakit naman kasi hinahanapan mo kami? Eh wala nga,” Oggie jokingly blamed the writer for the seemingly absurd questions on their polarities and difficult challenges encountered as a married couple. They stopped and stared at each other, there was a three-minute pause, and apparently the pair didn’t have any answer to the questions.  

Joanna and Oggie didn’t have (major) problems with their kids or in their growing furniture business.  ‘Biara’ started from scratch but they eventually learned how to grow and manage it. And then of course, there were a few adjustments on their first year as a married couple, like Joanna’s adjustment regarding living with her in-laws under one roof. Today, they have their own home.  Everything seemed fine for the lovely couple. Perhaps they had learned to hurdle the trying times by laughing them off and practically forgetting about them, because they never go to bed without setting things straight. “Kaya lagi akong puyat eh,” Oggie kidded, pertaining to his wife’s talkative nature. 

The couple’s only polarity though can be found in their food choices and wayward waking and sleeping patterns, which they are trying to resolve until today. “I am a morning person while she is a night person. Kapag ako tulog siya gising tapos bukas ‘yung TV and the other way around.” Nonetheless, these are just trivial instances. 

Until an aha-moment came and Oggie answered the question posted earlier: “Ah, meron (problems and challenges as married couple) pero ‘wag mo na lang sabihin na nagkaroon kami ng affair ni Angel Locsin.” 

Joanna de Guzman appeared to be surprised.