Chapter 30: Variety is the spice of life.

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Quote
Translations:
No le parece? = Don’t you agree?
Usted debe estar contento de que no estoy forzando a cualquier hombre = You should be happy that I’m not forcing you on any man


I barged inside her office and found her sitting behind her desk. Her two secretaries, Xandra and Regine, immediately rose to their feet when Mom asked them to leave the room.


“Did you really have to tell him about the utterly absurd event you proudly call tradition?” I spoke after Xandra closed the door behind her.


“How could I possibly know that he was not aware of what his real role requires in the future?” she said, smothering a grin. She may fool other people with her pretense of naïveté but definitely not me.


“Do you really think I’m going to buy that?” I derided. “I am only looking for an escort, Mom, just like what we’ve agreed on. Looking for a man to marry was never a part of it.”


“Well that defeats the purpose of holding a debutante ball, no le parece?” She returned to where she left off with her paper works while she spoke. “We are introducing you to society, making an announcement that you are now officially of marrying age. Hence, ready to be engaged.”


“Ready to be engaged,” I repeated, stressing on each word for emphasis. “Not to be introduced as engaged. There is a clear difference between the two, Mom!”


She lifted her eyes from the papers to raise a perfectly shaped brow at me. My mother is combination of outward grace and inward ferocity. A terrible mixture if you ask me because you will never know what’s going on inside her head.


She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands. “Usted debe estar contento de que no estoy forzando a cualquier hombre, Isabelle. I asked you to find an escort and you did, without any help from me or anyone else. But now that you’ve come to a realization that an engagement will eventually surface, you’re suddenly dumping everything on me?”


I was appalled by her response. I already expected her to say something highfalutin that can be literally translated to ‘suck it up’. But not something like this, a total conscience-shaker.




I’ve been trying to keep a safe distance from the Mañalac’s home on the chance of running into Wesley. But I’ve been blowing the girls off for days now and I’m afraid they’ll get suspicious if I keep this up. They still have no idea who my mysterious Valentine one-nighter was and I plan to keep it that way unless I want my own best friend to slaughter me.


But good Lord did I miss hanging out here! I mean who wouldn’t? They have a fridge that never runs out of ice cream and yogurt and now a music room that I can raid when I don’t have anything else to do with my life. Sleeping with Wesley came off in a bad timing. Not that I wanted it to happen. Eeew.


And with Wendy and Gerard in a new intricate ‘love quarrel’, the focus of attention on me has finally been superseded. Not that I wanted that to happen also, but it’s a relief to get them off my back even for a while.


“We didn’t concoct the whole Valentine’s Day tackiness just for it to go to waste,” Liz complained petulantly. “Ano ba? Past time n’yo ba ang occasional contretemps?”


“Contretemps naman ‘tong si Miss Future Lawyer,” Ciara mocked, which cracked us up for a minute there.“But kidding aside, Chi, I have to agree that your relatives went a bit over the edge with the event planning.”


“Yeah, what do you need five gowns for anyway? It’s not like you need to change every hour.” She was already on her third helping of chicken Bolognese while the three of us are still finishing with our first plate. Sydney might be the most petite among us five but she definitely has the biggest anatomical food storage and the heartiest appetite. And the best part, she doesn’t even gain a pound.


“Unless you’re the president, I don’t think you need seven hundreds guests. I’m betting you wouldn’t even know half of those people because they’ll be your parents’ friends or business partners.”


“Why can’t you just give the whole debutante ball a miss? Sure, the elders and betters would be devastated but they’ll get over it,” Sydney added, smiling roguishly.


Wendy gave her a cold glare and a grunt. “I’m sure your diabolical suggestion would work if I had a different mother.”


“Then you really need to sort things out with Gerard or your relatives will surely fix you up with some stranger.” I poured the last of the lemonade to Liz’s glass and excused myself from the table to get some more from the kitchen.




I almost dropped the glass pitcher when I closed the door of the fridge and saw Wesley standing within a spitting distance away from me. It was obvious that he just got out of bed but he was carrying the same stunned expression as I was.


“C-carrie,” he said, almost exclaiming. “I-I didn’t realize y-you’d be here.”


“C-chi… uh… invited u-us for… uh… brunch.” Not only was I stuttering because of the unbearable tension between us, I was also running out of words. A very abnormal phenomenon for someone loquacious like I am who never seemed to tire of talking incessantly.


A minute had passed and neither one of us had spoken another word. I could honestly hear buzzing sounds filling the silence in. Or maybe I just have undiagnosed tinnitus?


“I’m sorry,” he spoke in an undertone I almost didn’t catch it. He was looking straight to me and in my twenty years of knowing Wesley, this is the sincerest that I’ve seen him.


I’m not exactly furious at him or anything, maybe just a tad piqued because the last persons I would want to sleep with are: my friends’ boyfriends, my friends’ ex-boyfriends, and my friends’ siblings. I might be a bit coquettish but I still have a sense of morality to know my restrictions.


