When Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide,” he must have been thinking of the many injustices inflicted on his people.
Or maybe, he just had Aimee in mind.
You see, Aimee’s life before was a classic case of series after series of unfortunate events unfolding right before her eyes —that it was a small wonder that she did not decide to end her “colorful” life!
She got pregnant at the tender and gullible age of 19, while she was still in college. When her relationship with the father of her firstborn did not work out, she shrugged her shoulders and moved on with her life. No use crying over spilled milk, she said to herself.
A few years after, Aimee got entangled in another romantic relationship. But that time, to her family’s delight (and the disappointment of the wagging tongues of the gossipmongers around her), she had a wedding ring on her finger to show off.
Like most young married women who tend to look at their marital lives and partners through rose-tinted glasses, Aimee thought that she finally managed to find her Mr. Right. A man who will provide her with the ideal family that she had always dreamt of having. A man who will be her best friend and reliable life partner and a great father to her kids. A man she envisioned herself growing old with.
Unfortunately, when the glasses slipped down her nose, she saw her husband for what he really was. She was surprised to realize that instead of the prince of her childhood dreams, he was in fact a frog. A spineless frog!
So, barely a year into the marriage, she broke it off and filed for annulment.
That broken marriage left her with a broken heart — and baby number 2.
Never the type to surrender, Aimee took another romantic gamble after her battered heart healed. Believing that third time’s the charm, she had high hopes for that relationship. So, just like with the first two, she gave everything of herself – mind, body and soul —to the relationship.
But when baby number 3, a sickly baby with VSD (a congenital heart disease, wherein there is a hole in the wall separating the ventricles of the heart), came along, everything turned sour.
Not long after that, Aimee found herself alone, penniless and with three children to raise on her own.
With such overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable cards stacked against her, one would think that Aimee would be throwing in the towel by then. Or would be shouting at the top of her lungs to curse and throw vengeful words at God. Or blame the universe for her ill fate. For sure, that’s what I would have done — or most of the women out there — had they been put in Aimee’s shoes.
But, no. Not Aimee.
If Hercules had a female counterpart, that would have been her. She was (still is!) tough, fearless, resilient and tenacious. She never holds grudges. The word “surrender” isn’t in her vocabulary. And, above all, she has the uncanny ability to look at things positively. Humorously, even.
So, instead of dwelling on the many tragedies of her life, she decided to move on. That is, until she met an unexpected man at an unexpected time through an unexpected way.
WHEN KEVIN MET AIMEE
Many horrible things can happen when strangers who met online decide to meet in the real world. In this particular story, though, it was the opposite (Aimee is like that — constantly defying the norm).
Aimee and Kevin met online and became instant virtual friends. Through constant and frequent chatting online, their friendship soon blossomed into something sweet, chaste and promising. Aimee’s world was once again bright and happy. They enjoyed and cherished every moment that they would talk, and their worries started to melt away.
Kevin was thirteen years Aimee’s junior, but the two did not let the age gap bother them. Why would they when, between the two of them, Kevin was the one who’s much wiser? He was “an old soul trapped in a young man’s body,” as Aimee described him.
WHEN KEVIN PROPOSED TO AIMEE
It didn’t take long for Aimee to really get to know Kevin. He was the epitome of a true gentleman. He was “super” loving, “super” giving, “super” sweet and “super” honest. He was also “super” humble. He was as transparent as crystal in his love and devotion for Aimee. In his eyes, Aimee was and will always be the only rightful owner of the Miss Universe title. No one else.
But what really endeared him to Aimee was his apparent love for her children. He called her every single day (using a phone card!) to know how the kids were doing and to hear their excited voices. So, when Kevin finally popped the question, there was no doubt in Aimee’s mind that she would be making the best — not to mention, life-altering — decision of her life.
WHEN KEVIN MADE AIMEE “MRS. DAVIS”
Kevin knew all too well what he was getting himself into. He was aware that Aimee would come as part of a package. He understood that once he decided to marry her, he was also committing himself as an instant father to her three children. But he was already truly, madly, deeply in love with her, and he had also learned to love her children as if they were his own.
So, barely a week after he first met her for the first time, he put a ring on Aimee’s finger and made her Mrs. Kevin Davis.
Aimee had to stay in the US for a year while waiting for her green card so, with the kids temporarily left in the Philippines in the care of her older brother, that year sort of became their honeymoon. Wherever Kevin was deployed (he was with the US Navy), Aimee was not too far behind. She even followed him to Dubai and Singapore!
KEVIN AND AIMEE, TOGETHER AGAINST ALL ODDS
The funny couple has been married for eight years now, but anyone who sees how they look at each other could easily mistake them for newlyweds. One would have thought that the passing of time and all the challenges that they had — and still have — to face as a family would somehow diminish the saccharine quality of their affection for each other. But, it’s Aimee we’re talking about here. The same Aimee who is used to defying convention, who never lets things get her down, and who always manages to find humor in any situation, or a silver lining in every cloud.
Not everyone they love approved of their relationship, but Kevin and Aimee were able to prove to everyone that they are in it for the long haul.
Their marriage is characterized by long separations due to Kevin’s line of work, but they always make up for lost time whenever he is with his family.
Kevin and Aimee came from the opposite ends of the world and were raised in completely different cultures, but they have both learned to adjust to, accept and respect each other’s deeply-ingrained values and beliefs.
Aimee sustained a major emotional blow with the sudden passing of her beloved brother, the one who served as her anchor when her world was spinning out of control, but Kevin was able to alleviate her pain with his genuine concern and understanding.
Aimee suffered two miscarriages during the early part of their marriage, but baby number 4’s arrival in their life three years after their wedding was more than enough to compensate for their losses.
Baby number 3 has VSD, but he had a successful heart valve replacement surgery a couple of years back. He is now the family’s real-life Ironman.
5-year-old baby number 4 has AVM, another congenital disease that involves a rare vascular malformation of the brain. He is already scheduled to go under the knife next week, and his army of prayer warriors is now geared up for their task ahead.
Surely, the road that Kevin and Aimee are taking together with their family is strewn with many other difficulties and trials. But as long as they continue to nurture their love and dedication to each other, and maintain their attitude of not taking life too seriously, nothing could ever beat this formidable tandem. After all, humor is supposed to be a great way of defending ourselves from life’s absurdities.
Mom On A Mission 