Why Not Me (why can't it be me?) [Vini & Dalilah]

Kabanata 9

The backseat felt increasingly cramped, not only because of Tita Satianna’s shopping bags crowding us, but also because of the unspoken tension between Vini and me. Sinubukan kong lumayo sa kaniya pero sobrang sikip talaga rito sa likod at hindi man lang siya nagbibigay ng effort na umisod, at alangan namang upuan ko itong mga bagong bili na Louis Vuitton at Prada na mga bag, ano! 

I took a deep sigh and smiled while looking at the shopping bags around me. Tita Satianna was really so spoiled by Tito Serge. Sabagay, lahat naman sila ay bigay-luho sa mga asawa nila. Just like Dee-dee to Mumeee, but unlike Tita Satianna, my mother did not fancy branded items that much. In fact, every time Dee-dee would give her expensive things, pag-uusapan nila ng ilang araw ang tungkol doon at kailangan na may nakahandang eksplanasyon si Dee-dee kung bakit kailangang bumili pa noon. And he would always tell Mumeee that what was the point of working his ass off if not to give the whole world to his wife and children?

Oh, how I wished to find a man like Dee-dee!

And unfortunately for me, it was not anymore going to be Vini.

For goodness sake, Dalilah! Puro ka Vini! Panay ang sabi mo na kalilimutan mo na siya pero bukambibig mo naman!

But old habits die hard!

Before heading to her boutique, Tita Satianna took us to a restaurant for an early dinner.

“It seems like only yesterday you were kids, and now, in just a few weeks time, Dal will be turning eighteen. Pupuwede nang mag-boyfriend,” hagikhik ni Tita Satianna. “‘Yon nga lang ay kung papayag ang daddy mo. You know, the boys are so overreacting when it comes to their daughters. ‘Yong Tito Serge mo nga, ang sabi ba naman ay hindi pa raw umaakyat ng ligaw ‘yong mga lalaking magkaka-iinterest kay Peanut ay lulumpuhin na agad niya. My goodness! The mindset is so very wrong!”

Natawa ako ngunit napawi rin ‘yong ngiti sa labi ko sa sumunod na sinabi niya.

“Kaya naman, Vini, bakuran mo na si Dal bago ka pa maunahan ng iba, okay? Sige ka!” aniya.

Vini chuckled beside me, and I did not know how he could still find humor in the situation we were in.

“Tita,” tawag ko.

“Yes, Dal?”

I took a deep breath as I grappled with the challenge of explaining to her that things between Vini and me were no longer how it used to be. But I could not continue pretending any longer as I had been moving on from him and did not want to cling to false hopes anymore.

“What is it, Dal?” 

“Vini is courting Kisses,” I said that left a stunned expression on her face.

“What?” she asked. “But we are Team DalVin!”

I faked a smile and said, “‘Yon po sana ‘yong hihingin kong pabor. Tita, ah, huwag ninyo na po kaming dalawa na tuksuhin sa isa’t isa. Nakakahiya po sa kanila, lalo na kay Kisses.”