Between Love and Goodbye

KABANATA 2

Lunaria Xenaki

I caught Charming looking at me through the rearview mirror, she was actually pouting her lips as if she was pointing at someone. Her gesture made me tilt my head to my left, to the only person sitting beside me. Of course, we have a companion — my long lost fiancee. We're on our way to Sinclair Heights to take her home. And for some reason, her silence intrigued me.

I wasn't expecting—well, I'm not really expecting to see her today. I have stopped expecting her to appear after I finished college. Ang sabi kasi ni Dad ay makikilala ko siya sa araw ng college graduation pero ni anino niya ay hindi ko nakita. But of course, kahit siguro magpakita siya ay hindi ko rin siya makikilala. I don't know her face. I only have her name, her home address and the dispute between our families.

I was really disappointed when I realized that she will never show herself. But then on the night of my graduation celebration, a woman visited me. I was excited, I even thought she's the one I've been so anxious to meet but no. Nagpakilala siyang si Vesta Valerio and it's not the name of my fiancee. Tinanong ko siya kung may plano bang magpakita ang taong hinihintay ko pero hindi siya sumagot, she just gave me a picture of a young woman. After that, she left without uttering a word.

I stared at the photo that was given to me, the woman was very attractive. She was smiling at the picture with her long black hair slightly covering the side of her face. She has thick brows that compliment her deep-set eyes. May mahahabang pilik-mata at matangos na ilong. But something caught my attention. I have been hearing that the Valerios had inherent green eyes. Napaisip pa ako noon kung bakit hindi green ang kulay ng mga mata niya. It was dark. It felt like her eyes were a mirror of mine. They were even sparkling, as if they were talking to me. I caressed the outline of her face in the picture, she has a pretty smile that quite caught my interest. And at the back of the photo was her name written in cursive.

Viorel Suzanne Montezor el mas Valerio, Oxford Summer 2011

Yes, that's the name of the woman I ought to marry one day. Coincidentally, that's also the name of the woman sitting beside me. The woman I never expected to show up one day. But I'm quite  intrigued. I've seen her cousins go berserk when they find out that some of them were marrying our family. Cupid Valerio was very mad to the point that she shamed my older cousin, Sebastienne Jimenez, in front of the media; that was two years ago. It was even the talk of the town for almost a year. Then the other one, that one hot-tempered Gabryela Camacho — she walked out on Pandora via live telecast that got two million viewers all around the globe. But this woman, Viorel Montezor, didn't even flinch when I called her my future wife.

She just stared at me. I'm not just quite sure if it was anticipation that I saw in her eyes or I was just being stressed by those goddamn papers I signed earlier. But nonetheless, she didn't have that wild reaction which made a different impression on me. And what shocked me more is that, she asked me to take her home.

"Boss, nandito na tayo."

When I looked outside, I saw the former house of the Santanders. Sa tapat nito ay ang bahay naman ng mga Montezor. Actually, the Santanders pretty much own this block. Magkakapitbahay lang silang magpapamilya.

"Ay, nandito na pala tayo," Viorel yawned. I glanced at her, she was stretching her arms as if she had gone from a deep sleep. I sighed, maybe that was the reason why she was silent earlier. I didn't notice that earlier. "Ano, sige, baba na ako." And before I could even say a word, she hastily went out of the car and ran across the driveway in front of the house.

Hindi man lang niya ako nilingon at basta nalang kumaripas ng takbo na parang may dala akong sakit na nakakahawa. Wala akong masabi kaya napatingin nalang ako sa likod niya, nakaharap siya sa malaking pintuan at hindi man lang nag-atubiling lumingon man lang sa akin.