Serendipity (Dauntless Series #3)

Chapter 4

I am very grateful to my newfound friends who always make sure that I could fit in into this environment well. Mayroon mang mga mapanghusga at kinikwestyon ang pagiging Gabionza ko, tinatak ko na lang sa isip ko na wala silang alam sa buhay ko para husgahan nila ako. I can't even begin to open up to my friends. Good thing they're very understanding. I just assured them that once I'm comfortable sharing my personal life with them, they're the ones who will be the first to know.

Tuwing weekend ay sinasama ako ni Mama Adela sa isang convention para manood ng ballet dance. Doon ko rin napag-alaman kung gaano karami ang mga amigo't amiga niya. Linggo linggo ay iba-iba ang nakakasalamuha ko. May ilang former beauty queens, artista, at mga kilalang negosyante. She's teaching me how to socialize and even if my don't want to, I had to endure it. It's not that worse than I thought it would be.

Akala ko magiging mahigpit sa akin si Mama Adela dahil syempre, anak ako sa labas ni Papa. Masyado akong nadala sa mga napapanood ko kaya ganoon ang nasa isip ko noong una. Mukha lang siyang strikto ngunit mabait naman. I could tell her anything, even the things that I find hard to share with my friends.

She's the coolest!

"Guinevere, mija, I want you to meet Rosalinda. My best friend for 63 years." masayang sinabi ni Mama Adela nang lumapit sa amin ang isang matandang mukhang kasing-edad lang din niya. Lumapit ako roon at nakipagbeso. Lumipat ang tingin ko sa binatang kasama niya. He has a strikingly strong features and an overwhelming height. Not to mention the beautiful long hair that he has.

Have I mentioned that long-haired guys are my weakness? My celebrity crushes were mostly long-haired or had long hair. Para sa akin kasi, nakakadagdag iyon ng appeal.

"Is this..." the guy didn't let Mama Adela finish her sentence. He kissed her knuckles and smiled afterward. I even saw him look in my direction but I pretended to be looking somewhere else.

"Yes! My first-born grandson, Jesse. Finally, after three long years, naisipan niya na ring umuwi."

Nagtawanan ang dalawang matanda dahil doon. Nagulat na lamang ako nang bigla akong tinapik ni Mama Adela at bahagyang itinulak palapit kay Jesse. Mabuti na lamang at nakapreno agad ako. Kung hindi, sabay kaming natumba ni Jesse. Looks like he didn't expect that as well.

"By the way, this is my granddaughter, Guinevere." pagpapakilala sa akin ng Lola ko na ngiting-ngiti pa habang sinasabi iyon. Kumunot ang noo ko sa inasal niya ngunit hindi na ako nakaalma nang magsimulang maglakad ang mga ito palayo sa amin, leaving me and Jesse behind.

"Hello! I haven't seen you before..." he said. I pressed my lips together before letting out an awkward laugh. Nagsimula na rin kaming maglakad para sundan ang mga Lola namin.

Ito ang isa sa mga tanong na pinakainiiwasan ko dahil hindi ko alam kung paano iyon sasagutin nang hindi nakikisimpatya ang mga tao sa akin. Yes, I am a product of a mistake. People usually see me as a weakling once they learned about my history. It's annoying but I try to make myself used to it. After all, it's part of my life. And no one has the right to judge me just because of it.

Napansin siguro ni Jesse na hindi ako komportable sa sinabi niya kaya tumikhim ito.

"Forgive me. I'm not really good at interacting."

"Same here!" agad kong sagot. That made him smile, flaunting his perfect set of white teeth. He's got a pretty nice smile. To tell you the truth, I got mesmerized by it.

"Anyway, if my grandmother tells you something that you'll find awfully uncomfortable, don't hesitate to inform me right away. She has that habit and I always get embarrassed by it."

"Like what, exactly?"

"Like giving you reasons for us to date. She always does that to every girl she encounters. I'm sure you're no exception, since you are her best friend's granddaughter."