______I've been looking at the gold box with a variety of milk and dark chocolates on my lap — each with a unique spin to flavor. Some lean towards salty, while some are more fruity. Others are quite surprising with its minty taste, or smooth caramel consistency. May iba na gusto ko, like this dark chocolate with some kind of strawberry filling inside — may isa naman na hindi ko makain — may shredded coconut sa loob eh, but despite my abhorrence to some of the chocolate fillings, I cannot deny the fact that the shell itself is so good.
In a way, Forest Gump was right — that a box of chocolate is like life nga talaga. I cannot help but think of the assortment of surprises that my life has recently thrown my way ever since Amanda and I got back together. And right now, I have no idea what I'll be getting — a strawberry filling or a coconut one.
My girlfriend reached for my hand and squeezed it. I could see a large house with white walls and gate. My heart began to beat double-time. Then our car stopped.
"Welcome home". Amanda smiled brightly. "Come on, time for you to meet my folks". She opened the door of the car.
Hindi na ako maka salita. Instead, napatitig nalang ako sa dalawang tao na lumabas ng pintuan ng bahay — Amanda's parents. I swallowed and reached behind my seat to get my bag and the insulated bag with a strawberry shortcake that we bought before driving here.
I could hear Amanda's voice as she shouted with glee when she saw her mom and dad. Her parents immediately scooped her up and gave her a very tight squeeze.
Just before getting out of the car myself, I had to take in very deep breath.
"I've missed you, squirt!" Amanda's dad rummaged the top of my girlfriend's hair like a school-girl.
"Missed you too, pops".
Then the three of them looked at me when I closed the car's door with a slight thud. I squeezed the handle of the bags.
"Rabiya! Welcome to Phuket! Welcome to our home!" Amanda's mom greeted as she came towards me, arms wide open and inviting me to give her a hug. "It's nice to see you again!"
I bent down and hugged Amanda's mom. "It's so nice see you again, too".
My eyes connected with Amanda's smiling ones. I could see that she was very pleased. It made me feel at ease.
"Ah — so here's the girl we're talking about!" Amanda's dad grinned and came closer to me as well and without hesitation, he embraced me tightly. "Ohh, it's so good to finally meet the other squirt. I'm Paul, Mandy's pops!"
I chuckled when I saw my girlfriend laugh at the sight of me and her parents. I patted the back of Amanda's dad and smiled at him — genuinely. He was really warm to me.
"Come inside. I cooked for you and Amanda — her favorites. And I hope you'll like it too". Amanda's mom held my hand and led me inside their house while my girlfriend and her dad continued to have their own silly moment behind us.
"I didn't make it too spicy, Mandy said you don't eat too spicy food".
"I am learning to. The spice here in Thailand is nice and I am getting used to it".

BINABASA MO ANG
The Queen & I (WLW)
FanfictionTwo Women. One Pageant. And a Wild Adventure Fit for a Queen 👑 Rabiya Mateo, a simple Filipina with big dreams, has got her eyes set on winning the 5th crown for her country at the 69th Miss Universe pageant in hopes of bringing a better future for...