Summer is almost gone. But not entirely just yet, for bits and canticles of its blistering high noon sun and bloodstained sunsets still fervently linger on every summer lover’s minds.
One outdoor habitué and lover of sun-drenched beaches is Hency and Aurora Catral’s first born Francheska. Cheska to chums and pals is a teen of sixteen summers who has her early years filled with sunny bright thoughts and fond memories of her childhood. A typical Cancerean, having been born on July 14, 1997, Cheska is innately sentimental and compassionate. Not a stranger to the realm of emotions, she has that keen ability to perceive and understand the feeling of others.
Naturally endowed with an encompassing ability and inherent interest in a lot of things she finds it rather hard to narrow her focus to a specific area of concentration. Her enviable social skills and aesthetic creativity could easily make her pursue a career that leads to communication arts or entertainment-related job.
Petite but with the right curves proportionally distributed to her 5’1” frame, Cheska tips the scale at 105 lbs. Her dark brown eyes easily give away her transparent reaction and unpretentious nature while her coy smile sends out an enigmatic message in contrast.
If there’s some truth in a name’s shaping one’s life easily then Cheska is one lucky girl to bear such moniker that connotes cleverness, imaginativeness, eagerness to attain knowledge, and with an intense desire to do something worthwhile in life. Incidentally, the name “Francheska” means free in its Latin origin.
A happy and well-rounded teener, Cheska, to say the least, is a born artist. She is the school choir’s vocal soloist and lead singer in her school’s musical productions. Idolism has always been part of every teen’s formative years and for Cheska, American pop artist-singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat and singer-songwriter-actor-record producer Justin Timberlake tops her list as she augustly digs their music.
As a typical giggly high school junior, Cheska has a list of favorites and readily furnishes us with the following data from her facts-file:
Scent: vanilla; reading matter: “Secret;” movie: Flashpoint Paradox; watering hole: the mall or park; pastime: watching anime; color: red; outfit: jeans, shorts, and tees; snack: pistachios; actress: Natalie Portman; hobbies: writing poetry, sketching and painting; dance: nothing in particular. “I only dance because I could feel the music and just to keep the rhythm.”
“I’m always at my best elements when I feel low and somehow jilted. That’s the time when I could compose poetry effectively, write stories, and pour every bit of emotion off my chest,” Cheska said, adding, “I’m more into sentimental and cheesy pieces, something dark and sad.”
“When I sketch, my subjects are usually those who are close and familiar to me like my parents, sisters, friends and faces of my favorite celebrities,” Cheska replied when queried about her artistic side. “The nose is the hardest part to paint or draw. If I can’t get it right then the entire facial symmetry is already spoiled,” she added.
When she turned sixteen, the inevitable event became a turning point in her life. Although by nature bubbly and gregarious, Cheska knows the responsibility of being a young mature woman to some extent. She’s ready and willing to explore the possibilities of what the world has to offer.
The eldest among a brood of three girls, she doesn’t deny that she’s Daddy’s fair-haired baby, which could be practically understandable being a first-born.
Asked if there has been any sibling rivalry among the sisters, Cheska said, “Pretty much, but just over the usual petty things. But we really compete over grades and academic achievements. We always compare test results and the likes.”
“If there’s one thing that I’m afraid to lose that would be my Daddy’s trust. After having given me all that I wanted, I only wish I could do and give him everything that would make him proud of me!” the sweet sixteener revealed when asked what scares her the most.
Every teen has a personal preference and pet peeves. Cheska likes gatherings and celebrations but she never really liked big bashes and huge crowds, much less, being the center of attention. She hates formality in the sense that she will be obliged to dress up to the nines and act accordingly what is expected of her as a young lady.
“I’m not really into formal affairs. I feel like I can’t be my normal self. I feel so stiff and frozen,” she said. “One could see me all grown up but I could feel that there’s a five-year-old child within me controlling my every action and emotion. I just so love to be free, at ease and carefree,” she also said.
But what she wanted was eventually thwarted when her parents surprised her with a formal debut party that literally caught her petrified and nearly slid off where she was seated. She already had inkling about the big plan months prior her red-letter day but she merely shrugged it off thinking things might change according to her decision.
But she was wrong. Her mom was persistent to hold a big affair for her since it will be the first huge event among her girls, and it was something she never had when she was Cheska’s age.
“I have always dreamt of throwing a huge celebration for my children. I want them to experience a little luxury in life that’s why I and my husband work doubly hard for them.” Aurora said. “The debut of a daughter is a significant event. It is an occasion unmatched by any affair. It’s of a symbolic value with the element of a teen’s lifestyle and her implicit idea of her current status in relation to her future,” mommy Aurora also said.
And so, the inevitable moment came when Cheska couldn’t do anything but change from her bobby sox to stockings, seemingly a sound-off from legendary balladeer Johnny Mathis’s 1959 hit. With neither question nor qualm Cheska shifted her interest from dolls to make-up kit, but not trading her toys for boys (just like in the song) not just yet, or else, she knows the consequence in the offing.
