From a stolen car to love notes and walking around naked - the Monsod love story

The freshman Economics major Solita “Winnie” Collas and Law student Christian Monsod met at a fraternity meeting during the student council elections at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. It was not love at first sight, not even close to it. But it is where their story begins. “Diyos ko! Gusto nila ako maging kandidato, I was not even a member of their sorority [counterpart]. We met and... total nothing,” said Winnie whose first impression of Christian was that he was just one of the boys. “I wasn’t even 15. He was in the College of Law. Ang tingin niya sa akin, batang musmusin,” she added. In his defense, Christian said, “Kaya hindi niya ako napansin, kasi hindi niya pa ako nakausap. ‘Pag nakausap niya ako, malalaman niyang intelligent ako.” The two, however, did get along. The friendship grew stronger to the point where Winnie would chaperone Christian’s dates together with another friend they would arrange to be her date. “[We’d do that] para foursome kami,” she said. 'Basta!' While Winnie was spending one summer vacation in Cavite, Christian and his then girlfriend broke up. As Christian’s very good friend, Winnie wanted to try and get him and the girl back together. But in a sudden twist in the plot and an acknowledgement of his real feelings, Christian instead said he and Winnie should be together. At a dance, Christian told Winnie, “Wag ka tumabi sa kaibigan ko kasi I want to dance with you.” Winnie, weirded out, asked why, only to receive a one-word answer from Christian - “Basta!” After the event, Christian convinced Winnie that she was in love with him. It was more than friendship, “He was telling me signs [why I was in love with him],” Winnie recalled. “I guess, subconsciously, I was attracted to him.” “That’s the only argument I’ve won in our marriage,” Christian said with a twinkle in his eyes. Their first kiss sealed the deal for Winnie. She thought, “That’s it baby! He doesn’t know [it], but I’m going to marry him. Nahalikan ko na siya, eh!” The proposal and the ultimatum In the meantime, Winnie had finished school and was employed in her first job while Christian had just graduated from law school. On February 14, 1961 Christian went to Winnie’s office, gave her a ring, and proposed. The romantic moment stumbled, though, as the ring was too small for Winnie! “Wala pa akong pera noon eh,” Christian explained. Also, Winnie was set to leave for the US for graduate school, so she gave him an ultimatum, “If I go abroad, that’s it. Don’t expect a long distance relationship.” Right then and there, Christian realized he had to borrow money to fly to the US with his fiancé. On that same evening when Christian proposed, the couple went to Winnie’s parents to formally ask for their blessing to marry. At first, her mother objected. “Hindi nga marunong magluto yan, eh,” protested Winnie's mother. But they eventually managed to work something out. However, Winnie knew it wasn't going to go as smoothly with Christian's folks. She was well aware that she didn’t have the approval of Christian’s family because they were Catholics and she was a Protestant. Christian’s grandmother had even bluntly asked, “Talaga bang gusto mo yan? Protestante yan!” But Christian shielded her from this and never told Winnie about the incident. Furthermore, he knuckled-down and fought for her. Eventually and secretly, Winnie converted to Catholicism. “Sa isip ko, it’s hard enough to get a marriage to succeed with these additional problems so I took lessons and I decided that I’d like to convert.” Married life It would have been an inauspicious wedding day for the faint of heart. It was Winnie who had to wait for Christian at the altar because, on their very wedding day, the car that Christian was supposed to use got stolen! While it did cross her mind that she had a runaway groom on her hands, Winnie quickly banished the thought and came to the conclusion that the carjacking was, in truth, a good omen. If they had to lose the car and get a successful marriage in exchange, it was well worth the deal. And so it was, and still is, a good marriage. “[Palaging] enjoy ang usapan,” Christian said explaining how he and Winnie are on the same wave length. Back then, with the couple married and Winnie just out of graduate school, she became a fulltime housewife. She thought, “I must be the best wife, best mother, and best housekeeper. I forgot graduate school and focused on motherhood.” Christian, who was now working with the World Bank, knew how much potential Winnie had so he said she should go get a job. “‘Pag hindi siya nagtrabaho, makakalimutan niya yung pinag-aralan niya. Sayang naman,” he explained. “And the conversation was boring,” he added, as Winnie had nothing to contribute to the dinner conversation except gossip she picked-up from the neighbors. Also, their stay overseas contributed greatly to the strength of the relationship. Having nobody but each other in a foreign country, they had no choice but stuff down their inclinations to leave each other when things got rough. “Saan ka pupunta? You’re forced to deal with each other,” Winnie guffawed. Sense of humor and passion “If anything saves a marriage, it’s a sense of humor,” declared Winnie Monsod, decades after those early days of her marriage with Christian. “Ang galing niyang magpatawa. [When] I’m in the middle of righteous indignation and he cracks a joke, then I forget what the argument is about!” Christian is the weather vane of the marriage and both agree that he is the kinder one. “He’s always the one who has common sense kaya ‘pag siya nagalit, you know when to retreat,” Winnie explained. Decades of happy companionship has imbued the couple with pointers on how to make a relationship work. “Maintain romance, pray for passion. Love is a decision - make up your mind that you love this person,” enumerated Christian. “After 51 years, you have GOT to pray for passion,” Winnie injected, with her well-known razor wit. “Minsan sawa ka na, [you see] all his defects and then you have to think what was it about him that attracted you.” She went to recount that she never considered Christian gwapo. “But boy, is he sexy!” “She was overwhelmed by my intelligence and sense of humor. [She had] intelligence but not a sense of humor,” Christian quickly shot back. Mareng Winnie is famous for being the tough host of Bawal ang Pasaway and her previous programs but she’s a really sweet and thoughtful wife, her husband said. “Ibang-iba sa public image - very thoughtful siya,” Christian said. Just the other day, they surprised each other as they each received pasalubong from the grocery from the other. For the couple, another important thing to value in a relationship is intimacy. “You really have to make time to be together - yung kayo lang.” Winnie and Christian do this by escaping to Subic on weekends to relax and talk, leaving all the work and stress in Manila. “You can go naked around the house,” said Winnie wickedly. “And that’s the best part,” Christian chimed. Ageless love On their engagement anniversaries on February 14, the Monsods go out and have dinner. In every celebration, Christian never fails to make Winnie fall in love with him over and over again with the notes he writes for her. One such note, Winnie brings with her all the time. It reads: “After more than 50 years of a life with you, I wouldn’t trade for any other. You would think I can find a better way to say it. But there is really none except ‘I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life only with you.’ Happy anniversary.” If ever Christian unfortunately passes away before she does, Winnie said she’d make sure she kills him all over again because she wants to go ahead of Christian. “Hindi ko kayang mag-isa,” the brave, seemingly tough woman said. The Monsods said they have been together for 18,866 days, equivalent to about 471,650 hours and counting. And if given the chance, Winnie said she would like to spend another 471,000-something hours with Christian. “And if not, I’d still like to go with him,” Winnie added. — Ria Landingin/DVM, GMA News