Say Yes

51

Chiara

"It's been a decade."

Yun ang mahina kong tugon kay Ate. Halos sampung taon na nung huli kaming nagkasama sama ng maayos sa Noche Buena na walang tensyon na nararamdaman. Because after that day I discovered Dad's cheating acts, hoildays were just normal days for me to celebrate.

"Antagal na nga. Thank you for coming Chi."

My impulsive self made that decision after reading Dad's letter.

Nakatanaw kami ngayon sa veranda, watching Dad and Inigo on our front yard, talking with a bottle of wine in front. I promised Inigo I will drive kung sakaling lalasingin ulit siya ni Dad. Well the last time they had a talk, Inigo was really drunk.

"I am sorry again Chi. I, in anyway, will never ever think of hurting you."

Mahabang katahimikan ang namagitan sa amin.

"You know what, growing up, I always envied you Chi." Medyo nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. "Especially the relationship you had with Inigo. I wish at least I have one real friend like him in my life I can turn too. Apparently when you went to Korea, you gained Charles. You are lucky to have both of them, especially Inigo. A friend, a bestfriend, a boyfriend, an ideal husband. Do you think time would come I would met my own?"

My sister's eyes were sad.

"When I heard Dad and Mom's backstory, I tried to put myself on their shoes. What if the same thing happened to me?" Saad niya habang lumipat ang tingin niya saken. "I never had someone I loved romantically. I don't have any idea, so just thinking rationally, maybe I understand in a different perspective, that's why it became easier for me to forgive him. Naisip ko, if I had experienced love in not a platonic way, maybe I could understand where you were coming from."

Tumingin siya kay Inigo.

"Do you want to know why I asked you na ligawan si Inigo for JCE?"

May iba pang dahilan? I asked internally.

"JCE was planned thoroughly already Chi. And Dad's desperate plan of bringing you home because of his dementia, he goes beyond thinking Inigo would make you come home and stay. He sent me to Korea to convince you about inheritance and freedom, just to get close again with Inigo. Naniniwala siya, anything that went wrong between the two of you will be fixed. Hindi niya nagawang ayusin ang sa kanya, maybe yung sa inyo, kaya niya." Mahabang paliwanag ni Ate Yejin.

"Maybe love of the same form understand each other well, obviously it worked and you stayed."

Hindi ako makapaniwala sa narinig ko.

"Dad was contemplating what happened between the two of you. Alam niyang hindi lang siya ang dahilan kung bakit ka umalis, dahil kung siya ang dahilan, sana matagal ka ng lumayo. And he knows there is an open chapter between the two of you, either you close the book, or open a new chapter. He was just grasping anything that would make you come home, not resorting to him telling you of his condition. He was not wrong. He surely knows you well. It took him that condition to start moving and finally had the courage to straighten things out for our family."

So it was Dad. It was his plan all along.

Mahabang katahimikan ulit, nakatanaw naman kami sa kalangitan. 

If there's one thing that had changed today, I could really feel peace.

"Wala pa ba kayong balak magpakasal ni Inigo?" May halong biro ang boses ni Ate. Ngumiti lang ako ng bahagya, at bumalik ang tingin namin sa dalawang lalake sa baba, masayang nagkekwentuhan.

Another episode of people keeping tabs on our supposed to be wedding. And I just smiled. 

Madami pa kaming napag usapan ni Ate Yejin kagaya ng dadating na contract signing with the investors, plus Inigo as the collaboration of Jung Farms and Kim Hotel Group, my remote work in Korea, and also Dad's treatment. Recent check ups he had, he's getting better and better.