“I should’ve tried to get through you sooner but I was too chicken and now look at us, feeling uneasy just being in the same room.”


“You don’t have to apologize for anything. We were both wasted and let’s be honest, it’s not like we haven’t had our own share of a roll in the hay before,” I shrugged.


“You’re not mad at me?” he asked, his brows furrowing. “Seriously, Carrie, you can slap me in the face no matter how many times you want.”


I chuckled as I tried to imagine other girls who’ve done those to him for not calling back after sharing a night together. However, I refuse to be one of those girls. It’s the twenty-first century and sex doesn’t exactly mean that you love the person and you’d end marrying him. You just happened to be searching for some carnal gratification.


“A drunken sex is a drunken sex, Wesley. Men are not the only ones who can be dogs; women can also pull anonymous sex like you do. I guess I was just overwhelmed with confusion that morning when I found myself naked in your bed. And I can’t seem to brush off the feeling that we’ve just committed incest. You’re practically a brother to me, dude,” I kidded and we both found ourselves laughing.


He then sighed, but was easily replaced with dimpled smile. “I was afraid you’re going to avoid me until we kick the bucket.”


“Well, what choice do we have, right? We both breathe and live in the same world, sharing friends and acquaintances, so we’ll surely bump into each other sooner or later.”


“So we’re good? We’re friends again, no estrangement or any kind?”


I nodded and playfully patted his shoulders. “As if nothing happened; consider it consigned to oblivion.”


He hang back before he spoke again, scratching the back of his head. “Should we, uh, hug? Shake hands?”


“I guess we can,” I chuckled and gave him a good old bear hug. He may still haven’t showered but he smells nice like freshly laundered sheets. It suddenly gave me a comforting feeling of contentment and safety; and I was glad to have Wesley around again.


“Does this mean that I’m allowed to pick a fight with you again?” he grinned after I let go from our hug.


“Ha-ha. Don’t push your luck, mister,” I mocked.




I knew Wesley was planning something when he called me that morning to ask what time my last class ends. But I didn’t realize that I’d be seeing him in my last class.


“What are you doing here?” I hissed as I took the empty seat on his left. Lolita Monson never allows anyone to sit-in in her class, especially students who’re from other school.


“Trying to see how Monson is treating you,” he replied, a smile starting to form. “She was always a terror but you just have to find the weaker part of her sword blade.”


I had to control from snorting with laughter. “Why are talking like you’d know her for a long time?”


“Because I do,” he said, completely sure of himself and what his statement entails. I don’t know what kind of a four-leaf clover he was keeping but sure enough, the minute my professor walked in, scanned the room for vacant seats, and landed her eyes on Wesley, she was beaming so brightly that I’d never seen before, let alone smile, I was afraid I would be blinded!


“You really came,” Ma’am Monson enthused as I, including my classmates, watched them exchange pleasantries and a handshake in front of me. “And thank you for sending those gift baskets. Everybody down in the faculty room loved it.”


“Only the best for the superwoman,” Wesley joshed. Oh, dear Lord, I cannot believe that he is flirting my professor right now! Freakishly hilarious than I could ever imagine!


“Well, I should introduce you to the class.” With that said, Ma’am Monson let Wesley face everyone, her hand proudly clasping his shoulder. “I know everybody here has heard of my legendary uno student. I guess today is your lucky day because you’re looking at him,” she proudly announced.


“You’re the one-point-zero student?!” I sibilated. It was all I could do not to yell right then and there. Earning a tres is already grueling for us, how much more for a flat one! “How come you didn’t tell me?”


“Would you believe me if I say I was trying to be humble?” he smiled broadly.




“I’m not even sure if he’s even coming to the golf game today,” I whined-slash-yawned while I let Wade drag me out of the car and into one of the golf carts. It’s difficult to be up and about when you’re innately not a morning person. “Plus it’s an exclusive audience for the male members of the family so I can’t just parade in there whenever I want to.”


“That’s because you haven’t tried. Our aunts are always there together with some of our cousins, spending most of their afternoon in the spa.”


“They’re Stepford wives; that’s what they do on weekends,” I answered sarcastically and leaned on Dad’s shoulders to get some shut-eye before we reach the clubhouse where my relatives would usually congregate before the game itself. Teaming up (Team A and Team B), which changes every two weeks, and making bets on who will bag the laurels today. I wonder which team is Gerard in.


“What a pleasant surprise, Chi,” Apai beamed. “I didn’t know you’d be coming today.”


“Buenos dias, Apai,” I said as I walked up to him and pressed his hand against my forehead. I saw Gerard standing next to my cousins, Kuya Warren and Kuya Paulo, who are both very notorious in interrogating boyfriends or suitors that are invited to the Sunday golf game. Like I need another embarrassing memory to instill on Ardie.


“Would you like to join our game today? We were just grouping ourselves. This should be interesting since we haven’t had a player in a long time, and that was your mother. You’re cousins are always passing up the offer.”


