When He Loved Me

Ch. 3 - The Reunion

"Nico," I uttered under my breath, staring at his face. I slowly took in his features, noting how tall he is and how he's almost a head taller than everyone else. He also got buffer, his chest and his arms filling his shirt nicely. Puberty hit him well, I thought.

I gulped and took a deep breath as he approached closer, seeing the confusion apparent in his eyes, topped by furrowed brows.

"Liza?" He asked, confused.

"Hi," I quipped, raising my right hand for a tiny wave.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I --- uhm... I was the guest speaker. Here, at the graduation...I delivered the speech for the ---uhm...for the graduates. Yup, for the graduates, haha." I answered like a bumbling idiot.

"Oh, I didn't know..." he said.

"I invited her to lunch. At our house. Today!" Tita Jo said, excitedly, pulling me back to reality.

"Yes, about that..." I started, "maybe it would be best if I don't go. I --- uhm...I need to do some work stuff...and..."

"Nonesense." Tita Jo said. "Nico would love it if you'll eat with us, right Nico?" She asked, turning to her son.

"Well, I...I don't see any problem with that," he answered. "The car's just outside. I'll go ahead, Nay. I'll just wait for you there."

Nico turned and started walking away from us.

"See, he has no problem with it, if that's what's keeping you. So, you coming?" Tita Jo asked again, pulling me to follow her son.

"Well, if you really insist," I said hesitantly, thinking that this might be the dumbest decision I've done in
my life.

***

The drive was short and awkward and it was quite hard to avoid Nico's eyes when he would glance at me through the rearview mirror.

His brows are still furrowed questioningly, as if asking me why the hell I accepted his mother's invitation.

Well, that makes the both of us. I'm also asking myself the very same question.

When we reached their house, Tita Jo announced that I was with them. Soon, I found myself being hugged by a squealing pair of twins, Nico's sisters Natasha and Natalia - all their names begin in N, if you're smart enough to notice.

I hugged the girls back, excited to see my childhood friends. Ate Natasha and Ate Natalia are older than Nico and I and they were very supportive of our relationship when we were still together.

"Kambal, pakainin nyo muna ang bisita bago kayo magkwentuhan." Nico's father, Nelson, said, admonishing the girls.

"Hello po, Tito. Mano po." I smiled, reaching out for his hands to seek his blessings.

"God bless," he said as I placed the back of his hands to my forehead. "Eat up first, Liza. I cooked your favorite guinataang tulingan when Jo told me you were coming," Tito Nelson added.

"You knew she was coming?" Nico asked, momentarily stopping from filling his plate with the sumptuous lunch prepared by his father.

"Yes, we knew she's coming home to the island. Though your Inay and I were not sure she was going to come and visit us. But I thought, best be prepared!" He quipped, laughing at his witty remarks.

"Actually we were more sure that she'll come home than we were of you." Natasha said to Nico.

"'Coz, you're very rarely home, Kokoy," added Natalia as she poked a fork against Nico's arms.

"Really? Where do you stay, Nico? I thought you never want to leave the island?" I asked rather quickly before I was able to control my tongue.

Nico seemed shocked at my question.

"I stay at Batangas." He looked at me very quickly then turned back to his plate as he said, "I work there."

"Nico's an engineer at the power plant," Tita Jo said. "Don't you know, Liza? Are you not friends on Facebook?"

"Ahh..." I smiled shyly. "I, well...I knew he wanted to be an engineer when we were younger, but I wasn't sure he pursued it. And yes, we're not Facebook friends." Because one does not usually invite their exes as Facebook friends.

"So tell us, Liza, what exactly do you do in New York?" asked Ate Natasha.

"Well, I work at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations. I am actually also a Foreign Service Officer, a diplomat, simply put. But people sometimes have trouble understanding that so to keep things simple, I just tell people I'm a lawyer, which I, actually, also am," I said, trying to keep things as simple as possible. I don't want to come off as someone who thinks herself too self-important, I like these people a lot.

"I think we'd understand what a diplomat is, thanks very much," said Nico quite agressively.

"Oh sorry, I don't mean to offend...it's just that, sometimes..."

"You don't need to explain, we're not stupid," said Nico.

"Shut up, Kokoy!" Said Ate Natalia. "Don't mind him Liza. Of course Kokoy would know what you mean. He probably Googled it before."

"Yes, especially since your Tita Lyn kept on posting tarpaulin banners every time you reach a milestone. She posted one when you graduated college, one when you finished law school, one when you passed the bar, and one when you passed that other thingy," Tita Jo added. "Though, I must admit, I lost track after the Bar exam one. Want some leche flan, dear?" she offered.

I took a scoop and smiled at Nico's family. I also tried to look at him but he seems to have dedicated his entire energy to avoid looking at me.

***

I enjoyed talking with them too much and I barely noticed when it got dark. Soon enough it was already 6:00 PM and the electricity started running. It will run only until 10:00 PM.

Electric lights were flicked on in every household and my hosts started to look for their phone chargers.

"Liza, do you need to charge your phone?" Tita Jo asked, "You can use this socket, if you want", she added.

"Oh, I think I'll just go home and charge my phone there. And it's also dark out, so I better start moving, you know...I have a bit of a walk ahead."

"Silly girl, why would you walk? Nico, drive her home," Tita Jo commanded her son.

"Oh there's really no need. I'd like to walk, I actually miss walking by the beach, specially now." I glanced outside. "It's sunset, I bet it's beautiful outside," I reasoned.

"Ok, Nico will walk you home then." Tita Jo smiled triumphantly.

"But.." I tried to argue.

"C'mon then," Nico said. "You'll miss the sunset if we don't go now."

I started to stand up and grab my things and say my goodbyes when the news in the newly opened TV caught my attention.

"President Rodrigo Duterte announced the suspension of all travel by land, sea, and air to and from Metro Manila over concerns from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The restrictions will take effect as of Sunday, March 15, until at least April 14."

"Fuck!" I said under my breath.

***