Putting up a party theme that could rival Hollywood’s red carpet event was the farthest from Cheska’s mind. She really never expected such lavish, high-budgeted affair.
With a background view of scenic Manhattan skyline set against a dramatic interplay of the Hudson waters and a colorful horizon, the posh Liberty House Restaurant in the heart of the famous Jersey City landmark, the Liberty State Park, was the perfect venue for Cheska’s memorable day.
It was a whole new ballgame for the debutante but her doting parents never consider the extent of the expenses it might incur even if it may cost them an arm and a leg. Their paramount concern was just to give anything and everything that would make a difference in the life of the first debutante in the family.
The venue, and even some guests, was predominantly dressed in turquoise or with a tint of aquamarine, the party’s color motif. Every attendee was ushered into the hall for a photo op and registration then later to the open patio for cocktails and socialization. Formally clad guests, the ecstatic and fun-filled atmosphere, eye-popping visuals and pulsating music readily induced the build-up of an overwhelming ambiance and party mood.
A table heavily laden with a wide selection of gourmet appetizers, finger foods, amuse bouche recipes, and stimulating chips with an assortment of dips, spreads, pates, and salsas was strategically set by the patio bay for easy access while uniformed waiters milled around unrelentingly serving guests with a variety of hors d’ oeuvre. The cocktail hour created a fitting prelude to the main event.
Drinks and wine literally flowed incessantly while every interesting conversation was enjoyably being punctuated with sips and toasts. Crisp laughter, boisterous puns and jokes, and basic measures of formality filled the air. There might be a few who didn’t care much about either the appetizers or the drinks but everyone couldn’t resist the enticing magnanimity and grandeur of the panoramic natural background that all cameras were kept clicking and flashing.
A program presentation collectively drew the crowd into the dance hall. The debutante’s sister, Anjelika came in bearing the mother candle followed by Cheska’s youngest sister Bianka and Isabella Rose Villarente as flower bearers while being escorted by JP Masong. Grandparents Jacinto and Trifona Catral were introduced before Cheska’s parents, Hency and Aurora, came out dancing with gusto to an upbeat tempo.
The debutante was presented while being escorted by her dad. It was a moment that earned thundering applause and tremendous amount of plaudits that instantly segued to a very touching moment when Cheska had the first dance with her father. They were like merely buddies having some fun when they traipsed the floor and cut the rug to a disco music. The crowd went wild with Hency’s energetic dance execution ala John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.
Cheska’s sixteenth birthday bash was capped with Sixteen Roses composed of Daddy Hency, Grandpa Atoy, Luke Gustin Tupa, JC Masong, John Aberde, Scoll Aberde, Sonny Villarente, Brent Tupa, Jude Catral, Adrian Cortes, John Lee, Efren Sicat, Ceasar Masong, Edgar Villamor, and Mico Villar.
To accommodate every female relative and close friend, the Sixteen Candles was composed of people either in pairs or in groups: Cheska’s AHA classmates; Mary Ceniza and Zandra Nicolas; Tita Eva, Norreen, and Zelda; Tita Edna and Yolly; Tita Nelia, Gigi, and Glecy; Tita Nilda and Gina; Tita Nening and Ate Monica; Kyla, Kylie, and Danica; Tita Scarlet and Jinky; Ate Rachel and Rebecca; Tita Susan and Loie; Ate Kai and Kristine; Laurel, Adelle, and Isabela; Grandma Trifona and Pining; Anjelika and Bianka; and Dad Hency and Mom Aurora.
Cheska’s sixteenth birthday bash was a coming out party worth-attending that generously offered an all-night of feasting, non-stop dancing, unlimited drinking, and a great opportunity for social interaction.
For most of young girls her age, it’s back to reality the morning after but not for Cheska who still savors the very essence of her turning sixteen. Every bit and piece of her sixteenth birthday poignantly remains crystal clear on her mind: the warm greetings from friends and relatives, the festive air of celebration, the glaring flashes of cameras, the fun and excitement. All these and much more will forever be etched and treasured for a lifetime.
“My parents were right, after all. It could have been a great thing to regret had I turned down their offer and didn’t consent with the plan. That was one momentous event in my life and I am truly blessed,” Cheska said in jest.
“Imagine, I woke up to a hefty sum of presents totaling close to two thousand!” She blurts in excitement. “I’ll save the half and the rest will definitely go for my school supplies and a couple of girlie stuffs.”
Asked how she sees herself in ten years, Cheska said “Oh, that’s too remote to tell. But, I’ll definitely be a completely different person. Surely, more mature and in the process of establishing my life in preparation for a stabled future.”
And what about your personal life, your ideal man, I asked. To which she replied, “I’m not emotionally mature yet. But when time comes that I really have to make a choice, I want somebody like my Dad who is open-minded, loving, clingy, and faithful. But, definitely, he should also be like my Dad who’s a good provider and a devoted family man,” she said.
Talking about her dream occupation, Cheska said, “I want to be a nurse just like my Mom. But whatever it will be, my parents will surely support me.
“I guess anything in line with the medical field will always be a stable job,” she also said with a tone of conviction.
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