“Oh, I’m nothing but a duffer at golf. You’re just going to lose because of me.”


“Rubbish,” he said, giving me a brush-off. “You should join our team so you and Gerard would be teammates.”


“Oh, no, Apai, you don’t have to—”


“I think it’s a good idea since we’re one member short,” Gerard suddenly blurted out.


I was staring back at him, trying to make sense out of what just happened. Isn’t he supposed to be mad at me?






There were ten members in each team. Wendy, Wade, and I are in Team A, while Tito Rod and Wesley are in Team B, together with their uncle, Father Ramon (though he preferred to be addressed as Tito Mon during family events like this), who I wasn’t able to meet last time.


They allowed Wendy to tee off, being the only female player, assuring her that the stroke would not be counted in case she misses the ball. I’m not a nifty golf player myself but at least all the golf basics and terms that my grandfather has taught me will now pay off. He would always tell my cousins and me that the best business deals are made through the game of golf.


“Oh, shoot,” she exclaimed the minute her driver club hit the golf ball. We all knew that her swing would result to an off target drive, but luckily it wasn’t out of bounds or near any sand bunkers.


“Esta bien, mija, esta bien. That’s actually not too bad of a first shot,” Tito Rod complimented. Wendy timidly smiled as we headed back to our golf carts.


We let the adults get on to the golf carts first before the rest of us queued for the remaining carts. “Chi, you should sit beside Gerard,” I heard her grandfather pointed out. She was already comfortably sitting on the back of fourth buggy, with Wade in front, so I just climbed on the space next to her so she wouldn’t have to transfer to another one.


“I’m really, really sorry,” she said with a rueful expression as our buggy began to move. “You’ve done so much for me, Ardie. I would’ve cottoned on if you decided not to come today.”


“It was a very nice offer from your relatives, and it would have been very impolite not to turn up.” But to be honest, I was actually planning to ditch the whole thing but her family might read something into my act of no-show. I was staring at my feet before I added in a mumble, “I’m sorry I didn’t call when I said will.”


“No, no, don’t say sorry,” she immediately told me. “It’s justifiable after everything that had happened. But you don’t have to fret about anything because my dad already talked to them and cleared up the whole engagement crap.”


I nodded my head; glad that issue has been straightened out. “Still, I’m sorry I got so upset about the whole thing. I just had to leave the place straightaway and clear my mind. I can’t have those kind of things dropped in my lap and expect me not to react.”


“I know and I deeply apologize, Ardie. What my family did was outside the bounds of acceptable behavior. And if you don’t want to be my escort anymore, I completely understand.”


“Don’t worry, our deal is not off. I promised to be your escort and I plan to make that happen,” I ensured her, smiling a little. Since the engagement faux pas is behind us, I don’t really see any reason why I should back out as her escort.


“Thank you for putting up with all of this,” she sighed just as all the golf carts pulled up.


As I helped her climbed down the buggy, something dropped out of her pocket. “Chi, your handkerchief,” I said and picked it up. I was about to hand it to her when I realized why the piece of fabric that I was holding was suddenly so familiar.


“This is yours?” I am aware that it is hers but I was looking for a vocal confirmation.


“Yes. Well, technically,” she chuckled. “Why? Is there something wrong?”


I pulled my own handkerchief out of my own pocket and showed it to her. Both bearing the same line-pattern and the letter A monogram.


“You’re the girl from the church.” I affirmed.




I was staring at the deep divots on the grass, caused by a long history of hard strokes of golf clubs, hoping to find coherence out of the recent revelation. I have been keeping, and using, that handkerchief and lo and behold, it had been Ardie’s all along. I know serendipity exists but this kind of coincidence is something that only happens in the movies. I suddenly found myself laughing like a drain.


He looked at me skeptically and asked, “What’s so funny?”


“I think fate is playing a prank on us,” I managed to blurt out between my hysterics. “I asked the first male passer-by to be my escort, which happened to be you.”


“While I made a childish bet with my sister about the girl on the billboard, which happened to you this time.”


“And now this,” I added, chortling. “Slapstick humor, don’t you think?”


We were both laughing so hard that if it weren’t for my cousins’, and my older brother’s, raucous cheers, we wouldn’t even realize that the golf game had already ended and the other team won.




I was running late for my Philippine Constitution class but luckily, the professor still hasn’t arrived. But my luck immediately changed when I saw that the only empty seat left was at the back (which I hate because I find it hard to focus on the lecture) and it was beside Ralph.


I actually considered on skipping the class just to avoid him but it’s exactly three weeks away from finals and I obviously can’t take that risk. I grudgingly plunked myself on the seat and got my book out just to avoid talking to him. I know I’m being stupid because we did had a civil conversation the last time I saw him at the party hosted by Gerard’s family. But he could have at least gave me a warning about Pamela’s transfer and her plans on joining the campus orgs that I am in.


I was already in the middle of the Civil Code of the Philippine, particularly the part about Obligations and Contracts, when he slipped a note on the edge of my desk. It read: We need to talk.


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