MANILA, Philippines - Since their 1998 wedding involved the bride?s entire hometown of Ormoc (not to mention the whole nation, through a TV special), Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres opted to invite only a few friends and colleagues to their 10th wedding anniversary party.

The occasion was held on Thursday at the couple?s new restaurant Felix in Greenbelt 5, which they put up with Bench owner Ben Chan and chef Florabel Co.

Love for fine dining is precisely one of the things they have in common, says Richard. ?We like eating out. We enjoy traveling together. We love looking at pictures and going to museums.?

Richard admits that every day affords them a slew of discoveries. ?You?ll only get to know your partner when you start living together. That?s what makes marriage exciting.?

Lucy agrees, adding that she never knew Richard had a humorous side. ?He often looks serious onscreen, but he?s funny in real life. He?s like a little boy. He has a talent for chasing and killing rats, for example. He told me that, when he was a kid, that was his hobby!?

Although he?s an extrovert and she?s an introvert, she says they?re ?both low-maintenance. We have very simple joys.?

Richard says they?re looking forward to having another child soon. ?[Daughter] Juliana is turning 8 in September. I hope that our next baby will be a boy.?

?More boys and more girls,? Lucy agrees.

After 10 years, she notes that the fairy tale is now tempered with a healthy dose of reality.

?It?s not giddy anymore ? even though he still tries to woo me on ordinary days,? she explains. ?Our relationship is now mature. It?s not just attached to good times.?

Married life, she says, ?is not just wine and roses ? there are peaks and valleys. That?s what makes it real.?

Lucy says Richard gives her space to grow as an individual as well.

For two taping days, he directed her on the QTV lifestyle show ?The Sweet Life.?

?I?m supportive of all her endeavors,? Richard says. ?You cannot force a person to stop living and exploring.?

?We allow each other to pursue our passions [separately],? Lucy asserts. ?That?s good because, at the end of the day, when we come home, we?ll have more to share.?

They also don?t get jealous of each other?s friends. ?They?re like family to us,? Lucy says.

Speaking of friends, among the show biz guests who celebrated the milestone with the Gomezes that night were Susan Roces, Marichu Maceda, Armida Siguion-Reyna, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna and wife Bibeth Orteza, Michael de Mesa, Lily Monteverde, Wilma Galvante, Douglas Quijano, Ethel Ramos, Shirley Kwan, Jo-Ann Maglipon, Anna Pingol, Lisa Gokongwei, Benjie Alipio, Dino Guevarra, Annabelle Rama, Eddie Gutierrez, John Estrada, Raymond Gutierrez, Ehra Madrigal and Bubbles Paraiso.

(E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com)