You Belong With Me

Crossing A Line

Mira

Johan was made to be around people. It was how he'd always been. He and her Kuya Migs joined all sorts of barkadas and jumped into all the hobbies—church choir, a band, the sepak takraw team, theater club in high school, even joined a street dance contest once. When they got older, this meant social circles left and right, friends picked up from their residencies then grad school and from all the condos they'd stayed in.

Miguel was the first to 'settle down', and Mira thought the term applied to her kuya because he did that, had a family of his own and stopped being everywhere.

Johan took a while longer. When his relationship with Lindsay breached the usual six-month maximum limit (and people lost substantial bets), Mira thought that must be it. His life seemed to adopt an unusual quiet then, one that remained even after the breakup. Worrying her brother, worrying Mira too.

He seemed fine today though. He looked like he was having the time of his life, surrounded by Disney songs, screaming children, yapping dogs, and titas and titos gossiping and talking over each other. He came in the door knowing no one else but her, but it looked like he was coming out with a handful of new birthday party invitations.

"By god, you are horrible with children."

That comment while his hand was ruffling her hair. Like they were 13 and 16 again.

She stuck her tongue out at him, reacting accordingly.

He had pulled her away from the huddle of children queuing for the Hampas Palayok game, standing them beside the mamang sorbetero and his cart.

"I'm so glad the kuyas got that down," she said, agreeing despite the face she made. "The parents are no longer asking me for grandchildren."

"No one should." Johan was shaking his head at her, arms crossed against his chest like a disappointed teacher. "You were supposed to give them directions on how to play the game, not bring them to tears."

"What did I do wrong? Is it when I said if they don't crack the palayok open, they're going home candy-less? Did I tie the bandana on the first kid too tightly?"

"All of the above."

"You don't have to be so honest and mean, you know."

He wrapped an arm around her, lowering his head as if they were about to start a conspiracy.

"You've always been impatient and intense, Mira," Johan whispered. "Children don't respond well to either."

She knocked her fist against his stomach. He gave out an exaggerated OOMFF, and Mira bit her lip at how hard his abdomen was.

"Mira!"

She felt Johan's hand squeeze her shoulder before letting go. They turned to face their hostess.

Today's party was in the poolside of a hotel in Las Piñas, the rented space transformed into a farmyard playground complete with vegetables as table centerpieces and a bahay kubo photo booth backdrop. The birthday celebrant and her mother, Shiela, wore matching terno-style, yellow dresses with butterfly sleeves that would rival Imelda's.

Mira wished she'd dressed for the theme. She and Johan were sticking out in their boring weekend casuals. Though her main complaint was he did not have to make those rolled up sleeves look that good.

"I am so sorry, Shie," Mira headed her friend off. "In my defense, you very well know me and my deficiencies."

"I know, this is all my fault," Shiela said, managing to give her friend a consoling pat on the back while juggling her precious baby girl. "You are hereby demoted to going to the kakanin manang and testing the bibingka and puto bumbong."