She looked back at the seat, feeling the pressure, and noticed the Tribune she had

purchased earlier. In disarray, it was open at the social page, which contained a
photograph of a guy and a lady. “The man appeared to be someone I knew”, she
thought of herself. She scanned the item to see for herself who this lucky pair was who
had made it through a year of sharing a home. The man had the appearance of John
Gilbert. His brows were bushy, his eyes twinkled, his nose was prominent, and he
sported a wisp of a moustache. He also resembled Octavio because he resembled John
Gilbert. She read the headlines from the newspaper. COUPLE CELEBRATES FIRST
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. Monina noticed her eyes darting back and forth. She was
torn between wanting to believe and not wanting to believe. You're a fool! – Monina was
beyond herself with wrath as she tossed down the newspaper that had broken her heart
and ran out onto the platform, knocking down all her belongings. The conductor chased
her down, but she jumped off.
One among them who had hurried up to rescue her was the child vendor from whom
she had purchased the Tribune earlier, who remembered her gorgeous face and
frequented the Ideal theatre. – By golly! – exclaimed the youth. – Greta Garbo has been
thrown from the train!
Monina woke up from the blinding light facing directly in her face. There, she knew she
was at the hospital. She hurriedly sprang up and slapped herself in the face to confirm
she wasn't dreaming. “Look, there she is!” The kid vendor exclaimed, "Greta Garbo,
came back to life!" The senior buddy said, "You must be in agony; you should take
some time to rest." Monina rested after noticing an ice bag caressing her sore ankle.
“Thank you for bringing me here”, she said in a calm tone. She had to wait 24 hours in
the hospital before she could be discharged. Monina is still unable to accept what
Octavio has done. Her eyes were puffy from sobbing so much.
Later that morning, she receives a call from that jerk. Monina didn't pick it up and just
sat there waiting for it to end. She could still feel those little inflammation at her ankle
and notice that the anklet from Dior that Octavio had given to her was still there. She sat
down and managed to reach her anklet and unhook it. “Jeez! She said, "Why is it still
there?”. She packs her belongings and receives confirmation from a nurse that she is
now free to drive home. She sighed and walked out of her hospital room, muttering, "If
only my dad knew what's going on, he'd kill me."
After months of mourning, Monina brought herself up and now choose live. She starts
her day by preparing an espresso, something she learned after isolating herself in her
room and browsing random videos to help her cope with her suffering. She thought to
herself, "It tastes better than I expected." “Perhaps because you are now free from the
bitterness of your previous life,” her sister says inadvertently. “You know, you broke
good guys for that, and I'm not sure, is he a human or not? Dating you while he is
married? Stop idolizing Greta Garbo to the point where you base your entire lifestyle on
hers, not to mention your ideal guy!” Added her sister. Could you please make me a cup
of espresso?
Her sister made her realize how foolish she was for adoring Greta Garbo obsessively.
No one compelled her to idolize Greta Garbo, even to the point of molding her life after
hers. No one told her to choose Octavio Razon - for the sole reason that he resembled
Garbo’s John Gilbert - from the long list of suitors she had wrapped around her finger.
She had beauty, yes, but in her quest to be Greta Garbo, she had lost herself - she had
lost her individuality.
After all those realization, Monina plan on having a vacation in Baguio. She no longer
needs to wait for Octavio for her ticket because she already has it in her possession. As
she sat pleasantly in the first class compartment of the northbound express train that
morning, she spotted a society page of a newspaper with the headline "MAGDALENA
REYES REVEALED THE DARK TRAITS OF HER HUSBAND". After reading those,
Monina choked. As she laughs quietly, she whispers, "The vengeance of the
oppressed."