I Will Take Hold of You

Chapter Ten

At quarter to six, Paolo was there. As usual, it's fitted jeans. The gray shirt is tucked in.

Isa is wearing a blue Traje de Mestiza.

"Are there many people where we are going?" Paolo asked.

"Gosh, no. Maybe there were less than eight people there. It's just a delayed celebration of Juana's birthday because Miguel wasn't there on the day of her birthday. It's going to be held at Miguel's apartment."

"You will take care of Isa, Paolo. I am entrusting her to you and you will be the one to bring her home here," Nicholas instructed emphatically.

Isa was surprised by what her father said. He just didn't want to tell them directly that he didn't want Thomas to bring her home. So, even though she remembered Thomas earlier and mentioned him to her father, he would not agree either.

"Don't worry, Ninong. I will bring Isa here fully and without deduction," the young man joked with a wink at the girl.

After saying goodbye, the two left.

"What will your boyfriend say when he sees me with you again?"

"Honestly, I don't know..." though she could already foresee Thomas' reaction.

"Are you having trouble with him because of my presence?"

"Sort of. Jealous of you."

The young man raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing about that?" he asked with a smile.

"Some explaining but I can't calm him down. He pressured me to marry him... soon."

It was as if someone took Paolo's breath away. He got up very nervous but still asked calmly.

"What do you decide?"

Isa looked out of the car. Didn't answer right away. Paolo feels that his life and death depends on Isa's answer.

"He gave me one month to decide. Less than three weeks to go."

Paolo didn't say anything until they got to Cubao where the party was going to be held near Camp Murphy.

They were still far away and the girl saw Thomas's car. The young man parked the car in the vacant lot.

Isa was down, Paolo still didn't move. Instead he reclines the chair.

"Let's go..."

"I'll just wait here in the car." And lie on the leaning seat.

The young woman went around the young man's position and bent down to the window.

"Come inside with me, Paolo. Don't stay here."

"Isa, what will your boyfriend say if you go in with me? Also, I don't know the people inside except for Juana. I'm fine here, go ahead."

They were in that conversation when Juana came out. "And the guest of honor has arrived! Who's with you?" The girl walked towards them and peered inside the car. "Paolo! Come on, get out there and I'll introduce you to my boyfriend."

A man came out of the apartment. The young man's attention was focused there. He covered his forehead when he saw who it was.

"This is great!" Paolo whispered to himself.

"Hello, Isa. Thomas is inside and playing sungka with my brother," Miguel greeted. "Are you with someone?"

"Yeah. Paolo."

Paolo got out of the car with a heavy body. He put his arms on the car door and looked at Miguel.

"Small world, man..."

"Paolo!" Miguel exclaimed as he circled the young man's position. The two gave each other a hug.

The two women looked at each other and spoke almost simultaneously. "Do you know each other?"

"Know each other? You must be kidding! Best friends, enemies, sparring partners, etc., etc.," Miguel said with a laugh as he held Paolo's shoulder. "...name anything and it's the two of us. And we're in the same class at Colegio de Santo Tomas. That's why, poor me, just awarded saliente while Paolo is sobresaliente," Miguel shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "It didn't matter anyway, we are friends even though I only won a sungka match once out of ten games, right, man?"

Paolo just laughed. "So, Miguelito lost ITO."

"There's something else with Miguel, man. Let's go inside and Leo will be surprised by that," invited the young man who was referring to his younger brother.

"So, the driver-mechanic is an experienced lawyer!" Juana said smiling. "I thought so..."

"Driver-mechanic?" Miguel interrupted. "You should know, Paolo. I have a name for that friend of mine, 'the humble arrogant'," and was accompanied by laughter. He put his arm around his girlfriend and invited them inside.

"Come on..." the young man whispered to Isa who didn't move and just looked at him.

There were three people inside. Thomas plays sungka with Leo and his girlfriend, Catalina.

"Leo, look who's here!" shouted Miguel.

"Paolo! What are you doing here?" Leo exclaimed.

Thomas turned around and although he wanted to smile when he saw Isa, his face suddenly darkened. He stood up and approached his girlfriend while the three greeted and said hello.

"So, your driver is Miguel's acquaintance?" he said to his girlfriend.


"I just found out. I was also surprised, Thomas. I didn't think that Miguel was actually from Bulacan..."

The man pulled the girl out of the terrace. "Why are you with that man? And is it up to this point, Isa?"

"Thomas, Papa won't allow me if I'm not with Paolo," explained the girl, pulling her arm from her boyfriend's hold.

"You could have asked me!" he said loudly although the voice was controlled.

"Thomas, what are you doing? Papa himself told him to accompany me. Paolo is his godson that's why he trusts him so much."

"And your dad doesn't trust me, does he?"

"It's not like that, Thomas. Maybe Papa thought it would be too much trouble if you picked me up and then drove me home and then you went back home."

"And does your father have the heart to invite his daughter's boyfriend to spend a few hours at your house?"

The girl couldn't immediately find an answer to what her boyfriend said that she had already thought about earlier. The girl sighed deeply.

"It's a province, Thomas. People aren't used to..."

"That's bullshit, Isa! Your neighbors are far away from your house. And who's going to bother if I'm there or not?" his prompt. "Am I a barbaric kind of person that you cannot trust, like you trust that man? My goodness, Isa, I respected you. I never go beyond simple kissing and caressing. I want to present you cleanly at the altar. Consider me old fashioned but I want my wife to be a virgin," there was anger and resentment in his voice.

Isa wanted to cry. Thomas is right and she feels guilty. She is torn between inexplicable feelings for Paolo and her lover. He felt pity for the young man.

She is being unfair if she continues to take care of the feelings she has for Paolo. What she feels must be purely lust! That's right. Perhaps brought by Paolo's animalistic aura and Thomas' conservative nature. She may initially be looking for what she wanted her boyfriend to do.